I have lived in Washington D.C. coming up on three years now ( I can’t believe its been that long, woah!) and have truly embraced many of the cities traits.
But there is one trait that I refuse to embrace… wearing a black suit to work everyday.
In March I started a new position at an Association in DC and with that came the pressure to wear the DC uniform…
…the black, masculine suit.
Yes, I agree hands down that what you wear to work needs to be professional and shouldn’t attract attention away from accomplishing the tasks at hand.
No one gains respect from people co-workers or their boss walking into a meeting in a mini skirt or a low cut top,..
However, I am not man. Which society seems to make clear to me at every corner and turn.
So why should I be expected to dress like one.
Confidence is one of the keys to success and no matter which way you spin it, what you wear plays a huge role in how confident you feel.
I have been complaining about this to my boyfriend for months, and have been considering how I would address this in a blog post.
So..I was pleasantly surprised to read the LEVO League blog this morning and find an article written by Michela Aramini about this very subject!
She puts it perfectly in her piece by saying:
“For the sake of making the conversation not about gender, I believe that dressing for work should strictly be a matter of professionalism and confidence. Don’t dress to impress, dress for success!
In my two months working at Condé Nast, I have met some of the best-dressed women I have ever seen. Yes, there may be an air of “up-dressing” and one-eyeing each other.
However, for the most part women at Condé Nast truly dress for success. They are undeniably fashionable, yet extremely professional, all the while exuding confidence. A woman in five-inch heels isn’t seen as slutty, but as powerful.
Her outfits are a reflection of her: strong, smart, sexy, and successful.”
SHE LITERALLY TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH!
I am overly conscious and aware that I don’t wear the “DC uniform” to work, and feel the glare of the eyes of both women and men.
Nothing is hanging out, everything is covered and I look and feel good. So what’s the issue?
I was so thankful to hear that this is a struggle other women deal with and that I am not the only one that believes that embracing my professional femininity is a actually a good thing!
Of course, there is a very fine line between professional and unprofessional so be sure to tread-lightly.
I always go by… if you are in question of wearing it or not.. probably better not to.
If you have a free moment today, read Michela’s post on LEVO and if you don’t have a free moment I will leave you with her closing words which I couldn’t agree with more with…
“I want to encourage my fellow millennial working women to not only lean in to your career, but to step up (literally) at work! Wear your head high and your heels higher. Embrace your authentic femininity that is so much more powerful than forced masculinity. It is only by embracing our authentic femininity from how we dress to how we lead that we will succeed in our careers and achieve true equality in corporate America.”
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