After my post last week about Grease and the way in which Sandy and Danny transform the way they dress at the end of the film, I got to thinking about those occasions when I have changed the way I dress to suit someone or a certain situation.
When I started my internship in the European Parliament three and a bit years ago, I suddenly found myself in an environment where a suit was the norm. In my previous office, a suit had been the exception. It is sometimes difficult to keep a sense of your own identity when the way you dress has to change dramatically almost over night. You might remember that I wrote a post a while back which attempted to give advice on How to... dress for success without a suit in sight?
Over three years of working in a smart office where business attire is expected (all of the men wear suits, with no exceptions), I have learnt to dress in a way that still lets me express myself, just as I would outside of work. Accessories are still my essential item.
But changing how I dress for a man? Now that is something that I find a whole lot harder to stomach. Sure, I might make more of an effort when I have a boyfriend (for example, fewer Sundays spent pigging out with greasy hair and no make-up!) but I don't try to be someone who I am not.
And I think that is the crux of the issue for me: to change how I dress would be to change who I am.
Would you change how you dress, for a man?
