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. . too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt . .
Can you be too sexy for the job? A new study finds that women who dress more like Hillary Clinton and are more likely to land a job in the corner office compared with somebody says uhh, I dunno, look like Pamela Anderson. Is that fair? Let's ask Ginger Burr, Ginger is the president of Total Image Consultants. She joins us from Boston. Is that true?
Well, to a certain extent, it is, but what we really have to do is look at the word "sexy", it's really provocative, that we are talking about not sexy. Sexy is a very subjective term.
And it also makes a difference how high up the corporate ladder you are, what might be acceptable behaviour for a receptionist or an office assistant isn't the same for a senior VP or a CEO.
Well, it's not really acceptable anyplace, but people who are at the beginning stages of work or in a considered lower-tier job, it's, it's overlooked. It's not expected that they are going to dress in a way that's as appropriate as somebody who is in a high-power position.
So Ginger, what are we saying? In this age of Desperate Housewives where women of any age group are said and almost forced to be very super-sexy, that we don't appreciate or even want the same in corporate America?
Well, we really don't, and to be honest with you, your average woman doesn't really dress like that generally anyway, um, it's, it...but we notice it when a few people do it. But that's the message that we're getting in the media , by celebrities, um, that, putting your body out there is the way to present yourself, and it really doesn't help women at all to get ahead.
All right, so the tip for women who are looking to aspire to the corner office, guide them on conservative dress, what should first of all they have avoid?
Well, they should've avoid anything that shows too much skin, cleavage, too short, too tight, um, you're not there to flaunt your body, you're there to work. But we're not talking about clothes that don't fit you properly, that things can be beautifully fitted, the colors can be gorgeous. You do not have to stick to navy blue and gray, but you don't want to be exposing body parts.
Do you think there is a double-standard for men?
Oh, always has been. And may always be. And that's part of what women need to be aware of, is that men can, first of all, dressing provocatively is generally not an issue for men in the workplace, and they are allowed more leeway in terms of what they can get away with, they can be a little messy, a little sloppy, a little mismatched, and people who either think it's cute or just kind of overlook it as : '' Oh, they don't know any better, they're just men. " That's not true for women, women are expected from birth to know how to dress themselves, and when they don't, which is totally non, crazy, anyway, then they are, um, looked down on as a result of that, and may not get where they wanna go for something as silly as how they dress.
Ok, Ginger Burr, thank you. Good tips.
Thank you! |