Don't Be A Complete Tool

Dress Code

Men at my work are expected to wear long sleeved dress shirts, a tie, and dress slacks (in 100+ degree desert heat, no less), while women get to come in dressed in short sleeved, light cotton shirts, capri pants and dress sandals.

Being a woman, I hate to complain about something that would seem to be an advantage, but is it really?  Most of the time, I ignore the normal female dress wear in favor of a suit.  Why?  Because if I don't, then clients ask my brand new male employees to come override my judgement when they don't agree with me.  

It's happened.  I don't really blame the person either.  The men are dressed like serious professionals.  I'm dressed like their daughter who just borrowed $50.00.  After a couple of those misunderstandings, I decided that coming to work dressed like I mean business is a lot more important to me (and my staff) than looking frilly.  

I don't feel like I'm "butching out" or losing my femininity in any way in a suit.  I can still wear my cutesy shirts under my suit jacket and accessorize well.  I can also occasionally find a pair of dressy sandals.  It's really not bad at all.

Ever since I've become aware of this discrepancy, I get irritated when I see it elsewhere.  Nowhere more infuriating than on the morning news, though.  It's probably because I'm watching before my coffee's kicked in, but I get annoyed as all hell when I see this:

I'm not sure what men's alternative styles would look like, but this is the official beginning of my plea to end fashion oppression.*