You Should ALWAYS Wear Clean Clothes

Did you hear about the importance of clean underwear when you were a kid? As a child growing up many of us had to listen to mothers, grandmothers and aunts telling us time and again to wear clean underwear in case we got into an accident. I can recall these words being thrown about quite a few times over my formative years. The old adage said that if you got into an accident and were wearing clean underwear at least you wouldn't embarrass yourself in front of the firefighters and hospital staff because you had dirty underwear. The underlying sentiment carries over more broadly to our entire wardrobe.

What’s striking to me is how relevant this borderline campy advice from generations past is for today’s professional spokesperson. Why? Well, if you’re a spokesperson one of your most important roles is to be the face (voice) of an organization in the midst of crisis. And a crisis could certainly be an unforeseen accident that comes with zero advance notice so you’d better be wearing clean underwear when the unthinkable happens.

Personally I’m a big proponent of a polished appearance anyway and that translates into my professional life as well. But I’m still amazed at the number of people I meet in the field of public relations and public affairs who don’t seem to understand the importance of how they look on the job. Or maybe they just don’t care. Either way I personally think it’s a shame to see people walk out of the house and into the office wearing a pair of sloppy jeans, a t-shirt, team jerseys or maybe an overly worn sweater and think its okay.

I’ll blame it on the slow erosion of standards of appearance in many American workplaces. First it was the introduction of casual Fridays. Slowly that became a norm every day. Couple it with the fact that workplace dress codes have been lax, non-existent, or too sensitive to enforce and…well, you get the picture.

Let’s borrow an example from our friends at the fire department to drive the point home. They’re part of the crisis response cadre too. Firefighters never leave the station without their turnout gear (those heavy jackets, pants, boots and helmets). When they leave the station that gear goes with them, even if they’re making a grocery run for tonight’s dinner. Surely there are plenty of times where they’re just lugging the stuff around but the point is they’re ready to jump into the fray at a moment’s notice. When a firefighter gets out of the engine with lights flashing and sirens blaring, that gear conveys two things: utility and professionalism. It sends a message that reinforces confidence. We should be ready to convey the same message.

I've been a spokesperson for more than 14 years now and I have yet to get advance notice of a sudden accident or crisis. No one called me at 6:30 a.m. to say, “Wear nice clothes today. There will be a <fill in the blank> and you’ll need to tell people about it in front of the networks.” Choose clothes that represent your organization and exemplify a confident, professional image. Every. Single. Day. Even a nice polo shirt (no wrinkles, please) and some decent slacks can be acceptable in the right environment. If for some reason you can’t dress up, keep some extra clothes at the ready in your office. Like Superman, you can always do a quick change and be ready to save the day. Image matters and goes a long way to convey trust.

Listen to our foremothers, people. They told you to wear clean underwear so you’re prepared for the unexpected. None of us has grown too old to outlive the usefulness of their incredibly sage advice.