"Frumpy or Chic" Reflection

I really enjoyed reading this piece. It brought out a private dilemma that is only well known to those in the academic workforce. Fashion can be a make-or-break deal when interviewing for a job or can influence the energy of a classroom. Many professors feel conflicted between two main theories; to dress frumpy or chic. There is evidence concluding that when you dress down, you are perceived to be giving more attention to your intellect. Yet there is an extreme of dressing so poorly that you end up being a distraction to your students. For professors of a different race, it is a high risk to display your culture or background through your outfits. This could result in making others too uncomfortable, although sadly, there is no problem with being too "WASPish". As a society, we all judge one another based on how we dress. First impressions are extremely important. It is our first, and at the time, only insight we have of an individual.

This essay enlightened me with information I was oblivious too. I have my own personal beliefs about dressing well and the appropriate attire based on the context of the situation. Though I never knew fashion to produce so much anxiety among professors. I disagree with specific quotes from different professors across the county. I believe you should not dress to a mold or standard that will make others perceive you as intelligent. This only reinforces the stereotype that intellectuals dress a certain way. It is a very ignorant assumption. I think it is important to dress professionally. You are a role model teaching our generation. Learning does not just happen within the course curriculum. We are learning all the time.

By social standards, you do not arrive to a dinner party dressing in jeans and a t-shirt. It is rude. I am paying a high amount of money to come to a class to learn. I feel respected when the professor dresses in a more professional manner. It shows me this individual cares about their appearance and is a symbol for respect. That they take their work seriously. I think this debate is not too confusing. Being a professor is still a job that makes a respectable income. Just because you teach does not mean you can dress however you want. I would hope you would go to class to teach as you would go to any office to work. Scholars are not excused or have special privileges that other professions don't have.