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First, I have to get it out up front - I am an independent, working at
home. Hence, I dress like the woman on the great telecommuter television
commercial - sans bunny slippers! However, I do have clients to see, and
thus, have to dress for the public on occasion.
That said, on to the comments....
At 09:21 AM 7/22/97 +0000, lhiggins -at- lucent -dot- com wrote:
>
>Frequently, it does seem that the women who complain that it's harder
>for them to dress for business have brought it on themselves. When I
>worked for a "banker dress" company, I had about three suits, a bunch
>of plain silk shells, and maybe four pairs of shoes. Many of the
>women there who complained felt a need to buy an entirely new
>wardrobe every three months or so. They required this of themselves.
>
Been there, done that, of course. I have been a technical writer since
1981, and have done the whole range of clothes. I had supervisors (yes,
supervisors) who insisted that I not wear the same suit more than once a
week, because it looked tacky for women. Now, granted, that was years ago,
but still, they actually said it and used it in evaluations, till someone
hinted that it might be discriminatory.
>Of course, I've completely ignored the "no pants for women" codes
>both times I've come across them. Pantyhose are uncomfortable and
>expensive, and the shoes you have to wear not to look silly in a
>skirt WILL hobble you. I am proud to be one of the few grown women I
>know who doesn't have her little toe permanently smashed under her
>second toe.
>
>The option of wearing a skirt is nice, though. It's sort of fun to
>point out to male coworkers that centuries of oppression and
>pejorative connotations attached to femininity have created a social
>environment in which I can feel cool breezes all the way up to my
>delicates in the summertime and they cannot.
>
I, too, have come to a new love of skirts. They are so easy, and almost
impossible to criticize. I do live in the south, however, and it is still
considered by many the worse of sins for a woman to go out bare-legged.
Basically, these days, I just say to hell with them, and do it anyway. It
hasn't hurt me with my clients yet, but you never know, I guess.
One of my major clients has gone to a very relaxed business casual (jeans
are okay every day in most areas, but nice ones, if you know what I mean)
all the time. When I go there, I wear jeans, and T-shirts (usually theirs,
from projects I have worked on in the past.) The only ones that really
dress up there are the people in marketing, and some of the clerical
staff. Everyone, for the most part, seems happy with the change. I know I am!
Karen
prism -at- neosoft -dot- com
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