Inappropriate Dress Causes Women in the Workplace to Be Treated Unequally
Unprofessional Attire Causes More Harm Than Many Women Realize
Many women in the workplace today rely on making themselves feel valued by looking good. Girls often define themselves by how attractive they are to the opposite sex, and a woman usually chooses what she wears to work based on how members of the opposite sex will view her. This is partially a natural occurrence and partially based on insecurities and the desire to feel good about themselves based on outside sources. While it is always nice feel pretty and look good, some women in the workplace do not realize the damage they are doing to their careers as well as to the careers of women all across America.
Today it is not uncommon for a women to dress up in a short skirt without stockings to draw attention to herself in the workplace. While this action may make her feel more confident about herself it will also significantly take away from any real talent or skill she may have to contribute to the work environment. Maybe not all of the men will view her as an object of attraction, but some will. And this is enough to cause damage to her career.
In addition to the short skirts, many women wear tight shirts, trendy jewelry and heavy makeup to work. All of these things suggest the need to feel attractive rather than the desire to succeed at work. If a woman wears the same things to work that she would wear out to dinner on a date or to a club on the weekend, she should seriously reconsider her choices.
Many workplaces have dress codes but frequently do not know how to draw the line with women. Many employers fear lawsuits and harassment issues and avoid enforcing policy unless it is clearly ignored. For example, a woman may wear a crisp button down shirt to work that seems professional however the top buttons are left open to create a revealing look. This can be a difficult issue to discuss at work and may cause the woman to be offended or lash out claiming that she is being singled out.
Thinking about why she is choosing to wear the outfit she picked out for work will lead many women to realize that they are searching for attention in the workplace. Instead of relying on their looks, these women should try to use their skill and talent to make themselves stand out. Getting noticed for a real achievement is far more rewarding than getting a stare from the married boss down the hall who will never look at her as more than a sexy woman in a short skirt.
Published by Michelle Smith
A native New Yorker who writes about anything whenever the mood strikes. View profile
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8 Comments
Post a CommentI have an example of this everyday in my office. One of my coworkers hates it and her and considers her worthless, but the boss seems to like them and her a little too much in my opinion.
"In addition to the short skirts, many women wear tight shirts." I have a coworker who does this everyday. Yesterday, she walked in wearing a tight shirt that was stretchy. The sides were stretched so far that you could see that her bra color underneath. She also is about a size 32C at best, but loves push-up bras. She had her best one on yesterday and looked more liked more a 32DD.
"For example, a woman may wear a crisp button down shirt to work that seems professional however the top buttons are left open to create a revealing look." Every year, we take directory photos so that other offices in our region know can associate names and faces. Two years ago the photo that appeared in the directory for my office had her with only one button closed on the entire shirt. You could tell she had another shirt on of similar color underneath if you looked very closely. Last years photo, she had two buttons closed, but her hands and arms locked behind her body and her chest pushed out.
For those of you that wonder how I know they aren't really that big, I have seen her a few times out clubbing by accident and she was immensely smaller-chested with her dates. Additionally, I first met her 6 years ago when had just started working in another office. That office had a close friend of mine and she happens to have a very large chest (38DD). I would have guessed her at 32B then and pictures from that time frame support that.
Lastly, truth be known, she is very talented, and if she wouldn't such a jerk personality wise and so insecure, she would likely be a multi-millionaire.
i wear the same clothes as the other females at work but i am the only one being singled out. i tiink that is more the issue for me. and i dont see work as a fashion show but everyone wants too look and feel good and when all my other work mates are wearing the same iv never seen the problem and ther has never been a problem before up intil now. im sorry i prob did come across a lil strong in the previous comment as i was angry,i am hurt by it because i have always thought iv dressed in an appropriate manner.
some girls actually just have big boobs and its not easy being a woman with big boobs all the time. im at a work place wher the dresscode is very casual -tshirts jeans etc and inless i wear really high unfashionable tshirts (boy tshirts) thers always gunna be a lil bit of clevage and not much i can do about that.all other girls wear lower tops than me and have smaller boobs but i was given this article by my employer and i am outraged because i actively try to dress approprately and feel very insulted that he views me as one of these girls described in the article who "define themselves by hw the opoosite sex view them" i feel very discriminated against because of my body type! he has not given this article to any of the smaller chested girls whos tops u can still see down...only me...bullshit!
Well written and excellent article.
After over 30 years working as a professional, I am a retired aeronautical engineer, you have identified one of the problems that some women create for themselves in the workplace.
Have you ever encountered any of those women who wear business like outer attire but refuses to wear a bra under it? Or the women from the opposite end of the attire spectrum - those who arrive at work wearing dirty jeans with a dirty blouse, sweatshirt or tee shirt?
Women should work together to fight sexism in the workplace, not play right into the patriarchal system. Good article.
Great article! Women who dress like they are trying to attract men strain credulity in the workplace.
Thanks for this article! I just don't understand why women are going to work dressed like they're headed for a nightclub, or why companies allow it.
Great write up.