Professional Dress

For the free write this week, I have chosen to talk about the diminishing sense of professionalism related to attire in the business world. More specifically, what is considered acceptable to wear to work is becoming increasingly relaxed and more lenient. Although I think I would sometimes enjoy the comfort of being able to wear jeans and casual shirts to work, I ultimately view this as very unprofessional and I think that it could ultimately take away from the quality of work produced.
My opinion that one should always dress appropriately could be due to my upbringing. I went to a private school since pre-kindergarten, and through high school I had a dress code. It varied as I got older, but I was never allowed to wear jeans, sandals, sneakers, t-shirts, too short or too tight apparel, or anything with writing or explicit content on it. Also, whenever we traveled as a family, my parents forced me and my siblings to dress in khakis and polos, or something else besides jeans and a t-shirt. We certainly were never the kids who were allowed to wear jeans to church. Because of this, when I see people dressed too casually in more formal situations, such as church or at work, I view it as unprofessional and disrespectful to colleagues and those around you. They had to make an effort to look nice, and so should you.
The modern dress for work is becoming increasingly lax. One time I visited my dad’s office and there was a woman wearing crocks. Professionals dressed in t-shirts are not uncommon to see. Moreover, my mom has her own business as an attorney, but when she does work for companies such as AOL or MCI, and she visits their offices for meetings wearing black dress pants, flats, and a blazer, she is told she can be more casual. I believe professionals need to dress for the job they are doing and for the job that they want. Also, if someone goes to work looking sloppy, I believe that carelessness will become transferable in their work. When you “dress to impress” you are definitely taken more seriously.