As many of us prepare to enter the terrifying and mystifying “real world” of post-graduation and grown-up jobs, we begin to focus on every line on our resume and every detail of our appearance in the hopes of landing that perfect first job. Potential employers often have to choose between several similarly qualified candidates, and these minute details can become significant factors in an employer’s decision to hire. It’s socially known that the clothing you choose to wear, as a form of personal expression, can convey certain ideas to your potential employer. Whether or not these equivalences are fair or justified is a separate issue. For now, all we can do is try our best to maintain our individuality while adhering to standards of professionalism. Unfortunately, as women, teetering this line is much more complicated than it is for our gentlemen counterparts. This can cause some well-justified frustration and anxiety for those of us entering the job market.
For women, something that should be fairly simple — a choice of clothing — requires a degree of thought and planning that men simply do not have to deal with. Women are judged very harshly for their physical appearance, and the clothing that they wear sometimes sends the “wrong messages” to their employers and prevents them from being afforded the respect they deserve.
Women who dress in an overtly feminine way, either by emphasizing the femaleness of their bodies or wearing lighter, “girly” clothes have trouble being taken seriously by employers. In interviews and in the workplace, more feminine attire is often equated with unprofessionalism because masculine or male clothing is considered the default “professional,” and any feminine deviation is therefore unprofessional. Somehow, a woman in a floral dress or form-fitting skirt is the workplace equivalent of a man in a T-shirt and shorts. Femininity has no room in the workplace, and the worrisome job interview is simply an extension of that. How are we supposed to dress if looking “too feminine” is somehow inappropriate?
The blindly accepted concept of “professional” is complicated by the expectation that women not dress unfeminine either! Women who don’t dress in a stereotypically feminine way or even in a subdued feminine way are seen as lazy or uncaring. A lack of effort in one’s personal appearance (little or no makeup, flat shoes, neutral colors, pantsuits as opposed to dresses) is seen as a reflection of a woman’s work ethic and can actually affect her marketability to potential employers.
Graduating and entering the job market is intimidating enough, and the multitude of challenges women face (did someone say pay gap?) certainly don’t make it any easier. The fact that women are so closely scrutinized through this subtle sexist lens is more than a little aggravating, and professional women have been walking this delicate line between masculine and feminine for years but with little progress. Though this may seem like a small issue, it’s pertinent to this generation of new graduates entering the professional world, and the gendered mindset behind this criticism of professional women’s clothing is the true issue here.
As you head off to those big interviews and first jobs, whether they are post-grad or a semester internship, be yourself. Dress formally (as in, not something you’d wear to class or a club) but in a way that makes you feel confident and comfortable. Prove to your boss how awesome you are no matter what you’re wearing, and dismantle the idea that traditionally feminine women lack integrity. Dismantle the idea that unfeminine women are uncaring or unmotivated, and eliminate the precarious line that women must walk to be given respect in the workplace.
For more information about “feminine” clothing in the workplace, visit one of these websites.