I've also spent a lot of time as a technical writer in computer
cultures, where, below the higher management levels, appearance is
downplayed. I was generally one of the best-dressed female employees,
as well dressed as any of the secretaries and better than some. I was
even told by one freelance writer who always wore old jeans and dirty
blouses, and who had worked at many companies, that good appearance was
harmful to a career at all associated with technical work.
But I always found it to be the opposite. In a culture that downplays
appearance you can wear pretty much what you want (as long as it's not
super-extreme offbeat; but I even worked with one programmer who
apparently never either bathed or washed his clothes; he reeked). That
includes looking fashionable. And also, no, although my co-workers were
predominately male (at one company there were only three full-time
female employees including me), they weren't hitting on me. And
although never model material, I've always had average good looks.
Everybody was far more interested in getting their work done than in
socializing.
As someone who's been married (to the same person) her entire adult life
(since I was 18) and never worn a wedding or engagement ring, I think
being hit on is largely a matter of the signals you send off (on purpose
or not). And by signals, I don't just mean clothes. If you tell people
you're married, and don't act available, they understand you're not
available and that's that. Besides, these days people are afraid of
getting sued for sexual harrassment if they hit on someone in the office.
Fran
Lavolta Press
http://www.lavoltapress.com
<snip>
In the offices I've worked in, it was the secretaries and lower-level
assistants that wore the snazzy hairstyles, trendy jewelry, shorter
skirts, figure-flattering tops, and the like. The higher the level, the
more sober the women dressed -- definitely well-groomed and successful,
but not at all "attractive" in the narrower sense. I learned early on that
the degree to which I got hit on at the office was directly proportional
to the "attractiveness" of my clothing. It is very hard to work with
people who are looking at you rather than your work.
<snip>
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