This article spoke so much to my recent experiences. I haven’t been reprimanded for my clothing choices at work yet, but I think about what to wear everytime I go in. I work at a retail store and we were recently given the ok to wear shorts. I didn’t wear shorts until I saw what the other female employee was wearing. I thought so much about how I didn’t want to have shorts that were too short so as not to offend older customers and so that customer (especially men) would take me seriously. I didn’t want to have the conversation that the author of this article had with her boss. I want to be comfortable. I ended up buying a pair of shorts  that fit and looked modern (the last time I bought shorts was 2003) and would pass my high school’s dress code (barely). But I’ve been comfortable and no one has complained yet (to my knowledge).

 It was just frustrating to get the ok to wear shorts and not have any guidance as to what is appropriate because the manager and assistant manager are men, who probably don’t have to worry about things like that. They will be taken seriously because of their age, race, and gender. I have to consciously think about how to be taken seriously from how I act to how I dress. I am fortunate to be white. The other woman I work with is a woman of color and she often feels like she isn’t taken seriously because customers assume that women of color don’t hike.

Back to the clothing thing, it’s frustrating to have to deal with appearing too sexual or not sexual enough and to agonize over what to wear. I want to say “fuck it” and just wear whatever I want (normally I do), but I have to make money. Capitalism strikes again.