<p>The people who are easily offended by people not dressing up may want to stay far away from [Silicon</a> Valley computer companies](<a href=“http://www.industryleadersmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/google-people.jpg]Silicon”>http://www.industryleadersmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/google-people.jpg).</p>
![http://www.industryleadersmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/google-people.jpg]Silicon](http://www.industryleadersmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/google-people.jpg%5DSilicon){kind=link}
<h1>294 pizzagirl wrote
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<p>I am not pretending what you wear doesn’t matter in the eyes of others. Just the opposite. What I am trying to point out is that the eye of the beholder is not universal. Your “uniform” of skinny jeans, flats, blazer, and scarf is a very mainstream and safe look. It will evoke a certain response in the general population. It will not evoke the same response in the entire population. Some will want to dress as far away from your look as possible because they aren’t going for the same response you are going for. They do this either consciously or unconsciously. Ms Jersey-Shore is dressing for a different audience than you. Her audience is just as impressed with her “uniform” as yours is with your “uniform”. College kids in sweatpants on campus are dressing for a different audience than Bay. Their audience approves the look.</p>
<p>So we get down to who is the final arbiter of taste? Right? Is there some accepted, final authority in such matters?</p>
<p>edit: PG- I like your uniform AND I like Ms. Jersey Shore’s uniform. I am definitely not smirking at anyone. I love that there are so many uniforms!</p>
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<p>Yeah, I think the only truly offensive clothing is either something like that or something like a swastika t-shirt.</p>
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<p>My point of view exactly. There’s the safe, flattering, in-style outfit that follows current trends (nothing against that). There are people who use their hair color and body jewelry and tattoos as artistic statements. There are people who dress out of the Victorian period every day. There are women who wear men’s clothes exclusively. Everyone is portraying the look that they want and putting thought and effort into their appearance. I actually find it really interesting to see all of the different fashion looks people have and way that people express themselves uniquely – really don’t understand taking offense at any of it.</p>
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<p>Absent a dress code or violation of law, no, there is no final authority, only various opinions, none of which are right or wrong, but all of which exist and may be considered or ignored.</p>
<p>You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about this. Obviously I have WAY too much time on my hands! The founder of D’s school wears men’s clothes and shoes. I’ve seen her exactly once in a photo wearing a tasteful woman’s dressy blouse, but not even the school’s first graduation brought her out in anything but her standard dress choices. She is openly gay, if that matters. Here’s the thing-she has managed, despite wearing clothes that would give some people on here the vapors, to raise all kinds of funds to support the school. She regularly meets with nationally known movers and shakers and despite her clothing gets their support for her projects. Isn’t that wonderful?</p>
<p>And, I live in a city where it’s not uncommon to see a kid with a purple mohawk, clothes held together by safety pins, serving your latte at one of the zillions of cafes around town. Isn’t it great that he gets to look like that and still have a job? Obviously customers are not repelled by or feel disrespected by him since the place continues to employ him.</p>
<p>And where I live it’s not uncommon to see immigrant families dressed in all manner of clothes that are a mix of western and African items, often not matching or seasonally appropriate-yet they have jobs, the kids do well in school, have friends, etc. all the same. Isn’t that great? </p>
<p>I’m with alh-it seems to me that many “beholders” do not have the same standards as some here. I’m glad that’s the case.</p>
<p>Many years ago when I was in high school, I was given a work study job at an insurance company because of my high academic stats and the GC knew I could use the money for college. </p>
<p>I showed up at work everyday on time, worked very hard while I was in the office. I still remember it was a very hot June day, I went to school wearing a pair of shorts and I went straight to work from school. I didn’t give too much thought to what I was wearing, and no one ever talked to me about it. Next day my supervisor called me in to let me know that it was inappropriate to wear shorts to work. Before the school ended, I was let go to make room for returning college students. When I took the job, I was told that I would be able to work there for the summer. It was a good lesson for me because I think I was fired because I didn’t know how to dress appropriately, it showed my immaturity. Back then, summer jobs were also hard to come by for high school students. It was a shame that no one told me how to dress.</p>
<p>How does one get a “work study” job in high school? Isn’t work study funding reserved for college financial aid only? Or were the rules different?</p>
<p>Yes, every person who gets a job should know to look for the dress code and to dress according to that.</p>
<p>Back then there were companies that offered part time jobs for students. They would let high school’s counselor know and GC would recommend students for those jobs. I am not sure if those companies received any tax incentive for doing it.</p>
<p>Sseamom, I was struck by the numbers of people with facial jewelry working not just at coffee shops but at banks ( granted this was on Capitol Hill)- however this was also at WaMu so it was a few years ago. I don’t think they are as common anymore, although H said a bunch of new hires have all kinds of " interesting" markings, including septum piercing.</p>
<p>I think living in a place where I have learned not to rely too heavily on initial assumptions about someone has helped me to think a little more broadly & " out of the box". ( not as often as I’d like)</p>
<p>I’ve found it challenging but rewarding, as I have made friends with people I may not have otherwise.
Embarrassing, too though, when my assumptions are so entrenched that I think in cliches.
:o</p>
<p>We can discuss all we want here about whether it matters what someone wears, but in all my life I don’t think I have ever met one person who doesn’t care what he/she looks like. People’s styles maybe different, but whatever they are wearing they are making a statement.</p>
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<p>Yeah, I think dressing according to office dress code is entirely different from dressing how you want on your own time.</p>
<p>I do think, though, that oldfort’s company should have made a dress code expectation more clear. You can’t assume that a high schooler has any idea what professional dress code ideas are or that they exist – some do, but many don’t. And I think part of that kind of program, in my opinion, should involve the kind of mentoring that teaches the students about what a professional work environment is like.</p>
<p>I personally think for college students, going to classes is similar to going to work.</p>
<p>I’ve worked in professional offices where senior employees worse shorts, logo t-shirts, socks, and sandals. If a college doesn’t have a dress code, I don’t think the college being like going to work means very much in terms of how people dress.</p>
<p>roman-as recently as 5 years ago, some high schools had something called DECA, which allows your to get HS credit for working. One of my nieces joined and not only got credit for her retail job, but also retained membership throughout college for a modest scholarship. It’s not work study in the college sense, but the HS has to approve the job and I think you have to write some kind of report. There was some kind of class associated with it too. My niece planned to major in marketing so it seemed like a good thing to get involved with.</p>
<p>I think any business working with teens should certainly spell out expectations about dress. For most, it’s their first job. It’s a shame that a single misstep would get a kid fired, but most companies don’t really care about their staff as long as their bottom line is met. Over the years I’ve found that smaller businesses are much more worker-friendly.</p>
<p>We had that, too. It was called co-op or something. But it’s not WS. That’s why I was confused.</p>
<p>Oh and fwiw, I wouldn’t want to work for a company that has that little respect for their employees that they wouldn’t even give a warning and would fire just on one minor clothing offense. Unless of course the dress code had been stressed.</p>
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<p>With the exception of the Federal Service Academies and some narrowly pre-professional schools, I don’t think most undergrads, Profs, or even many parents would agree. </p>
<p>Certainly not the hippie father of one of my HS buddies. </p>
<p>If anything, he’d find it quite sad and disturbing someone much younger than him implicitly thinks it’s a good thing to bring back the very formal dress code he had to suffer under and fought against as part of the hippie/counterculture movement as an NYU undergrad in the early-mid’60s. </p>
<p>We’d also agree that viewing college classes like going to work is an extremely blinkered view of what they’re about. Ironic considering I don’t and cannot identify with the hippie/counterculture…too much bright colors and pollyannish for me.</p>
<p>I mentioned our public school district’s dress code, which prohibits visible underwear. It also prohibits gym shorts, baggy pants, strapless, spaghetti-strap and low-cut tops, among other things.</p>
<p>The kids in our school district (quite mixed, socio-economically), grew up with the knowledge and training that certain attire is not appropriate for school. These types of clothing standards are not limited to some elite niche in society.</p>
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<p>Not all public school districts have dress codes beyond legal ones against nudity, wearing items which may endanger themselves or others(i.e. loose chains and shop class), etc. </p>
<p>When they tried imposing a more restrictive dress code at my old HS recently, it didn’t go very well judging by widespread student protests and their supporters. Especially when it was found that the admins were enforcing it much more harshly for female students…creating a systemic discriminatory situation. Really stupid on the admin’s part considering the current students seem to be much more politically active than they were in my day.</p>
<p>I work for a small tech company. The president comes in with white socks and sandals because he can, but the dress code is business casual. Younger staff (analysts and programmers) wear polar shirts, but managers wear dress shirts/pants.</p>
<p>I told my kids that school was like work for them. I expected them to show up everyday, work hard, pay attention in class, and turned in their homework. With that in mind, I always had them dressed properly going to school - no play/work out/lounge clothes. My kids just continued with that when they went off to college.</p>
<p>“It’s a shame that a single misstep would get a kid fired”</p>
<p>It IS a shame, and it SHOULD be spelled out, and we are no longer talking about “sweats on campus; yes or no”.</p>
<p>But one of the things I have learned on CC, is that some kids just “know”. “Know” is not the right word. I mean that some kids come here asking “what should I do to get into xyz?”, and other kids just DO it. Not because they “know”, but becuase it is who they are. Some kids are going to “dress for success” in their given environment, whatever success means there, without anybody telling them. Not because they “know”, but because it is who they are.</p>