Females: dressing up for work?

Aug 11, 2018 89 Comments

There are only a few females in SWE and most wear comfortable clothing: jean/tshirt or blouse/tennis shoes. I am one of them. Lately, our company merged program managers that face customers under the SWE umbrella. PM's have almost the same ratio of males and females. Almost all females dress up:heels, skirts, hair and nails did but the caliber of most is on the basic and sometimes, one or two looking trashy than classy: Tatas hanging out, short skirt, cowgirl boots, very bad makeup and long nails. Sighs.

I love getting dressed up with full makeup when going out on the weekends, but am wayyy too lazy to do it everyday for work.

What do you all like to wear to work? Makeup? Nails? If so, is there any other reason than liking it?

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TOP 89 Comments
  • Upstart
    imherenow

    Go to company page Upstart

    imherenow
    Sort of off topic but as a male engineer that wears jeans (or shorts) and t-shirt every day, I sort of think less of other engineers (no matter the gender) if they dress up regularly. It sorta feels like they're trying to compensate for the lack of skill by trying to look fancy.
    Aug 11, 2018 25
    • Upstart
      imherenow

      Go to company page Upstart

      imherenow
      LOL! Starbuk and fj, you got way too offended here... maybe because I hit on something sensitive here... maybe you guys are overdressed bozos? :-)
      Aug 12, 2018
    • Roku
      Starbuk

      Go to company page Roku

      Starbuk
      The only nerve you struck is he one yOu struck in your hubris and self righteousness. I have no self confidence issues and I make a ton of money. Just trying to show you how narrow minded you are. By the way I can find some underdressed hobos for you.
      Aug 12, 2018
  • Amazon
    so what

    Go to company page Amazon

    so what
    There is a female engineer on my team who dresses sexy at work. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand I do believe that people should basically be free to dress how they please. On the other when she comes to my office for 1:1 wearing a skirt that barely covers anything it's pretty distracting.

    She is a great engineer by the way, but I wonder if I should tell her to tone it down a little.
    Aug 11, 2018 19
    • Amazon
      so what

      Go to company page Amazon

      so what
      The logic is not the same as if some Muslims claim anything is sexual. That's a ridiculously extremist position and it's total BULLSHIT. They are extremists in one direction, you are an extremist in the other direction.

      You know the difference between a woman who shows up to work intending to be sexually provocative, versus one just dressed comfortably. We ALL know.

      By your logic we should pretend that if someone comes to work dressed like a Playboy bunny, installs a stripper pole at her desk, and twerks, she isn't sexualizing the workplace and anyone who complains is just like a Muslim extremist demanding everyone wear a burka.

      It's wrong for people to sexualize women who are just dressing professionally and it's wrong for women to sexualize themselves at work by dressing provocatively.
      Aug 12, 2018
    • Infor
      tdPR12

      Go to company page Infor

      tdPR12
      @Amazon loved your response. I worked in a place with so many women just flaunting all the heavy make-up and super revealing dresses. They never wore anything more than tiny skirts or what not.

      Idk any reason someone who'd spend 2 hours daily on dressing up to go to a work place which is super competitive and where everybody pulls off extra hours. I mean its just a super time waste, and they do that every freaking day. Its really a disgusting feeling but I cannot really imagine them doing that for any other reason apart from attracting their male bosses and have some kind of superior influence while communicating because many men feel intimidated by the makeups and short dresses that we don't argue much. It feels like they want to take advantage of that.
      Sep 26, 2020
  • This comment was deleted by original commenter.

  • PayPal
    Archer12

    Go to company page PayPal

    Archer12
    I used to wear dresses or skirts and light makeup. But some male coworkers gazing at my leg made me super uncomfortable.. now I only wear jeans..
    Aug 11, 2018 18
    • Google / Eng
      BiggusD

      Go to company page Google Eng

      BiggusD
      Guy not getting why this is creepy is the reason we can't have nice things.
      Aug 12, 2018
    • Amazon
      so what

      Go to company page Amazon

      so what
      Here's the thing none of you want to acknowledge here: some women do this on purpose. Most don't. 90% dress professionally (which in our industry often means jeans and a t-shirt but can be a variety of things). But the ones who come to work dressed sexy know EXACTLY what they are doing.

      It's not only men who make inappropriate comments who are sexualizing the workplace.. These women are also sexualizing it. They ate sexualizing themselves in purpose and they know it.

      Stop telling me we're supposed to ignore that they did that. Let's talk about how that's inappropriate in the first place. Stop sexualizing yourself at work.
      Aug 12, 2018
  • Salesforce / Eng
    Khaleesii

    Go to company page Salesforce Eng

    Khaleesii
    I am a SWE and I really like to wear good dresses or skirt to work although nothing showy and no makeup. Work is the place I go everyday and a good dress gives me happiness so those are my reasons. But in my experience it doesn’t leave good first impression that you are good at your work. Since you have seen all the male comments that came in your post, I don’t need to explain you much on why so. Males have hard time digesting the fact that someone can dress up and work too. I have gotten weird comments for my dressing in the start like are you going to be meeting CEO today etc. But once these male in my team started seeing me everyday nicely dressed they stopped saying anything. So if you don’t care on comments and people thinking then there is no problem.
    Aug 12, 2018 8