Ridiculously high heels - Apprentice Final Four

[axolotlfloof]

Just watching this week's episode.
Really pleased to see 4 women in the final, but why the heels?
Even Karen is wearing them.
They are bad for your feet, balance and just ridiculous.
My Mum's feet were destroyed by heels in the 60s, and I prioritise walking over heels.
Aibu?

I don’t think anyone is criticising what women CHOOSE to wear

You are kidding, right? Have you read the thread? It’s full of vitriol about other women’s choice of garments. Not just the Apprentice candidates either.

Cheap/ridiculous/tottering about/looking like somebody with a very junior role, not a seasoned senior professional like the worthy poster/pimped out/spending too much time on their appearance at the expense of business plans/sad/trowelled on make up/caked on make up/looking like they are auditioning to be escorts.

I think it's obvious some clothes planning is involved because despite all wearing such strong colours they never clashed.
I only noticed the heels in the interview round when they were lined up in what looked like identical shoes.
Incidentally dont cabin crew change their shoes once they have finished meet and greet at the door, same as they remove their accessories like scarves and hats.

@dayswithaY

Me too. Ruth Badger never felt the need to wear an emerald green bodycon dress with black spike heels and bouncy blow dry.

This programme just became Love Island with clothes on. The candidates aren't serious business people either. One runs a cafe, one sells second hand clothes, one flogs PJs imported from China. I actually think Britney's protein drink was the best idea.

Good for Ruth. So what? Ruth wore what she wore! These women are dressing differently to her.

It’s almost as if all the people saying how bad it is, think that you have to dress a certain way, one that they agree with.

Iamthewombat I don’t feel resentful about others wearing sexy clothes or feel bad about my own appearance. As others have said I find the look dated and stereotypical and in your face. It is also what escorts wear. But thanks for your concern.

I have not read the full thread, but a few weeks ago when my Guides and Rangers were asked to think of ways to make life better/fairer for women, not having to wear high heels and short right dresses was high in their list! ( several watch the apprentice)

So what?
Ruth wore what she wore!
These women are dressing differently to her.

It’s almost as if all the people saying how bad it is, think that you have to dress a certain way, one that they agree with.

The point that most of these defensive posts seem to miss is that the issue isn't women who choose to wear massively high heels. It's the perception that women have to wear them to be credible businesswomen or professionals. And there's some perfectly reasonable scepticism that the women in question actually did have a free choice in the matter.

@Peasock
Perhaps question why you focus on appearance so much when forming an opinion about someone's capability? I agree Ruth was a fantastic contestant, so I'm not saying she wasn't because of what she was wearing, just like its odd you focus on someone's clothes rather than ability if they wear a dress and heels.

I don’t need to question it, I know I am interested in fashion and I know I am not on the interview panel. I focus on their heels when they are not able to do a task properly because of them.

Heels are just so old fashioned, since covid literally no one I work with wears them. It's boots pumps loafers etc all round

@EthelTheAardvark

So what? Ruth wore what she wore! These women are dressing differently to her.

It’s almost as if all the people saying how bad it is, think that you have to dress a certain way, one that they agree with.

The point that most of these defensive posts seem to miss is that the issue isn't women who choose to wear massively high heels. It's the perception that women have to wear them to be credible businesswomen or professionals. And there's some perfectly reasonable scepticism that the women in question actually did have a free choice in the matter.

I’m not defensive and I don’t dress like this. But the shitty comments, all of them, are way over the top.

It’s a Tv show
They are dressing for TV.

What do people not get about that?

@bruce43mydog

karen makes me nervous. i like the clicking of the heels to be fair op. lord sugar spins my head.

I miss watching The Apprentice but I can’t hear watching it with Alan Sugar presenting anymore. Sounds like I’ve not missed much, from the comments.

[quote MrsLargeEmbodied]@peasock

you find it weird that someone would laugh at the supposed scene of them having 20 minutes to get ready?

we all know surely it takes more than 20 minutes to get as ready as these contestants seem to - it is a lie - are you taking it seriously?[/quote]
Of course it’s funny, because it’s so ridiculous!

Well in interviews they've said they've had the 20 minutes or whatever to get themselves ready and then they are prepared for tv as in mics on etc. Only one person can wear each colour as well for a task so apparently they have to choose their clothes the night before and everyone to agree their colour. Apparently they do their own hair and make up as well which I don't think is that unbelievable; Brittany and steph said we wouldn't look like we did if we had professionals do it (I thought they always looked fab though).

I've never worn heels, I think they are ugly and dated. Most women look odd when they walk in them. I can see they make your legs look longer and slimmer but I don't care.

There are so many lovely style shoes about these days that are also comfortable that I think people are weird if they totter about on high heels.

They can get ready in 20 mins because you don’t see them heading for the shower/bath. It’s so scripted

It's the fact the look appears to have been curated by someone. I find it hard to believe that all 3 of the contestants I saw chose that exact same look. It's the message it sends. Want to be successful in business? You must be sexy. Here is a brightly coloured bodycon dress, heels and a face full of heavy make up.. Men, head that way to the Suit dpt.

I wouldn't care if 1 or 2 of them dressed like that which suggests choice. It was the uniformity of the loook that stood out.

@Jaffapaffa

I've been told today that I have to teach my class (Y8) that heels are part of a work wardrobe for women, and that if you want to succeed, it's essential to wear them.

I've objected several times, but have been told that it's not optional.

I'm really not comfortable with this at all.

But yes, apparently there's still a school of thought that says women must wear heels to be successful - hence their appearance in The Apprentice, I suppose.

Jesus what man told you that?

It’s a Tv show
They are dressing for TV

What do people not get about that?

Nothing. That't the whole point, people get that entirely. It is a TV show which is purporting to show aspiring businesswomen all of whom claim that their business plan is the route to fortune, and it is selling an incorrect perception that you can only be a successful businesswoman if you wear heels. It probably feeds into the perceptions of @Jaffapaffa's teaching colleagues. It's an incorrect and unhealthy perception, and it would be so refreshing if each and every one of them had been prepared to say "You know what? Just no" and turned up in shoes that were actually comfortable.

@BigButtons

The heels, the dresses and the troweled on make up- so sad

And oh so kind to everyone - but bottom line was their business plans were just crap.

And women wonder why they're not taken seriously when they totter around in shoes they can hardly walk in ? If you like them fair enough, but I object to the idea that they are what business women aspire to wearing

Unpleasant treatment of women yet again, sends a clear message what you're meant to look like (sexualised female) to be 'allowed' your place in a boardroom. Sad

Do you think Karen brady got to where she is because of what she looks like? That's rather sexist isn't it?

It seems really dated by the clothes as well as the premise of high pitched selling techniques. Who on earth wears those clothes to work? Most women I see day to day wear dark trousers and smart blouses and jackets, or maybe skirts. Sometimes heels but they are hardly ubiquitous.

@Sharnydubs

And women wonder why they're not taken seriously when they totter around in shoes they can hardly walk in ? If you like them fair enough, but I object to the idea that they are what business women aspire to wearing

Don't you think the problem is people judging women and making assumptions about their ability which are solely based on their appearance?

The problem is that society expects women to conform to a sexist dress code and then judges them when they do conform to it. So women can't win either way, the odds are stacked against them and the house always wins.

And women wonder why they're not taken seriously when they totter around in shoes they can hardly walk in?

If you asked somebody who had never used Mumsnet to read this thread cold, with no context other than “it’s about the contestants on The Apprentice”, the remarkable thing would be the spite and insults directed at women who make different clothing choices to the posters pouring out the bile.

Have you considered that that might be the reason women are often not taken seriously in the workplace? Nothing to do with the shoes we wear. Everything to do with the attitudes. Passive aggressive, spiteful, keen to tear down anyone they see as a rival or whose shoes and clothes they think are too glamorous.

Rather than, you know, focusing on their jobs.

Everyone makes judgments about other people based on what they wear, whether we acknowledge that fact or not. The problems start when someone else hits a nerve with you purely by the way they dress - too attractive, making you feel less than, pandering to the patriarchy, wearing stuff you couldn’t fit into even if you wanted to - and you decide that that particular colleague or supplier or client or whatever needs to be punished. Then you start being difficult, hissing to colleagues about ‘trowelled on make up’ and comparing women who choose to wear fitted dresses and heels to prostitutes or drag queens.

That is why some women are not taken seriously at work. Can you genuinely not see that?

The saddest thing is, women who behave like that come off like Cissie and Ada in those old Les Dawson sketches. Muttering, “her at number 46 is no better than she should be”.

@Alrightqueenie

The problem is that society expects women to conform to a sexist dress code and then judges them when they do conform to it. So women can't win either way, the odds are stacked against them and the house always wins.

Exactly! It's so depressing