Fashion Wasteland

When someone says the words "professional dress" we may differ slightly in what comes to mind. What is professional in California is not in Texas.  What is professional in the art field may not be in a courtroom.

In education, sometimes we ask students to define what something is not in order to give them a better understanding of what something is.

While what is professional seems to be open for debate, I would hope to think that what is not professional would be obvious.

A 55+ woman wearing a too-short, too-tight dress from the Juniors department in Target is not appropriate. I mean, come on, even I wouldn't wear the dress in question and the tweens who do at least throw on leggings under theirs.

Wrinkled, khaki capris are a blight that should be banned from the earth. Oh, wait, they don't wear them everywhere on the earth? So, just banned from the teaching profession? That's right, I forgot that teachers are the worst dressers ever. In other words, wrinkled capris are not appropriate.

Greasy hair? No makeup? Not appropriate.

A too-short hoodie with a cartoon character on the front is something no one should wear outside the privacy of their own home - or a taping of COPS.

Bras that offer no support or padding...this is another post entirely I assure you. Clearly, not appropriate.

Flip flops. Are. Not. Professional.

Not only are the people I work with (mostly) delusional about what is professional, they are completly out of the loop about fashion at all. In fact, it is a FASHION WASTELAND.*

I guess I wouldn't be so bitter about the whole thing if they would let me wear jeans. Nice, dark wash jeans with a nice button-down and high heels that are ten fold more professional than wrinkled khaki capris. But no, jeans are not "professional."

What am I getting at exactly? Well, I want to wear my nice jeans because they're cute and comfortable and practical for teaching elementary school. I want the discrepency corrected, because it doesn't make sense to get to wear flip flops but no nice denim. If those other teachers refuse to dress with any regard for themselves, then could they stop giving me weird looks for what I wear? At the very least, I want a slideshow presentation at the next faculty meeting with pictures of what is and is not acceptable.

Do you think they would let me snap pictures around campus for the slides? Can I force feed them episodes of What Not To Wear, The Hills, and The City? Can I get on DonorsChoose and get funding to buy supportive bras for the staff?

I mean, really.


*Fashion Wasteland: A place of work or community where no sense of style exists at all. There is no out-of-date or out-of-style, there is only absence of any remnant of style whatsoever. This place is in need of fashion coaches. I nominate Amber Weston.