True story: My
office is on one of the top floors of our building. One day I took the elevator to the ground floor, as I am in the
habit of doing on occasion. I was
hoping for an express trip, but it was not to be. The car stopped after only two or three floors and two young
ladies entered the car. I was praying
they might be visitors to the building, but their employee badges were in plain
sight. Why did I hope they were not
fellow coworkers? Because of the way
they were dressed – or maybe I should say, the way they weren’t dressed. “Business casual" was overstating the very
low-cut tops, short tight skirts, and caked-on makeup these two young girls
were wearing. I was uncomfortable in
their presence and found the ceiling fan in the elevator suddenly
fascinating. I couldn’t, however,
ignore their giggly, bubbly conversation, focusing on one girl’s encounter with
a man who was obviously interested in only one thing from her. Thankfully, the elevator finally reached the
lobby, and we all exited. A few men
were waiting to get on the elevator, and I noticed that every single one of
them looked at these two young ladies as they left. The girls noticed too, and one of them exclaimed, “See what I
mean? I hate it when men look at me
like that!"
I couldn’t help myself – I laughed out loud! The two turned to look at me and I chuckled
as I said, “If you don’t want men to look, stop dressing like you DO want them
to look!" My helpful advice was met
with a couple of dirty looks and the comeback, “I should be able to dress the
way I want!" before the two walked off, grumbling under their breath.
Now I’m no prude.
What surprised me was that these two young girls felt that, in a
business environment, what they were wearing was perfectly acceptable. (Their attire might have been just fine in a
different working environment – say, that of the local bordello.) There is absolutely no way either of these
ladies would be considered a business professional based solely on their dress,
or lack thereof.
Men Are From Mars…
Ladies, let me clue you in on something you may not have
realized: The vast majority of men like
women. Really, they do. Men find women appealing to the senses. It’s got something to do with the differences
in the sexes and reproduction and survival of the fittest. As a result, women have a profound effect on
men’s ability to think logically.
(Don’t ask me – the biologists and psychologists can explain it in
detail much better than I can.) The end
result is that inappropriate dress in the workplace may give an impression that
you don’t intend, and probably a negative one.
Oh, and let’s talk about how this can affect the other women
on the job. There’s enough competition
in the workplace without giving your female coworkers additional ammunition to
fire at you. Overdressing or
underdressing could give the ladies in your office just cause to give you a
dressing down to your superiors.
Yes, you’re adults.
Yes, you can dress the way you want.
The fact is you only get one chance to make a good first
impression! If the first time a man
sees you it’s in an outfit that’s inappropriate for the workplace, what kind of
impression are you giving him? Are you
a force to be reckoned with in the business community, or are you just eye
candy for his entertainment? You may
change your dress style down the road, but for some men (and women!) their
initial assessment of you will continue to influence decisions that could affect
your career for the rest of your time with that company.
(By the way, I’m not saying that we men have our act
together when it comes to getting dressed.
Most of us have our clothing picked out by our wives or girlfriends…or
both, in some cases. Proof positive of
the inability of a man to think logically where women are concerned!)
I’m not here to give you advice on what to wear to convey
that competent business impression. You
can get that information from books or from any episode of “What Not To
Wear". I’m here to tell you, from a
man’s perspective, the clothing styles you wear to work that are a detriment to
your career, not to mention a distraction (at best) or an eyesore (at worst) to
your coworkers.
Starved for Attention
The two young ladies in my story definitely fall into this
category. They’re young, they’re fit,
they’re hip to fashion, and they don’t mind wearing things that would make
Britney Spears blush. Is it any wonder
that the men in the workplace leer when they walk by? These girls acted offended by the looks, but my guess is they
secretly enjoyed it. And some may argue
with me, but let’s face it: If you
don’t want attention, you don’t go looking for it. Especially in a work environment that is more concerned than ever
about sexual harassment, dressing this way may garner some very inappropriate
attention. And it’s not professional –
period.
Mid-Life Crisis
This is the woman who refuses to grow old gracefully. Her clothing, hairstyle, and mannerisms
indicate she thinks she’s still in that 20-something age bracket. She might even have you convinced for a
while. Then you find out she has kids –
teenagers. She’s about to celebrate her
silver anniversary. And her husband
will be retiring in five years.
Suddenly that youthful appearance and attitude are no longer assets, but
liabilities. It’s almost a joke, like
Joan Rivers and her multiple plastic surgeries. Does anybody who looks at her truly believe she’s as young as her
daughter? Of course not! I understand that both men and women are
concerned about a younger, cheaper workforce taking over their positions. But there are better ways to fight the
ravages of time. Becoming the punch
line in the jokes around the water cooler doesn’t aid your cause or advance
your career.
Shrinking Violet
This term doesn’t refer to the woman – it refers to her
clothing. As time progresses, that size
10 gets smaller and smaller. But it
makes no difference. She’s a size 10,
and she’ll fit in that size 10 even if it kills her. This means she’s sharing with her coworkers the nooks and
crannies in her body that only her most intimate acquaintances should ever know
about…and maybe not even then. I’ve
seen enough feminine undergarments sticking out over the top of a waistband or
threatening to tear through a too-tight shirt to last several lifetimes. The comments made about attire of this type
are too cruel to mention, and are probably the most frequent. Swallow your pride and save your dignity. Go up a size or two if necessary.
All Man
Twenty-five years ago there weren’t a lot of clothing
options for professional women in the workplace. The woman who wanted to go places in the business world bought
clothing styled like a man’s. No frilly
dresses with oversized bows for these ladies, no sir! (Maybe the manufacturers thought they’d convert easily into
nooses.) Unfortunately some of the
clothing designers from 1980 are still around, as evidenced by the woman who is
still enthralled by dressing like a man.
From the pinstriped three-piece suit to the power tie, this woman is
making a statement that she’s playing ball with the big boys. The problem is, she’s stuck in a time
warp. In the corporate environment, one
has to wonder: Is this woman’s
understanding of our business as dated as her outfit?
Bite the Bullet, Ladies!
In a day and age when women make up over half the work force
of the United States, there are so many clothing options available for the
workplace. It makes no difference if
the dress code is business professional, business casual, or jeans and sport
shirts. All employees need to dress in
a way that reflects the company for whom they work. It means better public relations for the company, and better
career opportunities for the employee.
Is it fair? Maybe not. Is it reality? Absolutely. So dress the
way you want to at home or at the party.
But on the job, be considerate of your coworkers, and respect yourself,
by dressing appropriately. Now if
you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to remove my earring, take off my sandals, and
change from sweatshirts into my business casual work clothes. I have a paycheck to earn – and a career to
advance!
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