<p>This is for rush week. EVERY sorority has the exact dress code for each day of the week for that week, even Woody’s daughter dressed up according to the dress code during THE RUSH WEEK. They don’t dress like that other time of the year.</p>
<p>Yes, my daughter gets her nails and hair done just like many other girls her age, especially when there is a big event. Many college kids go to cocktail parties. Even in my days at a very small LAC, we didn’t have sororities, but there were cocktail parties sponsored by school and by various organizations. We had to go semi formal to those parties (guys with suit jackets and ladies in skirts). Some may not see it as being useful, but once I entered the business world, skills of knowing how to pull oneself together (going from day to night) to go to various after hours business functions and ability to carry on small talks at those parties have helped me tremendously.</p>
<p>I was a first generation immigrant, my parents really didn’t know “the American way.” I have been to a real restaurant twice in my life before I went off to college. The most important education I learned in college was how to dress, how to carry myself at a party, what’s appropriate to say, and how to be noticed. I wished there was a list that I could have studied, but I learned by making mistakes and making observations. All that fluff on the outside didn’t change me as a person inside, but it polished up my outside to match what’s inside of me. When I walked into a large crowded party, I no longer felt intimidated, I knew what I had on didn’t look out of place, and it gave me the confidence to engage people in the way I wanted to instead of being self conscious of the way I looked.</p>
<p>Many of you may think it’s superficial, and probably would tell your daughters as such. But in my view you are doing a disservice to your kids. I see so many young people at interview situation wearing suits or leather shoes for the first time, not knowing where to put their hands, constantly pulling at their clothes, not able to make eye contact, girls wearing large/cheap jewelry, and some even overdo with their makeups. I am sure while they are being uncomfortable in their clothes, it’s hard for them to focus on interview questions. It is unfortunate, but there are still grown women who don’t know how to pull themselves together.</p>
<p>I think if you were to read the list over carefully, you would see there is nothing expensive about it. It advised girls to keep a clear skin, no need to have heavy cake on makeup (how many times we wanted to tell our teenage daughters that?) It said not to wear overly sexy shoes (high spikey heels), but to wear low heels or flats. It is middle of winter in Ithaca, so don’t wear summer sundresses. Again, I think many of those things on the list were very sensible. Some may not like the way it was written, but I thought it had a lot of humor and they are 20 something.</p>