Why We Should Ditch Business Casual

Workstyle is becoming always more smart casual. This gives women more freedom in their choice of clothes. More choice, however, might also mean more room to make mistakes. So here’s why we should ditch business casual.

Ditching Casual Workwear

The introduction of business casual in the workplace

In the past, women had to wear unflattered navy, grey or black suits with a manly fit which suppressed femininity. Today, businesses implement dress codes like business casual and smart casual. It gives women the opportunity to reflect their personality in what they wear every day. This is extremely positive, yet there still is a downside. Choosing the right outfit for work is an extra task we have to add to the ever-growing list of pressures on working women. A pressure which only increases with your responsibility within the company.

Women are judged all the time

A woman′s appearance is judged all the time. Many studies show that women and their presence are judged more harshly than the appearance of a man.  Moreover, a woman can do more “wrong” with her outfit because she has more options, especially with a business casual dress code. Her outfit can be distracting, deemed overly sexy or inappropriate. A working woman has to deal with stereotypes, barriers and a professional appearance every single day. More freedom thanks to a business casual dress code is, of course, great progress but the price for more freedom is the increasing pressure on the working woman.

What are your thoughts about this topic?