DC ladies Fashion is TERRIBLE

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Different priorities and different budgets. Not everyone spends large chunk of time and money on superficial stuff.

This is true, and caring too much about fashion and appearance is vain and shallow. People in DC have more important things to care about - like the future of the nation.

And this one, knew it was coming, too. You can't be a good thoughtful person and care about your appearance. Only people with ugly clothes and not care for their appearance have depth of character.

Right? So predictable. These people take themselves waaaay too seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't care what others wear, but the notion that a well-educated, intelligent woman makes herself look less so by dressing up makes me seethe. This attitude is so prevalent here on DCUM (see posts throughout this thread).

Guess what? Smart and successful women can look nice and that doesn't detract from their intellect.

It's prevalent because it's real. None of us thinks looking nice actually makes you dumb. But we all know from experience that it gets you treated like you're dumb - or worse, like you are looking to flirt/sleep your way up.

The people I'm talking about who criticize women who look attractive/well put together are other women - not men. We see this all the time here on DCUM - women attacking other women because (god forbid) those other women choose to look nice at work. There's clearly a huge element of jealousy going on here and it's very transparent. Dress however you want - and I'll do the same.

Yes! Worked in an office in Bethesda for 5 years (won't say the name to spare the guilty) but the cattiness towards women who gave a hoot about their appearance from the ones who looked like they just rolled out of bed was off the charts. 1 or 2 were hauled into hr because they would not stop making nasty comments. These weren't young women either. Most were in their 40's or 50's or looked it. Whomever mentioned Afr Am women, yes there was racism too speculating why a few of their Afr Am co-workers dressed so much better than they did and how could they afford it. If you hate your clothes, the next time you go shopping, make better choices, but cut out the mean girl office act towards those who care.

+100
It's a very blatant way of trying to diminish other women. But what it actually does is reek of personal insecurity.

[Anonymous]

The writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has talked about this. Basically, she challenges the notion that seriousness and intellectual capacity in women are somehow diminished by an interest in looking good.

Though her feminism may seem at odds with this embrace of the fashion world, Ms. Adichie has argued, most recently in a letter she posted to her Facebook page about raising a daughter, that diminishing things that are considered feminine, such as makeup and fashion, is part of a culture of sexism. As to why, consider the following. (The conversation has been edited and condensed.) https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/fashion/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-boots-no7-makeup.html#:~:text=Though%20her%20feminism%20may%20seem,a%20culture%20that%20diminishes%20women.


How have your feelings on makeup evolved?

In general, the cultures that I know — Nigeria, the U.S., the U.K, Western Europe — all largely judge women quite harshly for appearances. But in Nigeria, there’s a slight difference. There isn’t much of a judgment if you’re an accomplished woman and seem to care about your appearance.

But I do remember that when I moved to the U.S. — and I think maybe there are different standards for people who are supposed to be particularly intellectual or particularly creative — I very quickly realized that if you want to seem as a serious writer, you can’t possibly look like a person who looks in the mirror.

Why do you think things that are associated with femininity, like fashion and beauty, are not taken seriously?

It’s about a culture that diminishes women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has talked about this. Basically, she challenges the notion that seriousness and intellectual capacity in women are somehow diminished by an interest in looking good.

Though her feminism may seem at odds with this embrace of the fashion world, Ms. Adichie has argued, most recently in a letter she posted to her Facebook page about raising a daughter, that diminishing things that are considered feminine, such as makeup and fashion, is part of a culture of sexism. As to why, consider the following. (The conversation has been edited and condensed.) https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/fashion/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-boots-no7-makeup.html#:~:text=Though%20her%20feminism%20may%20seem,a%20culture%20that%20diminishes%20women.


How have your feelings on makeup evolved?

In general, the cultures that I know — Nigeria, the U.S., the U.K, Western Europe — all largely judge women quite harshly for appearances. But in Nigeria, there’s a slight difference. There isn’t much of a judgment if you’re an accomplished woman and seem to care about your appearance.

But I do remember that when I moved to the U.S. — and I think maybe there are different standards for people who are supposed to be particularly intellectual or particularly creative — I very quickly realized that if you want to seem as a serious writer, you can’t possibly look like a person who looks in the mirror.

Why do you think things that are associated with femininity, like fashion and beauty, are not taken seriously?

It’s about a culture that diminishes women.

Thanks for posting. Of course Adichie is very respectful to women who don’t want to wear makeup. We end up in these fights because someone invariably decides to bash women who are uninterested in fashion and makeup. They feel attacked and so they bring out the usual trope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s wild is it’s not even a married vs single vs dating thing. Everyone seems to dress the same. Lane Bryant to the max

Lane Bryant? That's untrue. People here may not be fashionable or trendy, but they are generally all slim enough to shop standard sizes, not Lane Bryant.