How you dress teaches people how to treat you

[Firerybadger]

Wondering how much truth there is in this sm gem I’ve just seen as I’m of the comfort above everything type. If it’s true maybe I’ll get treated differently by the world

In my international media corporate environment , it's all about 'bringing your whole self' to work, so quite the mix of clothing choices

Pity the poor guy who services the photocopiers, still required by the service company to wear a three piece suit. Surely he would be so much more comfortable in casual clothes.

Very old fashioned.

In my last job also civil service we had a CO who kept coming in in a suit even after he looked around him. One day the principal officer was in and he kept looking at CO with an "introduce yourself!!!" look on his face. We were all aware PO was puzzled. Somebody had to find the words to let him know, don't worry, it's not that you don't know who this person is, he just doesn't want to dress like the rest of us minions!!

i don’t know what a CO is, but surely any decent senior member of staff would want to know who someone they don’t recognise is, be introduced to new staff etc?

or do they just generally ignore CO’s as too low on the ladder to be worthy of comment?

someone had to “find the words” to let a senior officer know it was ok to ignore a new member of staff 😳.

In my last job also civil service we had a CO who kept coming in in a suit even after he looked around him.

I don't know what point you're making- looked around and saw no one was wearing a suit so he should not either?

it's not that you don't know who this person is, he just doesn't want to dress like the rest of us minions!!

what's wrong with not wanting to dress and look like everyone one else?

I don't understand what points you're making.

Absolutely true. Same if I’ve done my hair and put on make-up, however. First impressions really do count.

Sometimes - and certainly designers to deliberately sell lower price point items that are less well-made to appeal to a broader demographic - but the assumption that logos=low quality, or that working class people with money don't know quality but posh people do, feels quite snobbish and not always true.

There are plenty of brands that are coded as middle class or upper middle class (I'm not talking about elite luxury brands, just brands with a solid middle class reputation), that are not that great quality wise and no better quality than brands with slightly more downmarket reputations.

Burberry's image went from being dull and upmarket to "chavvy" without any change in quality, simply because a small number of wealthy working class celebs chose to wear their items.

A significant percentage of the luxury goods market in the UK is driven by very wealthy Russians and Arabs (talk to anyone who works in any of the luxury stores in Knightsbridge or Chelsea). They often love logos and designer names since they don't have the British snobbery against looking flashy, but they certainly know and are exacting about quality too.

If you see a photo of someone like say Colleen Rooney carrying a Hermes bag, I bet anything there would be comments saying "how crass" or "how vulgar" but Hermes is clearly not poor quality, and no one would comment "how crass" on a photo of Isabelle Huppert or Sarah Chatto carrying a Hermes bag. The class context changes how things are perceived. Sarah Chatto is even ON a bag - the Queen was once photographed holding a handbag that had a photo of Princess Margaret and her children printed onto the fabric (which doesn't exactly scream discreet and high quality). If Colleen Rooney had a bag with a photo of her kids printed on it, God knows the kind of sneering and cries of "vulgar" it would generate.

This

"basically the more a job is perceived as female the lower prestige and value it's assigned, and if loads of women start doing a male-coded job it lowers the prestige and value associated with the job."

Ah yes, this has been known for a long time. I wouldn't mind a link to the article if it's free though.

I don't go to posh or expensive shops, but I do sometimes go to shops for younger people and I do think that the shops probably don't like my being there as I hurt their image. I know that I'm myself put off going into certain shops if I see the people inside and they're all more than twenty years older than me.

The smarter you look the better service you get . Seem this in shops / restaurants. Posture helps too . It's all about projecting confidence.

basically the more a job is perceived as female the lower prestige and value it's assigned, and if loads of women start doing a male-coded job it lowers the prestige and value associated with the job.

and vice versa. Always fascinated me how the initial computer programmers were women, as it was a job seen akin to typing and therefore a women’s role. Ada Lovelace, Hedy Lamar etc

then men realised the money to be earned, leading us less than 100 years later to see computers and programming as a male thing, hugely increased in value. We’ve been so socialised many people now think women are inherently not as able in maths and computer fields, our poor little pink brains just want to nurture and do arts and crafts.

And HR, back in the day when it was about supporting the employees. It wasn't well paid in 1996.
Now it's taken over by men and the new hr model is to propel the company/organisation in the direction it wants to head, silencing anybody who's stressed, sexually harassed or bullied.

You are so right. I took my mother to the doctor. He was on holiday so I saw a locum whose appearance left a lot to be desired. She wore a maroon tracksuit and a pair of filthy trainers which I couldn't help noticing because she had her feet up on the doctor's desk.
I explained why we were there so the doctor proceded to berate (and I mean berate) my Mum for still smoking. Poor old Mum was 87 and been smoking since she was 14. she wasn't going to stop now.
I began to explain this when the doctor reached into the desk drawer, pulled out a bottle of Irn-BRru and began to swig from it. Last straw time.
'Put that back in the drawer. Right now. And get those filthy trainers off the desk.'
She put the bottle back in the drawer and swung her feet down to the floor and I swept my Mum out of the surgery.
Everything was wrong about that doctor from how she dressed to how she spoke to how she behaved. It all came down to a lack of respect for a patient , utter contempt for a patient in fact.
And I Don't accept that I am shallow for making a judgment on that doctor.