How do you convey tone in email without seeming childish or girlish? Can you ever use exclamations in emails? Reader C wonders… I’m hoping you can address the issue of using !’s in emails at work. As we all know, tone is hard to convey properly via email. However, whenever I am inclined to use … Read More about OMG, LOL!!! How to Convey Tone In Email Without Seeming Childish
Update: We still think this is a great discussion on whether older women can have long hair and still be professional — but you may also want to check out some of our more recent discussions on aging gracefully, including how to go gray intentionally. Long hair on older women: the perennial question. Despite our … Read More about Can Older Women Have Long Hair and Still Be Professional?
A reader wondered how to dress professionally if she has a “significant bubble butt,” and she’s a 4 on top and 8 on bottom…
I often tell readers to “wait until you see a female superior wear it when an item might be questionable” — but when can you ignore that advice? Is red lipstick inappropriate? Reader P has a great question: I know that your advice is usually “know your workplace,” but is it ever okay to do something … Read More about When is Red Lipstick Inappropriate?
2018 Update: We still stand by this advice on what to wear to the office pool party — but you may also want to check out our recent discussion of swimsuits for professional women, as well as all of our advice for summer work events like this, including summer associate events. What should you wear … Read More about What to Wear to the Office Pool Party…
How do you deal with back-handed “compliments” at the office? Reader B wonders… I am a 30 year old lawyer working in Washington, DC. My late 20’s/early 30’s professional female friends and I have experienced a strange and disconcerting dynamic amongst women in the workplace: getting negative comments from other women for being smartly/well- dressed. These … Read More about Back-Handed Compliments at the Office
How nice is “too nice” — can you go too far personalizing an office? Let’s discuss.
So a few weeks ago there was this survey: more makeup makes you look more competent. Or so they say. This seems like exactly the kind of thing we should explore here… hence today’s open thread. Do you think makeup or eyeliner says anything about your competence? Let’s Assess The Models’ Competence Based on Eyeliner … Read More about Eyeliner & Competence: An Open Thread
Reader H wrote in with a question: should a baby shower at the office include games, or just cake? What about wedding showers at the office? Here’s her question… I have a question about celebrating life events in the office – specifically throwing coworkers wedding showers and baby showers during work time. Should these events … Read More about It’s Raining Gifts: Wedding and Baby Showers at the Office
Sure, we all know what basics professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic … Read More about The Hunt: White Ruffled Blouses
Reader A thinks her look is too “tomboy” for the office… I am writing to you in hopes for some advice on how to change from a “tom boy look” to a mid-level executive in a financial institution. I know that your blog is mostly geared toward New York lawyers, but while I am neither … Read More about The Tomboy in the Suit
Reader H has a great question about how to dress professionally if you’ve got a killer body like Salma Hayek’s: One thing that I’m still wondering about (and moreso lately, as my summer internship looms) is if different rules of professional dress apply for different figures. Is it ever necessary – or desirable – to … Read More about Curvy and Competent: Dressing Professionally With a Salma Hayek Body
