PART 2: HOODIES, TATTOOS, AND DREADLOCKS: OH MY!
My recent article Hoodies, Tattoos, and Dreadlocks--Oh My! addressed the subject of workplace clothing, including Senator John Fetterman’s infamous ‘everyman’ clothing. The blog inspired spirited comments from a number of you. After seeing that the New York Times had written about the same subject, I realized this topic is a hot button issue. This got me thinking…
Tania Bartaloni in Florida wrote “I love this post! I am so happy that we are finally moving away from putting people in boxes and letting them be themselves. I think everyone performs so much better when they are themselves.
People say that the way your dress makes you act certain ways, which is true. If you wear a stuffy coat and tie all day, you will act more stuffy than if you wear shorts and a t-shirt. There is a place and time for everything, but each person should dictate that for him/herself!“
Marian from Brooklyn wrote, “Good subject on whether or not clothes make the man--or woman. I had wondered about him in the beginning, as he is super tall and I felt he should make height something special rather than looking like he just got out of bed.
My son is six-ten and was a star on the basketball field, but has always had a sense of style about him. Even his simple casual clothes let us know he cares about how he looks. That was my gripe with Fetterman, that he didn't care how he looked. And that cannot be answered easily. I'd be interested in any comments you get on this one.”
Both of these women are people I know. As in the business world, a generational gap exists; one, the mother of two grammar school-age children. The other, the mother of baby boomers. I loved hearing the interplay of different perspectives.
I’d love to discuss this even more. I am open to hearing what others have to say. I’m excited my newsletters are energizing readers to think, in this case take a position yet be open to other points of view. As a management consultant, this is exactly the environment I want a manager to foster at work.
Isn’t this what America is about? The ability to have spirited debate? Don’t we treasure the ability to have differing points of view about the same thing? Where do you stand? Let me know like these women did.