What is it about dresses that makes everyone think "pretty"?? Why do so many groups think women have to wear a dress to be pretty, professional, approachable, successful, etc?? Even other women think that wearing a dress gives you a 'leg up' in business.
This is a classic example of 'perpetrating your own stereotype". Women telling women that wearing a dress makes 'anything' better. I have even been told to try it out. Wear a dress and see if you don't get more customers than when you wear anything else. So not only do women tell other women if they want to get ahead, "wear a dress" but also women look at other women and judge them based on whether they wear a dress versus any other professional attire.
No woman looks "prettier", more "professional", or better in any way in a dress versus any other professional suit. A nice dress pants suit can make a woman look pretty, professional, or any other adjective you want to attach to that.
I have thought about this for a while and I can only come up with one word, one adjective that applies to a woman in a dress that may not apply to a woman in a pants suit.
That word
Delicate
A woman in a dress is viewed by other women and men as sweeter, more delicate, more approachable, friendlier, even sexy, but guess what people. Not prettier, or more beautiful. A woman in a pants suit can look just as beautiful, just as sexy even, as a woman in a dress. The worst part is that other women think the same fucking thing! By wearing a dress in order to appear this way to others is demeaning and brings us backwards. It tells others that "yes we know you judge me by my clothes so here I am wearing this to appear the way I want to be judged".
A woman who wears a dress because they like it, or it is more comfortable to them has my respect. But we have to stop thinking a dress gives women an advantage over any other nice outfit. I taught my girls from young, in order to be pretty all you need is to be clean and healthy. Your clothes don't make you pretty, your hair styled doesn't make you pretty, makeup on your face does not make you pretty.
Women have been striving for decades to be seen as equals to men in business and other things. How can we be judged as equals if we do that by wearing a dress??
Once upon a time, everyone wore a 'dress'. They were called kilts or togas. Romans wore them, Spartans wore them, Greeks wore them, Vikings wore them, Native Americans wore them. Some of our greatest historical male warriors wore an outfit that these days would be called a dress, or skirt. My belief is horses is when men started wearing leg coverings. Riding horses made men more practical in what they wear. Not wanting their junk rubbing bare over a horses saddle or back. Women rode side saddle, Women never needed to change their clothing. And of course, women all throughout history believed the same thing as many women today. A dress can give you an advantage in a man's world.
This is where I call bullshit!
Even women are surprised when a woman in the movies wearing a dress starts kicking ass.
Because a dress and tough do not go hand in hand. Why not??
Because not enough women say
"I refuse to wear anything for the purpose of creating the judgement I desire in others".
Step up people. Show the world that wearing a dress is what you want and not what they want.
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