Undressing for Success
The toes knows. That's what I have to say about the biggest threat facing your career today. Toes. Or, to be specific, toe cleavage.
As I'm sure you'll agree, how you manage your toes is critically important to how you are perceived in the workplace. This is not a problem in winter, when your toes are locked away in the solitary confinement of clunky shoes and heavy boots, but with spring on the horizon, it is only natural that your fancy lightly turns to thoughts of letting your toes fly free.
Stylish sandals, strappy slingbacks or crunchy Birkenstocks: They're kicky and comfy, yes, but are they appropriate for business wear? Will showing toe cleavage wreck your career? These are the questions at hand, or should I say, at foot.
If you think the issue of toe cleavage is not worthy of serious discussion in a much-loved business humor column -- I'm sure there must be one somewhere -- think again.
"Toes Out in the Work Place? You Might Want to Tread Carefully" is the title of Vanessa Friedman's recent Ask Vanessa column in The New York Times. If you ask Bob, it's a subject that demands serious analysis. And while I certainly don't want to step on any toes, I'm just the fashionista who can do it.
Of course, connecting the polka dots between what you wear and what you earn is not limited to your pedal extremities, nor are evolving workplace wardrobe issues limited to these United States.
In another Times article, Claire Fu and Daisuke Wakabayashi report on a what-to-wear-to-work issue that is inflaming businesses all across China. The headline says it all: "Furry Slippers and Sweatpants: Young Chinese Embrace 'Gross Outfits' at work."
For the Chinese, a "gross outfit" consists of messy hair, fluffy pajamas, fuzzy sweatshirts, clumpy sweatpants and furry slippers. These items are sometimes worn separately, but usually, they are all worn at once, creating a layered, "just-rolled-out-of-bed look shockingly casual for most Chinese workplaces."
And for most American workplaces, too, don't you think?
There's no question that when it comes to work, how you look makes a difference in how you do. But there are many more options than a toe-flasher or a gross-dresser could imagine. If you are still stuck with debating whether Lulu or Banana offers the right blend of ath and leisure for your workplace, your look needs a new look. Step over to the mirror and let's discuss options.
...continued
Copyright 2024 Creators Syndicate, Inc.
