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I just saw a photo of Kamala Harris featured outside her office at the White House looking extremely uncomfortable wearing a pants suit. I actually felt sympathy for her as she looked so uncomfortable.
I used to feel the same seeing Hillary Clinton packed into one of these business suits.
Haven't women reached a point now where they're not pressured into wearing "men's clothes" at business meetings or at work and wear a very comfortable dress instead?
When I was in India, as a man, I envied these women wearing these extremely comfortable, sheer Sari's in the summer time. How could it be any more comfortable! Even as a man, I would love to go around in the summertime in Tucson wearing a Sari. And no underwear? And, how about it, men being able to wear more comfortable women's clothes?
Perhaps one reason for this "enforced dress code" among women is if they wore comfortable dresses to a business meeting, it would be too much of a distraction?????
I'm not sure why you think the required business attire for women involves pants. There are plenty of business suits for women that have dresses or skirts and a jacket. IIRC, Nancy Pelosi has some suits like that. So did Madeleine Albright.
Don't forget hair! I'm a Beauty School Dropout. I went to Beauty School/Cosmetology School at age 50 once mine and hubby's business was up and running and I could do anything I wanted career wise. I had to drop out because of arthritis - my hands couldn't handle eight hours of cutting, blow drying, etc. I then had a career as a Personal Shopper which was an absolute ball for someone like me who loves fashion, hair, looking your best - and all that jazz.
There are plenty of people in the public eye who could use a good hair care routine. A great cut and old fashioned moisturizing is a good place to start.
I'm a Beauty School Dropout, too! Except that I went to a half-day vo-tech school in high school (it was called a satellite school--a regional vo-tech school where you went half a day and then to your own high school the other half) for my junior and senior years.
I didn't complete my hours or go for my license because while I was great at color and perms and doing the wash and sets for the old ladies who paid a dollar to get their hair done at the school on Fridays, I simply could not cut hair properly. I kept trying to even it out and would end up sending these poor old ladies out without any hair.
Cutting is kind of the cornerstone of the profession, so after high school, I went to secretarial school. That way I couldn't hurt anyone's appearance.
Problem is there's still the little matter of money and being able to afford something that is both a good fit, is flattering and feels comfortable. Because for most people those categories (good fit, flattering & comfortable) do NOT go hand in hand together unless the shopper is loaded, swimming in excess cash to throw away and can take their wealth for granted while shopping in expensive high end clothing stores.
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Yup. I wore business attire particularly in my last 15 years of work when I moved up the ladder into management. I had a woman director who said she recommended to women in her department that we always go to meetings wearing a business jacket because you are taken more seriously. We were in NYC in the engineering industry which always was, and is still is even though it's changing, a predominantly male world.
It may be coincidence, but after I started making an effort to dress in more suits, or at least wear a jacket/blazer with a skirt or pants, I moved up rapidly. It was not all of it, but I think it helped.
But there is not one store--NOT ONE--either in NYC or in the New Jersey suburbs where I lived--where I could walk in and shop for such clothing. I am six feet tall, and there are absolutely no brick-and-mortar stores for women like me. You can weigh 300 pounds and find a store in which to shop as long as you are of normal height or even petite, but if you are too tall, you're out of luck. In the past twenty years a few stores have started to sell longer dress pants, but I cannot buy a tall-size jacket or blouse anywhere in any store. I always had to use catalogs, and eventually, shop online. I mostly bought very basic pieces in black, navy, etc., that would not go out of style. Frankly, it made dressing for work easy: Put on pants or a skirt, choose a blouse, a few accessories, grab the jacket, and off to the train station I went. (Naturally I wore sneakers with this outfit--I kept several appropriate-colored pairs of flat shoes in my office. )
On a side note, I remember being in a meeting with two women who were the heads of their departments and a third who was a lawyer. I took at look at them all to see how these successful women dressed. All three were in suits with skirts, one had medium-high heels and the other two low-heeled or flat shoes, and two of them did not have their nails done while the lawyer did.
I'm a Beauty School Dropout, too! Except that I went to a half-day vo-tech school in high school (it was called a satellite school--a regional vo-tech school where you went half a day and then to your own high school the other half) for my junior and senior years.
I didn't complete my hours or go for my license because while I was great at color and perms and doing the wash and sets for the old ladies who paid a dollar to get their hair done at the school on Fridays, I simply could not cut hair properly. I kept trying to even it out and would end up sending these poor old ladies out without any hair.
Cutting is kind of the cornerstone of the profession, so after high school, I went to secretarial school. That way I couldn't hurt anyone's appearance.
How do you like that! I was a Jersey girl too and we had the regular public high school and then Girls Vo and Boys Vo (short for Vocational which I know you know.) We didn't have the option of doing the half day course like you did. I went to the regular high school because I didn't want to go to an all girls school. How short sighted teenagers are!
I agree that those pantsuits look horrible on both Kamala and Hillary. If I was President or VP, I'd set my own style along the lines of Ivanka and Melania. You can still look classy and professional in the right dress.
Melania looked "classy and professional"??? Professional...what? Melania looked silly teetering around in tight pants and stiletto heels. She never looked comfortable.
I think Ivanka Trump looked nice, for the most part. Classic dresses and heels - but not outrageously high, like those of her stepmother.
Not a fan of pants suits, but I know I am in the minority. Many women hate dresses and skirts. For professional occasions, I love to wear them.
Problem is there's still the little matter of money and being able to afford something that is both a good fit, is flattering and feels comfortable. Because for most people those categories (good fit, flattering & comfortable) do NOT go hand in hand together unless the shopper is loaded, swimming in excess cash to throw away and can take their wealth for granted while shopping in expensive high end clothing stores.
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Well I disagree with that. I have bought clothing at Target, H&M, Kohl's, Old Navy, and other low-priced stores, for years, for work clothing. Years ago I would spend far more on clothes, but once I realized I could find some great buys for much less, there is just no need to spend a fortune. Stein Mart was a great place to shop too, I was sorry to see them close.
Quite honestly, I see way too many women these days, in clothes that are simply too small. I don't know if they just can't bring themselves to buy a larger size, or if they just gain weight and don't want to spend the money on new clothes. That, to me, is the actual issue here.
Melania looked "classy and professional"??? Professional...what? Melania looked silly teetering around in tight pants and stiletto heels. She never looked comfortable.
I think Ivanka Trump looked nice, for the most part. Classic dresses and heels - but not outrageously high, like those of her stepmother.
Not a fan of pants suits, but I know I am in the minority. Many women hate dresses and skirts. For professional occasions, I love to wear them.
I've met Ivanka (in a business meeting, back in 2014) and she is almost as tall as I am, so very high heels are probably not her thing. We don't want to be decapitated by ceiling fans.
Melania looked "classy and professional"??? Professional...what? Melania looked silly teetering around in tight pants and stiletto heels. She never looked comfortable.
I think Ivanka Trump looked nice, for the most part. Classic dresses and heels - but not outrageously high, like those of her stepmother.
Not a fan of pants suits, but I know I am in the minority. Many women hate dresses and skirts. For professional occasions, I love to wear them.
When I was working in the office, dresses and skirts RULED in the summer. There is NOTHING cooler or more comfortable in summer heat. I don't understand how anyone could think otherwise. I used to run on my lunch breaks and take a shower at the gym, but still had a hard time cooling back down afterwards. Thank GOD for summer dresses and skirts. No way would I ever wear pants to work in the summer.
I live in Tucson, too, and my summer wardrobe consists of loose, floaty dresses and tops. But I'm retired, and can wear whatever I want.
If I were still in the office, I'd be wearing slacks and more tailored blouses, so I didn't look like I was headed to the beach.
Incidentally, women's clothing is MUCH more comfortable now than in past centuries. No corsets, long skirts, hoops, or gloves and hats required.
Tijlover, if I see a guy tooling around town in a sari, I'll come say hi.
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