Women in the workplace face complex fashion issues

Isabell Vasquez/ Contributing Writer

The 21st century has opened up doors for women; we are taking over male dominated positions little by little and making our own way in life. In the workforce, there are expectations women are required to meet and what to wear is one of them.

Fashion is an important aspect, especially while you’re working. There are many factors to take into consideration when landing a job and sustaining it, but while job attire should reflect the job place, it shouldn’t be so complex for women.

Fashion and personal style can be feminist, but in the workplace, there’s a whole different set of factors in play.

When entering the job place, employees are normally given a handbook with rules and regulations to help them succeed, and part of the regulations is a dress code policy.

Every job is different and sadly, the rules are different for males and females. Men have it simple while women have it more complex. Woman have a lot to worry about. We have so many “ifs” and “maybes” when it comes to their dress code. It’s almost as if every day is a risk with what to wear.

Fashion is subjective, and people have their own idea of style and everyone is different. What I think is conservative might not be conservative for you, and what I think is business casual might not be business casual for you.

Aminatou Sow, who works for Buzzfeed as a digital strategist, explains that you should represent your job, but it always depends on various factors.

“I think ultimately it depends who you have to meet with on a daily basis. If you have to be client-facing or meet with executives, it’s probably a good idea to take a cue from your boss or the people you’re meeting with,” she said to Buzzfeed.

For students who are unsure of what to wear for a job interview or in the workplace, the FIU Career and Talent Development Center gives tips and and suggestions on how to dress in the workplace. They also provide a guide to what each style, like professional business attire or business casual, means and also provides visual examples.

In addition, the FIU Career and Talent Development Center offers many different workshops to help students reach success. Workshops are offered throughout the year at MMC, BBC and the Engineering Center, and are designed to help students move forward in their offering training in all facets of career and professional development.

It’s revolutionary seeing women in work positions where it’s mostly seen as a male dominated position. According to the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau, women outnumber men in fields such as finance, business operations and medical management.

While first impressions are everything, we need to be reminded that it’s not always how one is dressed that matters; performance matters too.

Women are perceived differently with what they wear instead of what they do for their job. If women go through this trial and error scenario, then so should men.

There should be more requirments for men because if I’m going out my way just to make an impression on a stranger, then my male colleague should do the same. It’s a two way street and it’s business.

If all else fails, then I say let your individuality speak for itself and test the waters. Fashionista or not, when you look good, you feel good. No one should boss you around and speak for what your body has to wear in order to bring home the bacon.

 

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

 

Photo from Flickr.

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