Yesterday, within another post, I posted a brief introduction to the Pinup Project. This is my attempt to look better all the time, and therefore feel better and get further. I do not subscribe to the thin-is-everything look, but I do want to be healthy and happy and yes, to turn heads on occasion. It’s my attempt to be a more polished version of myself, which I hope will have a positive effect on my life.
I’ve long thought that you can be strong, independent and career-minded, look fabulous while doing so and still ultimately want more traditional things like a partner and/or children. I can be quite forceful, when the subject arises among friends, about our rights to choose what we want – just because I’m not yet sure I want children, doesn’t mean I want to be a ballbreaking career woman married to the boardroom either. It’s all about the balance. And for women who are working, particularly in the City, I think it’s really important to hang onto your femininity – among the many things we can do equally or better than men, that’s the one they can’t even compete with.
I don’t think we should be ashamed of dressing up and wearing pretty things, be those things shoes, clothes, jewellery or makeup. It doesn’t affect our ability to work and it should differentiate us from the men who do similar jobs. A close friend of mine always wears a vintage dress, curled hair and red lipstick to work on dress down Fridays, and gets a lot of stick for being ‘so dressed up’ – when actually, that’s how she would like to dress all the time and only conforms to the office dress code in the week because it’s required in her contract. It’s as though turning up in anything but a shapeless suit during the week, or a tshirt and jeans on Fridays, is somehow against feminism. And I really couldn’t disagree with that more.
So it’s rather nice, all of a sudden, to find that my views are being backed up by Dr Catherine Hakim from the London School of Economics. She’s dubbed it ‘erotic capital’, and there is a halfway decent article on it here, written by Bryony Gordon (with whom I used to work in my design days).
The last time I was this close to the zeitgeist was when I wore a tshirt under a strapless dress because the air conditioning in the office was cold. I spent all day fending off compliments about how on-trend I was. But it is a good feeling to know there are others out there who feel the same way as I do on this particular issue, whether or not it’s a trendy topic or not.
A great post. I’ve long been called “glamorous” by what I wear, when it’s simply what I feel most comfortable and confident in. I don’t feel good about myself unless I make an effort to be me – and that usually means being a bit “boho” and different. There is no way on earth I could wear a plain suit – I would feel stifled. It would have to be tweaked with a snazzy top underneath or a statement brooch or scarf at the very least. As for office shoes! Urgh, urgh, urgh. I would have to work on the premise of introducing new additions to the dress code slowly, in the hope it wouldn’t be noticed.
Ahh, how wonderful to hear someone else say what I think most days! My office has an extremely conservative dress code, which I jazz up with removable happiness – brooches, scarves, mad necklaces, ridiculous shoes – all of which can be switched for regulation ones if I do have to attend client meetings. But I function so much better if I dress like myself rather than a corporate clone 🙂
One of the reasons I’m so surprised by this being in national news is that I’m usually different, not the rule! xx
I have friends who tell me that it is too ‘difficult’ to wear a dress, and that it is ‘easier’ to wear jeans. But surely a dress is just like a giant t-shirt, non? No need to find a top and bottom that ‘go’ just pull it over your head and done! And a swipe of red lipstick is no more difficult than a swipe of lip balm! I have sympathy for your friend, when people make such comments, it almost seems to imply that THEY wouldnt have time to do such things which in turn implies that the dresser-up must be doing it just to fill the void! Pah! Let us take over the world with our false eyelashes and amazing heels! Sorry, dont normally rant in comments! Really just stopped by to say lovely post and have some ideas for Project Pin Up!