Dress Codes at Work
At the end of every weekday, providing it is warm enough outside, I hastily tear off my “business-casual” attire and happily throw on some shorts and a t-shirt. The button-down collared shirt, khaki pants and work shoes are so restrictive during the day that often I cannot breathe. Sometimes it is so bad that I’ll actually change in the restroom at work before I walk out the door! Yes, I am that desperate. Call me crazy if you will. I just find these damn dress codes so irritating. And it’s so bloody hot in my office that wearing what I “must” wear is hazardous to my health.
I can certainly understand why there are dress codes in the business world. Making a good impression on high-powered clients so that your own high-powered clients can make money for even higher powered clients is of the utmost importance. And what is more powerful than a man in business suit?
What I do NOT understand is why there are dress codes for places like call centers, credit-card loan offices, design companies, and other places where nobody sees you except for your printer. Are they afraid someone is going to be offended if you show up in your PJs? Oh no! Mary is wearing tennis shoes! She’s broken the dress code! This is the end of HyperIntelliConnectiCorps, Inc!
I also hate casual Fridays. You might think that someone like me would actually like them. But in my opinion they just create more bizarre rules you have to follow. What if I don’t want to wear jeans? It’s actually more awkward to be the only one with khaki’s in a room full of jeans-wearers at work. Don’t believe me? Try it. In a sea of blue, your brown will stand out more than you think. And the looks on your co-workers’ faces when they see that you are eschewing the all-that-is-holy casual friday will convince you that you have made a mistake. The nerve! Does he think he’s better than the rest of us?
What I’ve come to realize is that it’s not so much the clothing that bothers me (what on earth is business casual anyway?) It’s the restriction. Not only does your job control your time; it also controls your wardrobe.
People want the ability to make a decision. Once you take that away from them they are nothing more than slaves. They wait anxiously for casual fridays, weekends, and time with their families while sweating through the afternoons in an office of despair and lost choices.
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Amanda October 13, 2007 at 11:07 am
I don’t mind dress codes unless they are so strict that it’s ridiculous, like for example, at my current job they say we are not aloud to wear “loud jewlery, swooping tops, or large amounts of makeup.” I mean c’mon… what is loud jewlery anyway..and swooping tops, who uses that word.. and I get the lots of makeup, but that’s cuz I personally don’t wear alot of makeup…