White button up dress shirt --gaps in between every button. Tummy spilling over the waist of the skirt. The leopard skin bra is visible. Fitted skirt, popping at the seams, just long enough to cover the control top portion of the pantyhose. Four inch hot pink peep-toe stilettos with unpainted toes peeking out. Giant tattoo of a rose and cross adorns the right calf.
This is what I see on a regular basis. Young women dressed in what I call “corporate club attire”.
We’ve had several professional events on campus over the last few weeks and I’ve witnessed or should I say I’ve been repulsed by the exposure of breast and buttocks at everything from sacred ceremonies to career fairs in which Fortune 500 recruiters have made the trek to campus in search of the best and the brightest entry level employees.
I even witnessed the celebration of over exposed breast (the young lady dressed in her corporate club outfit laughingly shook her breast as a greeting to several other scantily clad women) along with two other faculty members at which the eldest of us suggested that we [the two younger faculty members] do something about these young women and their lack of pride in self and over sexualization that they seem to embrace so openly. I seized the opportunity to speak with the young women about her attire and to my surprise, she was receptive to my feedback, but that was one, out of what…hundreds of young women on college campuses that don’t have a clue about what is appropriate in the business world.
Upon further investigation (conversations with other faculty, mentors and students) it was revealed that many of today’s young women don’t know what proper business attire is. To my surprise, I’ve come in contact with several female students who for the first time purchased a suit because they needed it for a ceremony and on the day of, it was clearly evident as many of them did not remove the cross stitch from the skirt or blazer they were wearing!
This may be great fodder for a Twitter or Facebook thread, but the reality is that it is sad. What are we [meaning those of us who’ve arrived in the ‘corporate’ sense] doing to address this issues and engage in corrective measure that will enable these young women to meet with success? Are we mentoring? Do we pull young women aside when we see an attire disaster waiting to happen? I can honestly say that I do. Everything from bringing suits to campus for students to wear to conferences or formal events, to talking in class about professional protocol (for both men and women) to writing this piece.
We were blessed to have Fonzworth Bentley participate in our 7th Annual Mass Communications Day Symposium, and during his motivational talk, he touched upon what I’d like to call the essences of your professional self. He talked about having a sense of corporate style about you; a mixture of high end consignment, to standard pieces like a traditional black suit, and how this essence needed to always shine through. It is a reality that a college student may have a bad hair day from time to time and that sweat pants and ones’ comfy school spirited sweat shirt may be
the order of the day but that too can be done with a sense of class and style. Do you need to have Pink
plastered on your posterior? In my opinion - no.
In no way am I declaring myself a Paris runway veteran. No red bottoms in my closet, Jeffery Campbell’s, Badgley Mischka or Hervé Léger (a girl can dream though) but I do have a classic, yet individual style that speaks to who I am and that doesn’t raise eyebrows. I even have a few tattoos, but Dermablend has been a friend since I got my first one nearly 20 years ago. I’ve also had to learn some hard lessons because I wasn’t dressed for success. I’ve had to go out and buy suits in the middle of the workday in order to attend meetings that were a part of my workplace obligation and I have missed opportunities because my attire didn’t meet the requirements of an unscheduled event at work…one of which was a visit to the White House.
What is your essence of your professional self? If you don’t know, maybe it’s time to think about it, especially if you are a rising star in college getting ready to graduate to the dog-eat-dog corporate world. As an educator, you know that I think one’s academic savvy is what matters most, but as the realist who’s been successful in the entertainment industry, corporate and government sectors, I know firsthand that image is EVERYTHING. Don’t get me wrong…some students are getting it right. There’s a sense of style that permeates everything they do. I applaud those students and know that they have a mindset that will lead to much success after college and beyond.
Before you let it all hang out and glam it up with some not so appropriate footwear or that favorite top with the plunging neckline, think about the impression other may take away from your appearance, think about the unknown opportunities for schmoozing or networking that may be presented on a daily basis and lastly think about how you actually feel when you do dress for success.
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