Friday, February 22, 2013

You need to dress professionally

I attended a presentation recently where the audience - predominantly academic librarians - was told the following:

"You need to dress professionally. Just because the students are in jeans and trainers doesn't mean that you should be."

I'm not sure why, but this opinion irks me. And yes, I think it is an opinion, rather than a fact. Dressing "professionally" does not make me a better librarian. Conversely, wearing jeans doesn't make me a bad one either.

I posed the question of professional dress on Facebook and got some interesting responses. Some are adamant that the way we dress affects the way people treat us. I think there is a fundamental flaw here: we accept that people should judge each other by appearances. I think we shouldn't.

One responder said: "Your argument is flawed. It is not the other person's responsibility to get to know you first and then judge you for who you are. The fact is you are already saying who you are by dressing sloppily. Dress for the occasion/situation and you will be judged by who you are. If you want to be taken seriously then dress seriously!"

Here is where the disconnect happens: casual attire = sloppy = inefficient/bad at your job; professional attire = neat = good at your job. I don't think this is necessarily so. Is casual attire always sloppy? What exactly is "casual" attire?

To me, the most interesting response was the following: "Define 'professional'. It is not a universal definition, it is very contextual. Also, quite outdated. The 'professional' attire is clothing that you *need* to perform your specific profession. Uniform / lab coat / safety goggles whatever."

I hadn't thought of it like this. What do I need to wear to be able to carry out my job as an academic librarian? Certainly not safety goggles. Heels? Would a tailored suit help me to do my job better?

What do you think?

2 comments:

  1. Janine, as shallow as it seems, people do judge by outward appearances. I do agree with you though, that casual does not equal sloppy. But what exactly is "dressing professionally"? I think I can look perfectly professional in jeans. Seems that the opinion is a little old fashioned and I also wonder if by wearing one's power suit one may actually scare away the students by appearing unapproachable?

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    1. I wish I could find the study I read years ago that showed that students are more willing to approach the librarian in jeans than the one in a power suit.

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