Reader Mail: How to Look Professional and Cover My Bug Bitten Legs?
Today's reader mail comes to us from a reader with an interesting dilemma about interview attire — particularly skirt suits:
I just scored 3 awesome interviews with publishing companies in the South. I know I need to dress conservatively, but it's so HOT down here in the South that I'm not sure what to wear. I don't want to look like a freak all dressed in a suit when it's 98F with 100% humidity. What would you suggest? Also, I currently work at a summer camp, so my legs are covered with mosquito and chigger bites! I'm way more comfortable in a skirt than I am in pants, but should I wear pants just to cover up the bug bites? Would really appreciate any suggestions and advice!
This is an excellent question, and one we don't necessarily know the answer to. Unless your interviews are taking place outdoors, we would dress for air conditioning — which is to say, wear a regular skirt suit. Layer, layer, layer in order to deal with the heat — if you're taking public transportation to get to the interview you may want to wear just the skirt and a tank top, and then add a button-down and the suit jacket on top of those.
{related: The Guide to Pantyhose for Work}
Your bug-bitten legs are the most interesting question, for us, and we're hoping the readers have some good advice for you. We would say that even though your legs are a bit marred, you should still wear a skirt suit: the point isn't that you're displaying your “assets” as you would on a date, but rather that you're wearing an outfit that, for whatever reason in today's society, registers as the one that is the most conservative and professional thing to wear. So theoretically it shouldn't matter that your legs have bug bites all over them.
{related: how to deal with insect bites}
If you're sensitive enough about them to cover them up, though, we recommend playing around with concealers. For all-over coverage, Sally Hansen makes a spray-on concealer to help “tan” your legs and cover imperfections; you can also try the body coverage concealer pictured below. For spot coverage, you may want to look into stage makeup like Ben Nye — it's used a lot for covering tattoos, and won't break the bank. (If it's just one or two really bad bug bites, you may be able to cover them with a band-aid, also.)
Readers, what are your thoughts on how to look professional with bug-bitten legs? What are your best tips for looking polished?
Psst: these are some of our favorite ways to deter insects and prevent insect bites:
2020 image updates (mosquito on skin) via Stencil. Originally pictured: Year Two, Day 337: Hairy Legs and Bug Bites!, originally uploaded to Flickr by Brymo.
If you’d normally wear a skirt, I say go ahead and wear the skirt. Use some concealer over the bites, and then you can put on some pantyhose (in your car or in a restroom before you arrive at the interview) and they should be very well disguised.
I’m assuming the skirt suit should also include pantyhose, correct? Seems to me that they would provide an extra layer of cover-up for the bug bites. Then again, I come from the world of law, where (in my experience) it’s not even a question as to whether you’d wear pantyhose under a skirt — you just do, period. Maybe it’s different in the publishing world? Also, since the reader knows she needs to dress conservatively for the interview (if not the job itself), it seems to me that showing up in a suit won’t make her look like a freak — it will confirm to the interviewer that she is taking the job seriously.
Publishing is usually much less formal, especially in the summer months, but I would suggest a skirt and then pantyhose to cover the bug bites. If you have multiples bites, they could be distracting and you could be referred to as “the bug bite lady” after your interviews.
I’m sorry, I just can’t agree with the skirt suit with those bug bites. I had lunch last week with a good friend of mine whose arms were covered in bed bug bites that were very noticeable and it was very distracting. I was thinking to myself that she really should cover those bites in the work environment. Yes, it is unfortunate that you got those bites and obviously not your fault, but if you want the job – cover them up! Wear the pant suit. I work in a very conservative environment and pantsuits on females are just as acceptable as skirts. Just make sure it is very sharp, crisp and fits you perfectly.
I live in the Deep South. Bug bites, heat, and humidity are a part of life. Wear the pantyhose and don’t give it a second thought. If you’ve got one that you scratched and has scabbed over, pop a bandaid on under your pantyhose. Typically, cortizone cream clears up a lot of inflamation from bug bites within an hour or so.
P.S. Don’t complain about the heat and humidity in the interview. We know it’s uncomfortable. The good news is that winter coats and scarves are more about fashion than function!
definitely wear a suit, and i’d go with a skirt suit. you won’t look like a freak–even in the heat and humidity, people who are expected to wear suits, wear suits. it’s always better to overdress than underdress. and if your bites are really bad, i’d use the sally hansen spray (which i have happily used before) and wear hose.
I can’t believe I’m advocating pants over a skirt, but my vote is for the pant suit. Scoring a job interview these days is a very big deal, and the last thing you want is to be preoccupied with with whether or not someone is staring at your band-aid covered splotches.
For the love of everything you may personally hold dear, when your legs are that bit up, wear a pantsuit! You will look so much more professional in a crisp pantsuit than with oozing (or scabbing, or just plain red and obvious) mosquito and chigger bites. I am from the Deep South, so I understand two things — just how bad your legs can look after all those bites, and just how obscenely hot it can get.
While it is true that you are not trying to score a date, and people should not judge you based on bug bites (something that very well may be out of your control, no matter how much bug spray applied!), it happens. And some will even comment on it, and it’s just not a conversation you want to be having. Let me put it in this perspective — if you think there are employers that will judge you based on whether you wear a skirt or pants to an interview, trust me: those same employers will judge you even more harshly for your uncovered bug bites. They could inappropriately judge you as weak or not suited to the climate. It’s just simpler to make it a non-issue.
I echo the earlier commenters that if you end up wearing a skirtsuit, you MUST wear hose. However, hose is brutal in the Southern summer, and it is much cooler to just wear pants rather than fight with the hose. That way, you also don’t have to worry about your concealer etc. smearing or leaving a mark on a seat or somewhere else unseemly. And you won’t have to worry about oozing through your pantyhose (or ripping off scabs in the event you remove your hose to use the bathroom). Please forgive the TMI.
Egggggg-zacktly! Pants!
Dress as you would for any interview in any part of the country. The south is formal. Wear a suit. It’s always better to overimpress than underimpress. I would wear pants to cover up the mosquito bites, unless you plan on discussing your summer employment thus far, which may hinder your chances at scoring the job. Professionalism first. Especially in the south.
Definitely a pant suit. I have exactly the same problem and I have been interviewing all summer–in pants. Even then, I did my best to hide my bug-bitten feet and ankles behind my oversized handbag.
If I were the interviewer, I would think showing off legs covered in bites and bandaids screams anything but professional.
I’m in pantsuit category. I think it is just as professional as a skirt suit, and it eliminates the need for pantyhose. Pantyhose are much hotter than pants – even lined ones – on a hot and humid day. Also, as someone above said, it removes the question of “Is anyone noticing my legs?”
You might be able to solve the pants/skirt problem yourself by trying out the coverup + pantyhose and looking in the mirror or getting a second or third opinion before you decide what to pack for the interviews.
I’m a Chicago lawyer who is in Florida a lot all year round. Yes, it is hot and humid in the summer, in fact I think it’s awful, but if the rest of the south is like Florida, walking places and taking public transportation is not done much, so you’ll be going from the air conditioned car to the air conditioned office. Lawyers are amazingly conservative dressers there considering the climate, so the idea that the publishing firms are conservative is not a shock. Above all position yourself to be comfortable and confident. And the best of luck.
Wear a light-neutral-colored pants suit if you have more than a few bug bites. You don’t want to be remembered as “bug bite girl” and you don’t want to gross anyone out. Concealer might cover up the redness but it won’t cover up the lump where the bite is, and what if it rubs off? And Bandaids, ew. Cover your legs up.
So exactly how bad are the bites? If I were you I’d shoot for the skirt suit: start taking benadryl pills at night now in order to get the inflammation hopefully down by thursday, then layer on the makeup and the pantyhose. If it still looks bad, then downgrade to the pantsup.
I absolutely would not recommend the Sally Hansen spray unless you are a proficient self-tanner. It looks much easier than it actually is and you don’t want to end up splotchy and orange just before your interview. That particular spray is much thicker than your average self-tan spray and thus requires more care. Just my $0.02
I’d just wear the pant suit. You have enough to think about during an interview, and you won’t want to also be worrying about your concealer melting away or smearing on your skirt (or their furniture). I work in banking, and a sharp pant suit is completely fine.
Good luck with the interview!
Definitely wear a nice pant suit, it is much more professional than visibly bug-bitten legs or, worse, band-aids under pantyhose.
Pants suit! I get horrible bug bites too, and you don’t want to be insecure the whole interview about whether your bites are showing and/or disgusting the interviewer.
Pants pants pants. Jess is right, publishing isn’t all that formal an industry, I’ve worked in it all my life. Also, I’d watch out for rubbing guck into bug bites – possibly painful, and risks infection. Good luck! The pay in publishing is rubbish, but it’s a fascinating field.
With three interviews I’d be inclined to go with the skirt suit (and, of course, nylons). I will wager that someone who was a summer camp counselor would probably not be happy at a company where people would judge her as weak for getting bug bites or sloppy for not keeping them 100% invisible, and since you have more than one company you’re looking at, you’re not betting everything on one must-get-the-job-or-starve interview. I think a skirt is fine.
Anecdotally, one of the best jobs I’ve ever had, I tripped outside the interview site, skinned my knee, and had to go in with blood welling out of it. It was fine and if that boss had been the kind of person who would look askance at me for it, I probably wouldn’t have liked the job half so much.
I think Air Stocking spray is superior to Sally Hansen in terms of coverage, it is not as greasy so it is also less likely to smear. If you used that, let it dry, then put pantyhose on top, your legs would be covered.
But if it were me, I’d wear the pant suit. Check out Theory if you want something crisp, lightweight, and fitted.
You’ve gotten a lot of good advice here. One thing that was not clear to me is whether you own a nice pants suit. It sounds as though you prefer skirts, so perhaps not? If not, then I would not obsess about it – but you either need to go with a skirt suit you own or be sure to invest in a decent pants suit. A casual slacks outfit will not work.
Ifyou have both a pants suit and a skirt suit but prefer the skirt, then see how your legs look wearing pantyhose in the skirt suit. If the bites are really noticeable, then I think you should just go with the pants rather than trying to lather on concealer or whatever.
Just my $0.02! Good luck with the interviews.
wow! thanks for all the great advice! the interviews were a week ago, so i can happily report on what i ended up doing. i was RELIGIOUS (ha! i work at a church camp) with bug spray- three times a day at LEAST for a week, neosporin every night on the bug bites, serious chigger medicine (probably illegal stuff we have at the camp), etc. my legs ended up looking
great, especially after a day at the camp pool!
i did some serious shopping and tried on a bunch of pants suits but let me tell yall, there just weren’t many good choices. coupled with my long legs and love of heels and nothing was fitting right. i found a skirt suit that looked perfect so i went with that and no hose (i know what yall say about hose, but to be honest, i was meeting with the presidents of the companies and they were dressed like football coaches, so i was definitely professionally dressed *for these companies*) and tried it on for my uber-conservative dad, and he approved of the entire look (even sans hose!).
one of the men had actually heard about my summer camp, so it would have been ok to discuss that with him (he mentioned it on the phone when i called him before the interviews).
aaannndddd the sad outcome- no one’s hiring, but they’re both trying to create an internship for me (just out of college pretty much, so it’s how you get started in publishing). and i might be getting some contract work out of another company. basically, the two presidents met with me as a favor/introduction sort of thing and one of them got me another meeting with another company. so…. that’s the whole story.
thanks again! i’m definitely completely eaten alive right now, so if they call me up tomorrow wanting to meet i’ll be trying out yall’s suggestions!
Great post. But what about bug bitten legs when you aren’t on an interview – just a regular workday? I spend my weekends hiking about, and for most of the summer my legs have bites (and scratches and even poison ivy). So come Monday morning, I always face a decision. Most of my summer wardrobe is skirts, which I greatly prefer. But am I offending my clients (I’m in strategy consulting) by wearing skirts when my legs are not exactly pristine? Is it ever seen as a badge of honor? Or is it just a badge of bad taste?
Pants suit! Make up used to cover bite marks will run in the heat and humidity. Band-aids would look awful. I have worked in a major law firm and the government in DC. I see more pants suits on women than skirt suits.
Makeup and spray on leg makeup, especially, tends to run in the heat. Smeared & streaky legs would be worse than any bug bites.
What about wearing a lighter fabric/color pant suit at the interview? Something that’s still professional but not black wool.
While I’m not totally against the pant suit, if you’re worried, play it safe and go with the skirt. However… being from the south I would really really be cautious with the spray on tan stuff. If it’s hot, and you sweat and cross your legs there is serious potential for smearing. Test it out a lot beforehand. Personally though, I wouldn’t touch it.
In terms of the suit… the south is formal but you can do a lighter color/fabric suit.
To me there’s no question that in a formality contest between a pants suit and a neat/clean appearance versus a skirt suit and either bug bitten splotchy legs or makeup running or visible band-aids, the pants suit just has to win. I just don’t think makeup will stay put or that band-aids will convey a professional look. Pants suit all the way.
I vote skirt suit. Pants (especially suit pants) are miserable in this heat, and if you aren’t comfortable, you won’t be on. However, do NOT use Sally Hansen in this heat. The second you get a little leg sweat you’ve got a streaky mess that starts coming off on chairs. I know, I’ve been there, on an interview no less. Try some Benadryl (but not day of — don’t want to be sleepy) and cover up, I love corrector from Bobbi Brown.
As a female lawyer in a firm who lives in the tropics (Puerto Rico) where it is HOT and humid year-round, and mosquitoes are ever-present, I’ve gotten used to pantyhose with suit skirts. They do a VERY good job of covering up all sorts of things going on on the legs without the need for concealer. There are several brands (expensive and inexpensive) which have very light pantyhose which are a bit more airy for the summer months. As a last option, I would wear a pant suit, but I would not leave mosquito bite-ridden legs unconvered.
Black Skirt suit (I would still argue that it is simply the best interview color.) + sally hansen spray + pantyhose. It sucks, but the interview probably won’t last that long. Also, I still advocate that a skirt suit looks dressy and a pants suit looks more casual. Drive to the interview and splurge on parking very close to the building. That way, you can go from air conditioner to air conditioner very quickly. If you get the job, it’s totally worth it.
I’m curious as to how people would comment on this issue now, several years into the maxi dress trend. You’re not going to wear one to work, but have they influenced hemlines enough that a mid-calf length skirt would work for an interview, limiting the skin exposed to a few inches?
la péagoise, how’d the internships go?
I have bad scars on my fabulous 53 yr old long legs. Hosiery advice?
Long swishy skirts look great on long, awesome legs of any age