Fashion Matters to Execs

I loved this little article.
D-Magazine: If You Cry, I'll Kill You

Krysta Nightengale, of D Magazine, wrote an interesting piece regarding Dallas' Wonder Women.

After reading the article, I saw a comment right away about how sad it is that we are still talking about fashion and emotions as women. My question is: Aren't the men dealing with the same issues? Women are, and I'm not embarrassed by it one bit.

It's 2014, are we still, as women, not allowed to be complex human beings? Are we either a great mother or a business executive or a sexy girlfriend or a crazy/emotional weakling? Do some still think you can't be all of them and fabulous? Have you never heard the song "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks? That's our anthem. Did you never watch Sex & the City and ponder that all of us are all of the characters all rolled up into one? I've never met a woman who didn't like that song or that show.

I watch my husband wake up every day and make absolutely sure that he likes the way he looks. Why? Because he is judged by his looks whether it's fair or not. Why should we as women be made to feel bad that we want to look good too? As female assistants, receptionists, secretaries, accountants, designers, executives, sales representatives or any other type of professional, we are certainly judged by our looks. If we have on jeans are we perceived as not taking the job seriously?

So often if our clothing, hair or makeup is dated, out of style, or just plain boring we are perceived as old fashioned, out of date or out of touch and others do not have faith in our work. If we are perceived as out of touch with fashion are we then perhaps out of touch with updated technology? It's not a stretch, really. On the flip side of this discussion of course are the stereotypes that come with the outfits that are too fashion foreword, too trendy, too expensive or the worst thing: skirts that are too short. Any of those fashion faux pas and we are perceived as dumb. It's as simple as that.

Given these crucial issues, naturally, I wake up and most of the time try to put my best foot foreword. I want to be perceived as smart, attractive and in control of everything. I am not going to feel guilty about that. In addition to my career, I'm still a woman. It's 2014- do we still have to feel sorry that we are more than 1 "type" of woman?

I work in one of the most stressful industries and I'll admit right now: There are times I want to cry. I do, I want to cry. There have been a few days when my husband comes in my office, gets right in my
face and reminds me, "Lindsey, do not start crying in here." And, you know what, I don't.

As a manager of people, especially younger people, mentoring and helping them deal with stress is always a part of our job as leaders at our dealership. But, the women aren't the only ones dealing with how to control their emotions. Rage, demeaning language, pouting, slouching, tantrums, depression, hyperactivity, over-elation, jealousy, gossiping, selfishness, self-doubt, cockiness, flippancy, resentful attitudes and more all occur in offices, dealerships and companies. Spoiler Alert: It's often the men that are dealing with these emotional issues rather than the women. If all we, as women, have to worry about is not crying, we've got it pretty easy.

I'm glad these female executives discussed the two issues of fashion and crying. These two are at the forefront of each day for most of us; including men.

"Reiff: “I think we have to work hard. I think we have to support each other. I think we have to assume best intentions. I think we have to be encouraging, secure, and know that we’re in this together, and we’re not pitted against each other. We need to support each other in a very big way.” - 

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