Dear Rachel Kiser,
So, I read your article in which you detail all the ways you feel women are slacking when it comes to their appearance... And here's what I have to offer you in return: a stepping stool to get off your high horse.
First of all, I don't fully understand your reasoning for writing this. In one part of the article, you describe the "fashion monstrosities" your poor, poor self has witnessed, including "the formals shirts, Nike Shorts, White Converse that look like they have seen one too many frat parties, yet with faces stilled caked with chunky mascara and sloppy brows." Yet, at the end of your article, you seem to be falsely campaigning for women's confidence, urging us to "Throw on a pair of jeans or an easy dress to class. Wear that sweet polyester suit. Dress up just to feel confident and successful in your day to come, not just your coming career." So which is it? Do you want women to stop wearing comfortable clothes because you find them unpleasant to look at? Or is it because you feel that you are more inclined to understand what will make someone feel confident than they, themselves, would? College isn't a catwalk and unless you write up the dress codes for these job shifts you think people are dressing so unprofessionally for, I'm not really sure you need to complain.
I'd also like to address the subheading of your article, in which you state "If you are becoming a grown woman, you need to dress like one." My immediate reaction to reading this was an utterance of "Oh, here we go" accompanied by an eye roll. Girl. You can't try to make a point about how mature women should dress when you so immaturely wrote lines like "Jeans need to be worn instead of leggings. Nike shorts and ratty T-shirts belong at the gym. End of story." Oh, your crappy opinion is the be-all, end-all of fashion? As if.
Look, I'm sorry your mother lied to you and told you that In order to feel successful, you must succumb to society's ideals of what a woman's "proper" appearance should be. I in no way condemn dressing up and putting on a full face of makeup. My favorite way to wear my hair is actually big, loose curls that take about 20 minutes to create. But you know what actually makes me feel successful? Finishing a painting I've been working on for weeks, and having it turn out exactly the way I envisioned it. Hearing awesome feedback from my peers in my critique classes that assure me I'm on the right path with my short stories and poems. I feel successful when I make progress in learning to speak French. You know what all of these have in common? They're not associated with appearance, but rather hard work and talent. Do I think there are situations where professional dress is needed? Of course. I don't think anyone in their right mind would wear sweatpants to a job interview. But I think there are more important things for you to worry about than what other women are wearing. So, how about you do you and the rest of us will do the rest of us?
Sincerely,
Valerie Miller (and all my other leggings, Converse, and Nike shorts-wearing ladies who rock that look
