4 Comments

Ooh I love that Ru Paul line. I totally overthink my clothing, especially since the intended effect is slightly disheveled professional that doesn’t care about clothing.

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Back when I taught a course in the Psychology of Clothing, I would always have a couple of students who would claim that they “didn’t care” about their clothes. Except for people with serious mental illness, that’s just not possible. We care, and it’s complicated. When I was 18 and wanted to be seen as “intellectual”, it was jeans and black turtlenecks.

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For sure. With my new job I’ve become management adjacent so all the sudden I’ve started tucking in my shirt and wearing a sports coat whenever I walk the public spaces on the terminals. Is it copying my boss? Yup absolutely. But I thought it’s safer to be a mini-him until I grow comfortable in the costume or decide it’s ok to return to my old work uniform of slacks and an untucked button down dress shirt (with a tie in the drawer for “important” events).

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I eventually found blazers useful, especially given the dearth of decent pockets in women’s clothes.

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