Do we all need to dress like men to succeed?
In the hot-off-the-press February issue of Vogue magazine, editor in chief Anna Wintour writes:
Imagine my amazement, when I learned that Hillary Clinton, our only female president hopeful, had decided to steer clear of our pages at this point in her campaign for fear of looking too feminine. The notion that a contemporary woman must look mannish in order to be taken seriously as a seeker of power is frankly dismaying. How has our culture come to this?
It was interesting to read the three responses they received from when it was posted at 7:40pm to the last comment at 9:15am...
I would like to have seen the exact quote of what Hillary said, as the articles take on it was very different than the women commenting on it; which makes me wonder at how we interpret the "same" piece of information....
Later in the same e-mail they discuss their national job fairs, and this - Business Attire Required - grabbed my attention.... so what is Business Attire anymore? Is that the power suit they're making a statement about in the other article?
How do you feel you need to dress to succeed?
V-
Perhaps Sen. Clinton's comments were an attempt to be gracious to Vogue Magazine, and her decision to steer clear of Vogue had something to do with a magazine featuring $14,000 earrings and $700 ballerina flats as "must have" items. Not for the vast majority of the voting public! How does one advocate for the working class with an association like that?
That said, Business Attire clearly means many things to many people, especially Business Casual. When there's no hard-and-fast rule, it's better to dress better and not.
I don't believe that the Power Suit is still essential to success - it implies that we have to dress in a masculine manner to achieve - but beautiful, well-tailored attire is always appropriate. Dressing for Success applies to all genders and is as much about your mindset as it is about appearance.
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When I started my consulting firm, the problem that I faced early on was getting the marketplace to get past the fact that I was a young woman in a role that is traditionally occupied by middle-aged men – the vision one typically has in mind when they think of “a consultant.” A colleague, who did match this physical description, even ventured that I should buy fake reading glasses so that I would look “older and less attractive.” He thought that my youth and womanliness would hold me back. And it did to a certain extent, until I decided that it wouldn’t. After briefly trying on glasses and drab suits, I made a decision about what I would and would not do to get ahead. While I refused to wear a costume to get ahead in business, I did realize that my appearance mattered and would be scrutinized and used as a means to form a judgment about my competence. With that in mind, I came up with my own style guidelines, which included wearing a full suit and hose to every professional function I attended. However, looking professional doesn’t mean looking boring. They make suits in pink, red, and plenty of lovely styles and colors, and I frequently get compliments on my attire. I’ve seen women try to ignore the dress code norms of their industry or owners of fledging companies who fail to look the part of the successful entrepreneur they are trying to tell everyone that they are, and I’ve heard comments from men and women regarding this failure to dress for success. It’s an important topic and I go into it further in my book, The Chic Entrepreneur: Put Your Business in Higher Heels. I hope all women will decide that they can dress like a woman and a professional without compromising their sense of style.
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Thanks for sharing your story with my readers Elizabeth! I agree with you wholeheartedly, one needs to find her own style guidelines that "suits" the field she's in.
I went to a makeup MLM meeting a year ago and was immediately turned off by the game they were playing - everyone stood up and you had to sit down if you answered a question they asked with a "no". Business cards? Yes! Date book? Yes! Skirted suit? NO! I realized I could not join their ranks - I am all about "calm" and skirted suits and hose are NOT calm to me! However, I do get compliments on my choice of colors and fabulously fun jackets or blouses... and especially my green paisley cords with matching leather jacket and gloves! I've been told my bootcut jeans with a dressy blouse is what all the stars are wearing and looks great on me... of course, being a graphic/web designer, I can pull it off with the clients I choose.
I would suggest my readers check out Elizabeth's blog at http://thechicentrepreneur.typepad.com/
Looks to be some great stuff there!
Thanks again,
V-
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Hi! I made a similar post on my blog too about the way women dress compared to men. I think women over-think their power and position and try to hard to fit in. It simply is not necessary to dress like a MAN to be successful. Just be who you are. It is, after all, your brains and not your clothes, right?
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I love this discussion and have to respond to Bridget's comment. I mostly agree and it *is* our brains and not our clothes that are important. But the sad fact is that our brains cannot be spotted at a distance. People cannot see our high-powered brains when they meet us. So we must find a way to dress ourselves that tips people off about our brains, our professionalism, and all those other fine qualities we'd like people to know about us.
I teach Law Of Attraction-type workshops and I sell mortgages... in both of these fields I have to look like I can walk my talk - or nobody wants to hear my talk. The way I dress is my credibility in a very real way. If I don't have that successful "look" then people think that what I do and what I offer must not be working for me - and if it doesn't work for me, it won't work for them either.
Many people try to trivialize clothes and appearances, but they are often much more important than we know in being congruent.
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Dress plays a big part on how you impress/present yourself on public. But being feminine will not make you less capable. It is how you act or how you talk.
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