Dress Codes: For Females Only

In a recent post titled “The (Wretched) Man Gene,” I referred to a Wall Street Journal article written by Christina Binkley about the female clothing disconnect that sometimes exists in the workplace these days courtesy of TV shows and movies like Sex and the City. As it turns out, Ms. Binkley has written extensively about female apparel and appearance in the workplace. In an article appearing in today’s Journal, she was kind enough to quote me about dress code politics and the gender difficulties of enforcing dress codes.

In looking at other articles written by Ms. Binkley, I found one called “Women in Power: Finding Balance in the Wardrobe.” For any woman in the C-Suite or desiring to be in the C-Suite, the article is a must-read. It covers everything from clothes to perfume to jewelry to style to grooming to makeup to general appearance–and more.

This article caused a couple of obvious things to occur to me (note to self: men are slower to notice the obvious than women). First, the rules for women and men are different when it comes to dress–much different. In fact (and this is supported by a review of almost any policy on workplace attire), dress codes are almost exclusively written for female employees. Second, the appearance of women at work, from a purely professional standpoint–wardrobe, hair, accessories, fragrance, cosmetics–matters much more to women than men.

Most men might take quick notice of a brightly colored dress, a pleasing aroma, a new hairdo, or too much makeup, but the name of a dress designer, hair done to match that of a certain movie star, or a killer bracelet or necklace aren’t on the male radar. Thus, women who spend time finding the latest fashion or style to impress males in power are wasting time. If there are women in the executive suite, they’ll be impressed, so it may not be a complete waste of time. Men will notice sloppy dress, a low cut blouse, a short skirt, or a tight pair of pants. But most of them won’t have a clue whether a woman is wearing a St. John or a Casper.

Dress codes aren’t concerned with the sartorial but with the sexual. They’re created to keep The Man Gene in check. So, dress codes (sometimes under the cloak of “professional attire”) deal with depth, length, and constriction.

If women ever gain power parity in the workplace, the purpose and the language of the dress code will surely change. Until that time, dress codes will continue to be written and enforced with sexual harassment, testosterone, and The Man Gene in mind.

1. 

   HRBonnie says:

   June 20, 2008 at 8:33 am

   Great article! Paragraphs 3 & 4 state what most women are NOT aware of. There are different rules for women AND men are not aware of all their clothing efforts. If women would dress conservatively, & look more businesslike, they would save a boatload ($$$) on clothes and be more effective in moving up the corporate ladder.
2. 

   John Phillips says:

   June 20, 2008 at 9:36 am

   Thanks for weighing in, and thanks for your comment. The dress thing is more complicated than it should be, but then there are a lot of things more complicated than they should be.
3. 

   Patricia Bhaumik says:

   July 29, 2008 at 2:46 pm

   The dress thing IS far more complicated than it should be. Women in the workplace don’t need a formal dress code if their common sense is active, and they understand what good taste is.
   Women are adults too; or they should be.

   Look at men: do they spend hours agonizing over what to work? Do they willingly wear anything, other than a tie, which is not comfortable and functional? Do they choose their workplace wardrobe with the generalized
   intention of being sexy and alluring; while at work? Hell no: to all the above.

   Women are in the workplace for the same reason as men are: to perform a specified job, and be paid for it. That’s it.

   No woman should come to work looking like a
   cocktail waitress or a bowling alley prostitute;
   unless that is in fact what she is.

   No woman should come to work looking sloppy or badly groomed; anymore than a man. Being sexually neutral, comfortable and professional looking are all very compatible objectives. Dressing appropriately keeps others from misjudging a woman’s intentions for being there.

   It’s so simple, and it’s the same thing our mothers told us when we went off to our first job interview: clean, coordinated clothes that fit, shoes and hose in good condition, minimal
   jewelry and accessories. Good quality classics that mix/match well always go to work.

   In the name of comfort and good intentions, a
   woman should never wear a skirt so short she
   cannot bend over in it; slacks so tight she cannot
   sit in them, or a blouse so low it even hints at
   cleavage; not on the job. You can keep your
   stiletto heels at home, too.
4. 

   John Phillips says:

   July 29, 2008 at 3:16 pm

   Now that’s a forceful, well-thought-out comment. Your advice would pretty much put The Man Gene out of business. Keeping common sense in mind and keeping focused on why we come to work–or should come to work–would eliminate a lot of problems, not only about dress but about a lot of things at work that shouldn’t be so complicated. Thanks again for your straightforward thoughts.