I don't like mimes. Never have.
I don't like magicians. Never have.
I don't like tuxedos. Never have.
I don't like wearing robes, either in church or in academic processions. Never have.
What I really don't like is artifice.
When I was a young boy, yes, I did dress up for Halloween.
In my many experiences in theatre, I've worn costumes.
But that wasn't artifice. I wasn't dressed up to say, "Hey, look at me, I'm wearing a costume." I wore the costume for a purpose. On stage, the purpose was to tell a story, so what I wore wasn't a costume; it was what my character would naturally wear. The same with my Halloween costumes, which my mother and I made (never bought those pre-packaged store costumes). The purpose was to become the character. I wasn't saying, "Hey, I'm dressed up as Captain Hook" (my all-time favorite, complete with a hook that would probably attract the attention today of Child and Family Services), but "I am Captain Hook!"
In the Middle Ages, academics wore robes to keep warm in drafty classrooms. To wear an academic robe today is artifice. The same for clerical robes. To wear one today is, at least for me, artifice.
Now I know some dear clergy friends who feel very differently, and that's fine. They find wearing such things to be natural for when they are in the pulpit; I doubt they wear the robe when, say, mowing the lawn.
The same with men's formal wear. Tuxedos were first worn in the late 19th century by dandies, by people wanting to stand out from the crowd. Their first appearance created a lot of controversy.
Today a tux is basically a uniform, a way to blend in, rather than stand out.
Uniforms are fine for staff at a restaurant or a retail store. It helps me know who to ask for service. But to wear a uniform otherwise is to blend in, not stand out.
So what about magicians and mimes? We know there is no real magic done by magicians. It is all pretense. Same with mimes. And clowns. And the makeup is a real put-off. They aren't trying to be someone.
I like reality.
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