Are Women Happy To Wear Skimpy Clothing At Work To Win Bonuses and Promotion ?

[Prada's Meadow]

Women are prepared to dress provocatively in the office to help them climb the career ladder, it has emerged.
More than 27 per cent admitted they would happily wear a slightly risky outfit to work in an attempt to get a bonus or promotion.
One in twenty of those even owned up to doing this on a regular basis.
The poll of 3,000 workers revealed that 78 per cent of women believe the way they dress affects their day at work.

Some women have no qualms about wearing revealing outfits to work, if it means they increase their chances of a bonus or promotion
And over half (54 per cent) believe dressing up helped them perform better in the office.
A spokesman for fashion forum site www.theragtrader.com, who conducted the study, said: 'The research proves that what you wear to work can really affect your success rate.
'This relates to both accomplishing more during 9-5 and even climbing the career ladder quicker too.
'Even when working from home, it's incredible how clothing can influence your productivity.
'If you're clothing is too relaxed in style it's harder to get into work mode and all too easy to waste the day.'

The survey also revealed two thirds of women feel more in control if they are smartly dressed, while 61 per cent think it gains them more respect from their colleagues.
Women were also more competitive in the office fashion stakes with 48 per cent of women admitting there was an element of competition when it came to office attire, compared to just 27 per cent of men.

The marketing and advertising industries were named as the most competitive in the office fashion wars.
Media workers came second followed by those who work in retail.
Researchers also found that more than a quarter of women have also had to face the embarrassment of someone else in the office wearing the same outfit as them.
And 63 per cent of workers have experienced humiliating wardrobe malfunctions at work, with 31 per cent of women laddering their tights and 19 per cent of men walking around with their zip flying low.
Fourteen per cent have even split their trousers while in the office.
A spokesman for www.theragtrader.com added: 'It's natural for there to be an element of competition in the work place but this is obviously extending to fashion too.
'Our website was set up to help fashion companies find freelance designers who can develop clothing and accessories for them in order to keep their ranges at the cutting edge.'


Also
The worst professions for fashion rivalry


1. Marketing and advertising

2. Media/Creative

3. Retail

4. Secretarial

5. Sales

What do you think of the article ?



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...impy-clothing-work-win-bonuses-promotion.html

 

[HitchcockBlonde]

I think it's kind of insulting to professional women. But JMO! I don't really know if that actually gets you ahead in most professions.

Also, the article sort of assumes all bosses will be male, which is not true anymore!

 

[~Fabulousity~]

^^^ I agree with the comment about this being insulting to professional women, but I also agree with this part of the article:

'Even when working from home, it's incredible how clothing can influence your productivity.
'If you're clothing is too relaxed in style it's harder to get into work mode and all too easy to waste the day

 

[yslalice]

i'm a professional woman, and I don't find it insulting. Good article.

 

[Jahpson]

as someone who was sexually harassed on the job, hell no!

 

[msterling]

I've seen a few women wearing clothing that is way too revealing for work. From the reactions I've seen from other people, nobody takes them seriously.

 

[Little Tiger]

I feel more confident when I dress 'nicely' at work (read: when I'm clean and groomed and wearing things which suit me and are appropriate in an office environment, like pencil skirts and well-fitting cashmere sweaters). So yeah, I'd agree with the control and respect part of that article.

Two things which bug the H (H not for Hermes but for the hot place ) outta me are:

1. When men focus too much on your 'attributes' in meetings (I now make sure nothing is too tightly fitted and become more emphatic about what I'm saying if the guy is being an a-hole and has wandering eyes anyway)

2. Watching women who 'play' male colleagues. Now this is annoying. I had a young female colleague criticise an quite senior older female colleague for being abrasive in our team meeting (the older lady wasn't there, obviously!), whilst leaning back on her chair so that her chest was elevated and saying 'I've found a lot of older women act like this'. The men were transfixed (on her chest), whereas I was fuming that she could make a generalisation like that about older working women in good positions, and the men had totally lost the thread.

I could have done the same in return, I suppose, but then it would have been like a wildlife documentary! ("So now see the females expand their mammary glands in order to attract attention from the opposite sex").

She will, one day, be older and hopefully in a much higher position, and I doubt she would like it if younger female colleagues were saying that about her! She is a nice girl, I just got fed up sometimes of the ol' rolling-back-on-the-chair-and-sticking-chest-out action (saw it a few times).

Maybe I'm a hypocrite as I do like to wear my 'good' outfits and make sure my make-up and perfume is all fixed before attending an important meeting. But body language and what you show is important on these occasions....and I would never say a Manager in her fifties was crabby because she's female!

 

[schadenfreude]

Interesting article... and while everyone wants to pretend looks don't matter, then why are there a billion books and articles on how to dress for an interview? Research has shown a correlation between attractiveness and success. Why would you not want to look attractive while maintaining a professional appearance? If that means a little bit of cleavage -- a LITTLE bit -- why not?

 

[Demi]

Definitely holds some merit. That happened to me in my last job. I was one of the people qualified to get a supervisor's position that had opened up along with 2-3 other people who were also qualified. I didn't care much if I got it or not, but I got so insulted when the person who ended up with the position had no idea what she was doing. The manager promoted her because she dressed nice and wore makeup everyday. I just looked at my manager like she had lost her marbles. I was the only person at work who wore expensive suits (because I like them, not because I feel any need to compete with anyone, I'm beyond competent at my job to care about fashion wars) and hands down looked the best because customers felt the need to compliment me on a daily basis for what I wore. A person should get a promotion because of the head they've got on their shoulders and their skills, not because of attire. I really thought that one of my other co-workers who's a sweetheart but didn't dress to the max had gotten the position. It's really devastating when people who "dress well" but don't have what it takes to hold down an important position end up getting it because it affects the entire work place in a negative way. I completely lost respect for management after that incident.

 

[Zophie]

I guess I like to show a little sex appeal for work (i.e., Louboutin heels, outfits that show some curves) but I don't want to ever come off as looking slutty. I think it just makes you look like someone that men might think, "oh, yeah, that dingy girl in the short skirt with her boobs hanging out." I think you can dress sort of classy/sexy and it's okay but not sleazy/sexy, if that makes sense. I guess it depends on where you work, but I work most often with men, a good portion of them older, usually dressed conservatively in suits. If I honestly thought ho'ing it up in my work style would get me mega bucks, I'm all for it, but I think it would be a detriment to my career in that I'd lose respect.

 

[ValleyO]

The worst professions for fashion rivalry


1. Marketing and advertising

2. Media/Creative

3. Retail

4. Secretarial

5. Sales

Don't know about the rest of the article but I definitely believe this list; all of the above are industries where image is everything (not sure about secretaries though- I've seen a lot of frumpy assistants).

 

[bisousx]

Also
The worst professions for fashion rivalry


1. Marketing and advertising

2. Media/Creative

3. Retail

4. Secretarial

5. Sales

what does fashion rivalry mean in this sense? women competing with each other at work fashionwise? or exposing themselves for promotion?

 

[75Jules]

I definately try to dress well for work as I think looking professional helps you get ahead. I dont think women who dress provocatively are taken seriously. They might be the ones who all the guys want to flirt with and take out for drinks but they are not the women who get respect or bonuses in my experience.

 

[lily25]

I was flirty and nice with everyone (what the hell, I used to spend 12 hours everyday with those ppl , if I was all stiff and unpleasant I'd die), but I never wore anything skimpy. All I was wearing was office clothing, mostly androgynous type, long dark slacks, cotton shirts, and cashmere sweaters. Got my bonuses, and everyone says nice things about my work. Girls with minis or see through blouses were teased and relised that sexy drssing was not favourable. It was an office, not a bar.

Researchers also found that more than a quarter of women have also had to face the embarrassment of someone else in the office wearing the same outfit as them.

Embarrassment? Why would anyone be embarrassed? WTH everyone was wearing grey and black slacks, I never noticed any embarassment...

 

[Gimmethebag]

Don't know about the rest of the article but I definitely believe this list; all of the above are industries where image is everything (not sure about secretaries though- I've seen a lot of frumpy assistants).

I work in retail and there is fashion rivalry. But then again, you go into retail because you are passionate about clothes and fashion. And you end up owning half of the line anyways, because you're staring at it 40 hours a week. Now when I shop in other stores, it's for BIG purchases... something special that I wouldn't want to buy at my store for cheaper.

How you dress also affects your client list. Clients are attracted to certain SAs... nothing wrong with that. I have to make an effort to look "older" within our line, because while I am one of the managers... I've gotten comments like "Oh, it's great you work here after school!" Also, when I've got on an amazing outfit, I don't get as much crap as people like to throw on retail workers. No one leaves the fitting room a complete mess or talks down to me like I'm a wage monkey, when I have on better shoes and nicer jewelry. I'm assuming it is because I come across as a professional.