One Thing You Should Never Wear to Work
Here's a bit of fashion advice, ladies, that may seem to contradict what you read in magazines and see on television. If you want to make it to the top of the corporate ladder--or even half-way up--don't wear sexy clothing to the office. Despite what you see in Lynette Scavo's office on "Desperate Housewives," save the short, tight skirts and low-cut blouses for the weekend. Sexy attire works against businesswomen, reports LiveScience of a study by researchers at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. This is especially true for women who are already managers.
The study: Male and female volunteers watched videos of a businesswoman discussing her background and hobbies. In two different tests, the same actress played the role of a receptionist and a manager. In the first test, she wore typical business attire--flat shoes, slacks and a turtleneck. In the second test, she was decked out in high heels, a tight skirt and a low-cut blouse. In addition to rating her on competence, the volunteers guessed her college GPA and the quality of her alma mater.
The results: The sexy outfit didn't affect the assessment of the receptionist, but the same clothing on the manager was seen as making her less competent. "A female manager whose appearance emphasized her sexiness elicited less positive emotions, more negative emotions and perceptions of less competence on a subjective rating scale and less intelligence on an objective scale," the researchers wrote in the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly. "Although various media directed toward women...encourage women to emphasize their *** appeal, our results suggest that women in high status occupations may have to resist this siren call to obtain the respect of their co-workers