The latest example involves Loyola Law School: Above The Law has gotten ahold of their memo about appropriate behavior to students on externships.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Yet Another Law School Lectures Women on How to Not Dress Slutty
The latest example involves Loyola Law School: Above The Law has gotten ahold of their memo about appropriate behavior to students on externships.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Just today I was working in class when one of my teachers suggested I button up my shirt so the boy i was working with would not have to worry about touching my breasts. First of all, he was not touching my breasts; he was touching my sternum which in close proximity made her uncomfortable. He was fine. He's someone I trust. I was struck my this and her judgmental attitude. I find it usually comes from women. People need to get over it. Stiletto heels, if anything, are just unpractical to run around in, but the cleavage thing gets me. WOMEN HAVE BREASTS. It's not a secret. I don't see how there is a problem. If people find them distracting then they should work on that. I'm not going to compromise my own form of personal expression thinking about what others will think of it. Women should dress for themselves. No one else. Also, I wore pants to my college auditions unlike most girls and I did just fine. If a school cared about something that superficial why would I want to go there?
I completely agree with Victoria. The problem with this is that, as is usually the case regarding women's physical appearance, there's a really shitty double standard running all of this. On one side, female lawyers are told in this memo that appropriate office-wear should be modest. As the article points out, this is completely inappropriate because it only targets female students and hinges on whether an outfit is "sexy", not whether it's professional or formal enough. On the other hand, there's this NYU law professor's advice to women advising to look feminine in order to appeal to men. I actually went and looked at the article about that specific instance, and I found it just as unfair and inappropriate. The advice focuses on the way women should look in order to please the men they work with. If at least it had been presented under the angle that all lawyers, including women, should dress to impress, look the part, etc. in order to be respected and liked by the people they work with. But no, it's all about how skirt suits should be preferred over pant suits because it appeals to men better, and what else should a woman worry about other that pleasing men, am I right?
Perhaps this law school just needs to work on it's messaging. Proper dress code should apply to both men and women. There is merit to not "dressing slutty." I believe maintaing a professional work environment is a common courtesy to your coworkers and peers. The same way I would not sag my pants around my knees, I would prefer my female colleagues to not have their cleavage popping out of their shirts. I understand the importance of personal expression, but keep it within reason!
Women in the workplace, especially lawyers, have worked hard to get the job that requires a “business casual” dress code. So then why do male bosses send out memos to just the women explaining appropriate attire? It is obvious that some employees should follow a dress code and not wear whatever they want, as it effects their image and ultimately their business. Women understand what unacceptable apparel means. If they do dress inappropriately, they themselves would face the consequences, risking respectability, formality, and maybe even their job. Men often do not have to put up with being harangued for the clothes they throw on every morning, because the sad but true fact is that most corporate bosses are straight males. Regardless of if women are notified out of intimidation, anger, or sexism, if the men in the workplace who wrote the memos would focus on consequences for all individual employees who break dress code, not just women, it would provide a more open environment for gender equality.
Post a Comment