Weekly News Update

20 Comments

1. Completely agree with The Style of Politics post. My boyfriend and I have noticed that on most any news show, sports show, etc., inevitably the men are in suits and ties and the women are heading out for a night on the town.

   1. Completely agree as well. I am wearing a sleeveless top today but only under a suit jacket. When I went out for lunch I took the jacket off (it’s 90 degrees today in DC), but put it back on as soon as I walked back in the door!

   2. Ditto. My friend and I have an ongoing argument about the professional status of open-toed shoes (she’s for them in the office, I’m not).

2. Maybe it is just what is considered professional for men and women is different. Most men wouldn’t look very professional in a skirt, right? Guys wear suits for a nice night on the town too! It is common for guys to be in suits at cocktail bars or at a fancy dinner. So… technically guys wear their out on the town wear to the office too!

3. I was so interested to see the Kagan thank-you note. This is very girly – not the kind of letter that men write. I have always tried to keep my professional communications gender-neutral – perhaps this is a mistake. One of my female clients landed a great corporate job by Fedexing a fancy coffee mug to the president of the corporation with a note tucked in it saying – “Let’s talk over coffee.” So….who knows?

   1. Just curious as to why you think it’s girly? It is very gracious, but it doesn’t strike me as particularly feminine (except to the extent that men these days are perceived as more ungracious).

   2. I don’t understand this comment – how is Kagan’s letter girly and not gender-neutral?

      The coffee mug thing – that sounds like a sales pitch overkill to me.

   3. I thought this too. It’s gushy and sweet. I definitely don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, but I’d be surprised to see a man write something this overflowingly heartfelt.

4. For one thing, men usually write everything professional – no matter how casual – on something with their letterhead. That is, if it is a non-electronic communication. But beyond that, my comment has to do with the style. Linguistics people have often noted that men and women speak differently from one another – vocabulary and syntax. This may be purely cultural, and I’ll bet it is. One little example – I think American men seldom use the word “lucky” except in a gambling context.

5. Declining to mention salary is always a good idea, especially if you don’t know what the pay range is for the position you’re applying for. If they pay more than you make now, they’re more likely to lowball you. But if you disclose a higher salary than they pay, they may not consider you as a serious candidate because they assume you will not accept the the job at the salary they offer.

   I’ve seen the latter scenario play out a few times at my current employer, and every time I want to scream at my higher-ups that some people are happy to take a big pay cut to have a job they like. But my boss just doesn’t want to go through the whole interview and offer process only to have it turned down due to salary, which happened to us once and now he’s super-sensitive to it. OTOH, one of my colleagues took a paycut to come here – she didn’t disclose her salary until after she had the offer, and then when they offered her a lower salary than she expected, she mentioned that she currently made much more and asked them to offer her just a bit more, which they did.

   So, I think it’s better to wait until you have an offer to disclose your current salary and then use it in negotiations only if it will help you. I don’t think disclosing at the interview or application stage can help you at all, only hurt.

6. As much as I disagree with Rep. Bachmann on all things political, I have to say I was taken aback by the Style of Politics piece. I think a high-quality, high-necked sleeveless top, with an appropriately long skirt or pants, is acceptably professional in most settings. An appearance in court or, perhaps, a meeting with clients would not be the time to go sleeveless, but if you’re appearing on a news segment or it’s a normal day in the office, I think it’s alright. No bra straps, of course, and the shirt should be polished, pressed, etc. (as should everything at the office!) but I think it’s foolish to say bare arms, in the absence of cleavage or too much leg, necessarily constitute too much skin to be professional.

   1. I agree – I don’t wear sleeveless to the office because I don’t want to show my tats, but it’s never occurred to me that it’s unprofessional or at all casual.

      1. but then again, I have tattoos that I have to keep hidden, so what do I know.

      2. I just think it’s context-specific. If men are wearing suits, I think women need to dress to a similar level, i.e. with a jacket or cardigan. If the men can take their jackets off, I think the women can too, even though we’ll be showing our arms while they won’t be. I think the point of the Style of Politics post was more that bare arms + fun jewelry + shimmery makeup = night out, not business attire (even business casual).

         I have tattoos too, and I don’t always cover them at work. I usually have a jacket or sweater handy but I feel fine taking it off. I’ve never, ever had anyone comment negatively on them. A couple of coworkers have un-coverable tattoos, and that doesn’t seem to be a problem either. Of course, it does depend on what your tattoo is of.

7. I totally agree with Laura P. I have lots of summer dresses, blouses, and tops that are sleeveless. I wear them almost anywhere except court and important meetings, when I would wear a jacket. Right now I am sitting in office wearing a sleeveless dark blue linen pullover top with a medium round neckline and a single strand necklace. I feel that it is very conservative.

8. Thank you all for reading my post! I think it’s interesting that you don’t equate an appearance on a national news program with a court appearance or a client meeting. Much of what I write on The Style of Politics does come from a perspective that any day on the Hill is an “on” day for our elected leaders. Speaking to your constituents in a planned media appearance, whether it’s on the House/Senate floor or on a news program, should be at least as important as a lawyer’s appearance in court from a professional perspective. That means in the age of c-span that this is pretty much every day Congress is in session, but that’s the way it is. Our lawmakers do their jobs on television. It’s not as if Neil Cavuto surprised her in her office with his cameras.

9. I have been off work sick this week and had the chance to watch daytime TV. Ann Curry of the Today Show wore at least 2 sleeveless dresses this week. She looked nothig less then polished and professional. She is such a class act, and I would never equate her wardrobe with cocktail hour. Of course, she was not covered with all of the distracting jewelry like the subject of The Style of Politics post. I would really love to see a 360 Review of her.

   1. I know, anchors and tv people like Ann Curry would be a great subject…except for the fact that I only like to do 360 reviews on fictional characters. Tell you what, if I ever get a chance to interview her, I totally will, though…

      1. That’s a thoughtful policy!

   2. ST, I agree that when worn the right way sleeveless tops can be appropriate in a professional setting. I think the point The Style of Politics is trying to make is that one piece does not an outfit make. Everything you wear, from jewelry to shoes to makeup, has an important impact on how your overall look is perceived.

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