Recently in school, girl advisories have been required to watch the documentary Miss Representation which is about how girls in society today feel pressured by media to look or dress a certain way that attracts men. Iv'e been watching it for a couple days now so when I saw this article from CNN about whether it matters what women wear to work, I became very interested. The article is about how Loyola Law School in Los Angeles sent out a rather disturbing memo to all of their female lawyers recently. The memo read: ""I really don't need to mention that cleavage and stiletto heels are not appropriate office wear (outside of ridiculous lawyer TV shows), do I?"
I would have to agree with this article in saying that this memo seems sexist to me. Why didn't they address what men are supposed to wear? It seems to me that whoever wrote this memo thinks that women are getting judged by their appearance and it doesn't really matter what kind of lawyer they are, it matters more about what they look like. In my opinion if a women is doing well at her job it shouldn't really matter what she looks like while she's doing it. It would be one thing for a woman to come to work practically naked but if stiletto heels make a woman feel more powerful or she prefers feeling taller she should be able to wear them without having to worry about being judged.
What are your thoughts on this memo? Do you think that today's society focuses too much on what women look like?
Anneke, Fine job blogging this term. This is an important topic (and one that's getting a lot of media scrutiny these days). Your analysis, however, can go a little deeper. How would the makers of Miss Representation respond to the memo? What would you say to readers who would counter that men's "professional dress" is already clear? What would you say to feminists who would say that women who "feel empowered" by showing cleavage are selling themselves short? This post might be worth another shot if you feel like exploring these ideas more fully next term.
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