Professionalism and the Patriarchy
I would like to comment on one more aspect of this patriarch we live in that really eats me up... Professional Attire. You probably weren't expecting it but recently it has come to the surface again just how ingrained the puritanical patriarchy is among women today. That, and how much women v. women hate there is among colleagues. You'd think by now we could get passed all that but change is so much slower than popular media portrays.
First, why the hell are professional clothes for women so... masculine? Not only do they often look just like a man's suit only cut differently to fit over our curves but often they accompany skirts... talk about an unrealistic fashion there. Skirts are great on hot days if they are long and loose. Short skirts are great if you are required by law to wear clothes but really rather not. Those knee length pentecostal looking skirts are completely unreasonable. You can't do anything in them comfortably. They definitely keep women in their place; crossed legged in a chair because bending over, squatting, running and even walking fast is too risky.
Also, why do I have to hide that I have curves? I am female and I was born with this body. Why does a shirt defining my chest mean I am "unprofessional"? That's like saying that boobs=incompetence. For that matter, why are nipples (the first sustenance source for us all) so taboo? Everyone has them! Bras are really the symbol of patriarchy, if there every was one. Yes, I understand that well endowed women actually need them to prevent back problems but the rest of us sure don't. Why do we wear them? Because otherwise our nipples (Freud would say a source of envy for men) would show and our boobs would sag faster... looking like a mom (aka no longer virginal or young). I don't think I should have to hide that I am female or aging or a mom (if I were one).
There is also the business of stomachs showing or even little bits of hips. Apparently these too are a sign of foolishness, incompetence, inexperience etc. (the assumed opposite of professionalism). We are all born naked but in this puritanical society we are still expected to be ashamed of this.
Like any other woman I like shoes that are cute and make my legs look longer (and thus sexier). However, when I must stand on my feet all day I prefer the comfort of tennis shoes. Even at my age my back and knees and feet can not handle a shoe with any kind of heal for longer than an hour. My grandma once told me (after many surgeries and eventual pins in her spine) that I must never give in to this torture fashion. If you knew my grandma you would know too that she is no liberal and certainly no crazy feminist; my points are not unfounded.
Really though it is my female colleagues who are the most disapproving and rigid. True, they are usually post-menopausal but this only adds to it. They are from a time when the patriarchy was stronger and they have forgotten what it was like to resent it. They've grown complacent. They've also grown jealous. They are envious that my breasts still perk and my hips still slimming. Media bombards them with images of how young women are superior and thus they are resentful of my embodiment of this, whether I subscribe to it or not. They are also so ingrained with the "following rules" mentality that it hurts to watch them. Following rules is not only historically expected of women but in order to climb the ladder in professional careers women often have to follow the rules more rigidly to get ahead. They can not take the same liberties that men can because of their given privilege.
Furthermore I can not understand such ridiculous requirements in my field where I teach children under 6. The only adults I see are my female colleagues, whom I of course am not trying to seduce, and the children's parents for the 20 seconds it takes to remove the children from the car. The students could care less what I wear really and have no sense of what it means to be "professional". I am not really suggesting I be allowed to come to work naked or like I am about to go to the pub but why the formality? It really only makes my colleagues more comfortable not me or the children.
Lastly, I would like to note that I am young and poor having just finished school. I do not have the money to buy a new wardrobe. I am still wearing clothes that I wore ten years ago. How about some up-front cash for clothes or a pay increase to cover such attire? Even the Target specials are not cheap on a paycheck to paycheck budget. I know things are better now than they used to be and I don't really mind not looking like bum from the streets when I come to work but I am always surprised at how deluded people are by appearances in the work place.
Note: I am fully aware that men's professional attire is equally puritanical and uncomfortable, and still just a bit patriarchal in its conformity and oppression of the individual.
First, why the hell are professional clothes for women so... masculine? Not only do they often look just like a man's suit only cut differently to fit over our curves but often they accompany skirts... talk about an unrealistic fashion there. Skirts are great on hot days if they are long and loose. Short skirts are great if you are required by law to wear clothes but really rather not. Those knee length pentecostal looking skirts are completely unreasonable. You can't do anything in them comfortably. They definitely keep women in their place; crossed legged in a chair because bending over, squatting, running and even walking fast is too risky.
Also, why do I have to hide that I have curves? I am female and I was born with this body. Why does a shirt defining my chest mean I am "unprofessional"? That's like saying that boobs=incompetence. For that matter, why are nipples (the first sustenance source for us all) so taboo? Everyone has them! Bras are really the symbol of patriarchy, if there every was one. Yes, I understand that well endowed women actually need them to prevent back problems but the rest of us sure don't. Why do we wear them? Because otherwise our nipples (Freud would say a source of envy for men) would show and our boobs would sag faster... looking like a mom (aka no longer virginal or young). I don't think I should have to hide that I am female or aging or a mom (if I were one).
There is also the business of stomachs showing or even little bits of hips. Apparently these too are a sign of foolishness, incompetence, inexperience etc. (the assumed opposite of professionalism). We are all born naked but in this puritanical society we are still expected to be ashamed of this.
Like any other woman I like shoes that are cute and make my legs look longer (and thus sexier). However, when I must stand on my feet all day I prefer the comfort of tennis shoes. Even at my age my back and knees and feet can not handle a shoe with any kind of heal for longer than an hour. My grandma once told me (after many surgeries and eventual pins in her spine) that I must never give in to this torture fashion. If you knew my grandma you would know too that she is no liberal and certainly no crazy feminist; my points are not unfounded.
Really though it is my female colleagues who are the most disapproving and rigid. True, they are usually post-menopausal but this only adds to it. They are from a time when the patriarchy was stronger and they have forgotten what it was like to resent it. They've grown complacent. They've also grown jealous. They are envious that my breasts still perk and my hips still slimming. Media bombards them with images of how young women are superior and thus they are resentful of my embodiment of this, whether I subscribe to it or not. They are also so ingrained with the "following rules" mentality that it hurts to watch them. Following rules is not only historically expected of women but in order to climb the ladder in professional careers women often have to follow the rules more rigidly to get ahead. They can not take the same liberties that men can because of their given privilege.
Furthermore I can not understand such ridiculous requirements in my field where I teach children under 6. The only adults I see are my female colleagues, whom I of course am not trying to seduce, and the children's parents for the 20 seconds it takes to remove the children from the car. The students could care less what I wear really and have no sense of what it means to be "professional". I am not really suggesting I be allowed to come to work naked or like I am about to go to the pub but why the formality? It really only makes my colleagues more comfortable not me or the children.
Lastly, I would like to note that I am young and poor having just finished school. I do not have the money to buy a new wardrobe. I am still wearing clothes that I wore ten years ago. How about some up-front cash for clothes or a pay increase to cover such attire? Even the Target specials are not cheap on a paycheck to paycheck budget. I know things are better now than they used to be and I don't really mind not looking like bum from the streets when I come to work but I am always surprised at how deluded people are by appearances in the work place.
Note: I am fully aware that men's professional attire is equally puritanical and uncomfortable, and still just a bit patriarchal in its conformity and oppression of the individual.