When it comes to workplace sexism, popular discourse tends to focus on unequal pay, the glass ceiling, and overt gender-based disrespect. Rarely does fashion find a place in the discussion about the remaining obstacles to professional gender equality. Perhaps this is because caring about fashion is often (albeit unfairly) posited as an attribute of stereotypically-vain women from whom rising professional women may want to distance themselves in the eyes of their male co-workers. Perhaps this is because other, more structural and tangible issues like unequal pay appear more important and pressing.
Yet what women wear, and what their co-workers, superiors, subordinates, and clients expect them to wear, can have a strong influence on the climate in which women work and on the perceptions of professional women vis-à-vis professional men. This often plays out through comments laced with subtle sexism, such as “you’re really good at your job for a woman,” or so-called “mansplaining,” condescendingly explaining something to a woman that that woman would be far more knowledgeable and authorized to discuss, or criticizing women for being too emotional and sensitive, or too cold and aggressive. All these expectations undermine professional success for women. Dress codes, formal or informal, perpetuate workplace sexism.
Earlier this year, a British woman named Nicola Thorp made international headlines when she reported that the finance company she worked for, PricewaterhouseCoopers, fired her, without pay, for not wearing high heels to work. According to PwC, Thorp agreed to a dress code, which included wearing heels, when she accepted the job. Thorp told the BBC that the men enforcing this rule laughed off her claim that such a code was inherently sexist, though she explained, “I said, ‘If you can give me a reason as to why wearing flats would impair me to do my job today, then fair enough,’ but they couldn’t.”
While asking employees to wear professionally appropriate clothing to work is reasonable, women inevitably face more restrictions and expectations than men, and these restrictions wind up taking precedence over actual discussions of a woman’s work and career. As Ally Boguhn of Everyday Feminism Magazine explains, “Much like schoolroom dress codes, what is considered workplace ‘appropriate’ is often structured around cultural norms where the ideal is based around the white male gaze.” Women wearing tops, skirts, or dresses that show off any curves or skin become “slutty” and “unprofessional,” yet women who wear the same, gray, not-too-fitted pantsuits are “dull,” “austere,” and “unfeminine.” Moreover, black women’s natural hair and queer or trans people’s style choices can be dismissed as “unprofessional” and “political,” adding to a workplace centered on the comfort and expectations of white men.
Another female fashion issue that garnered media attention was a study published by Nature Climate Change, which found that most office buildings base their heating or air conditioning settings off of a formula based on the metabolic rate of a 40-year-old man. Though the subsequent headlines, such as “Air-Conditioning Really Is a Sexist Conspiracy,” were in many ways funny click-bait, this study does get at the heart of problems with professional women and their relationship with fashion—men, and by extension entire companies, organizations, and institutions, structure their expectations and standards for women based off the experiences of men. These dress codes then distract from the qualifications and contributions that women make.
With the rise of initiatives like Emma Watson’s UN HeForShe Campaign, the terms “sexism” and “double standard” have taken on glamorous, global, and far-reaching connotations, yet most women have to fight fashion-based subtle sexism in ordinary ways. When Georgetown University Women in Leadership partnered with LOFT, an apparel retail chain, for a “Dress Without Stress” event last year, LOFT’s store manager offered some tips on how to tangibly fight against unfairly-high expectations in an incredibly simple but meaningful way. Finding clothing that makes you feel comfortable will translate into confidence, and that confidence will empower you to own your look, your body, your rights, and your work. She explained that “versatility is key,” and that “it’s not about what you wear, but how you wear it,” because sexist dress codes are not really about the clothes themselves, but rather about the societal roles women are expected to fill.
As such, women need not fret over finding the (inevitably expensive) perfect wardrobe, because it does not exist. Our power ultimately lies in our personal presentation of our own selves, and that presentation can involve fashion to whatever degree we individually choose. Whether this means devoting time and energy to clothing and style of which we feel proud, or making the decision to wear the same outfit everyday. After all, men are never called out for owning one suit and tie. Women can find a valuable outlet for self-empowerment and self-expression through fashion. Rebelling against workplace sexism can simply mean taking care of ourselves and our appearances on our own terms, a task that gradually builds a positive sense of self. This in turn allows us to join other women (and men) in calling out sexist expectations, demanding more equal dress codes and office practices, and wholeheartedly supporting each other’s style choices. After all, we women have no reason to doubt our bodies, our appearances, and our abilities for the benefit of men when there is far more important work to be done.
Lauren is a junior in the School of Foreign Service.
