Frigid offices, freezing women, oblivious men: An air-conditioning investigation

[Igel]

21. I like it that way.

Less time fretting over what to wear, concerned that I'm not stylish enough or will be judged because of my fashion sense. I don't go to work to be a clothes horse or be admired for how I look. The workplace has to look professional--not that I much care, but others do--and so I try to look professional.

Then there are other issues: If appearance is that important, then it's okay to comment on, say, HRC's clothing. She's not a clone, so her choices reflect the person we'd be voting for. That's condemned, and properly so, but it's part and parcel dressing not just to look professional but stylish. I'd point out that where I work we had one man who really had trouble navigating his environment, he was so overweight. He was good at what he did, however, and nobody cared. He wore the "uniform" that men wear and did his job. We have a woman who is less overweight by far than he was, but how she dresses is considered part of her performance by clients and even peers.

If clothing matters, then it matters. If it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. To not look not so much as "clone" but to have a restricted set of style choices means some will be negatively judged for how they dress, but that's ultimately how they look--hair, make-up, dress, and even weight. Do that a time or two, and the word is "sexist" if they're women.

As for the OP, the more skin you show the less competent you're seen to be. More skin = more sexual, more emotional, more in need of being "satisfied" through intercourse and more in need of being sheltered and having decisions made for you. At least if you're being judged by an American from age 19-60 something. If DU is going to say that "interpretation is all, intent is nothing" as in many posts, then the choice of clothing for professional women is clear. Sadly.