Dressing Down the Dress Code

In our latest LinkedIn Live, Sheva Guy, PhD and I tackled the tricky topic of professional dress codes. Part of our discussion was inspired by Luke Manton ’s post about how he has a dress code for his office. We're fans of Luke, so it made us wonder—can we really dress up without conforming to outdated norms? Is it possible to have a dress code that defies gender stereotypes?

The conversation got lively and a bit nostalgic as we shared our own experiences with school dress codes (midriffs and fingertip-length skirts, anyone?). Sheva even revealed that her rebellious streak began in school detention for breaking those very rules. Are we surprised? (No, but we love it.)

Takeaways (TL;DR)

• Dress Codes Reinforce Inequality: Dress codes often maintain power structures, disproportionately affecting those from underrecognized groups.
• It's Time to Rewrite the Rules: We need to rethink dress codes to embrace comfort, authenticity, and inclusivity.
• School Dress Codes Deserve Detention: As Pamela (Walters) Oberg, MA, PMP eloquently said in the comments, "school dress codes are a whole other level of chaos," often laying the groundwork for future workplace dress code challenges.

Resources

• Luke Manson’s Post on Dress Codes
• Check out Sheva's blog post, "Examining the Concept of Professionalism and Its Roots in Racism, Sexism, and Classism," which explores how traditional notions of professionalism perpetuate systemic biases.

Looking Forward

Join us for our next LinkedIn Live on Tuesday, September 24, for a discussion about ADHD in the workplace. Register Now.

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