what you wear to work matters

If you’ve been on TikTok in the past week or so, you’ve seen the girl who supposedly was fired for showing up to her 6-figure job wearing a tube top and miniskirt. I want to point out it’s never been verified that this actually happened, but regardless it caused quite the stir. The message from that story is clear: what you wear to work matters because of how other perceive you. And, of course, women are judged more on their appearance than men.

 

This impact of perception has been proven in scientific studies. For example, one academic study tested the results of female students based on what they were wearing. Long scholarly article short, the female students who were dressed professionally were viewed as more competent, as having put more effort in their thesis, and as having obtained better scores than when the same students dressed in more revealing clothes.

 

There are real implications here, yes, but I also don’t subscribe fully to basing your actions off of the antiquated, patriarchal image society has of women. It matters less to me how others feel about what you wear, and more about how you feel about what you wear.

 

I basically predicated the entire idea of Tennie on this simple concept: wearing clothes you feel good in at work can help you show up more confidently. On the flip side, wearing clothes you don’t feel good in can create the opposite effect.

 

So imagine how happy I was to see some numbers that confirm what I’ve always thought to be true.

 

Style Space, a business that provides workwear consulting to corporations (at least that’s what it looks like on their website), conducted a survey of over 700 women in the U.S. aged 18 to 75 across mid- to large-sized companies to ask about how professional clothing impacts their career. Here’s what they found:

 

·       96% of respondents feel more confident in their abilities when they’re also confident in their style

·       96% of those surveyed believe style is important for productivity, professionalism, and leadership advancement

·       Despite this, only 15% of women feel their current style aligns with their leadership aspirations

 

But wait, there’s more!

 

A study by Temple University professors tracked a total of 808 employee days in the workplace and found that those who dressed better than they usually did had a stronger sense of self-esteem and performed better on tasks.

 

And this doesn’t just apply to people in the office; remote workers are also impacted by what they wear to work, even if their commute is from their bed to their desk. A report from the Academy of Management Discoveries determined that “clothing choices, even for remote workers, are psychologically and organizationally impactful.” They bring up the term “enclothed harmony,” which basically means that your clothes match the vibe of your situation. People are more productive if they’re wearing office attire at the office and casual attire at home.

 

And the key to achieving “enclothed harmony”? Dressing authentically. Wearing clothes that make you feel like you helps you work better and feel happier. Huge win win!

 

So yes, what you wear matters. But not because some Boomer in HR says so. Because when you look good, you feel good. But when you look like you, you feel even better.

 

And if you need help finding professional clothing that feels like you, take the tennie workwear quiz here!