I made a choice when I started adjuncting 2-3 years ago: I was going to dress up for work.
This profession has always seemed disjointed in terms of a dress code. I have seen professors in full suits and I have seen professors in sweats, with most falling in between. At the community college I adjunct at, most people seem to wear business casual separates, but I do always see a professor who has a basic uniform of white tennis shoes, light jeans, and a sweatshirt. Would I ever wear that to work? For many reasons, no. Does he still seem somehow authoritative in it? For some reason, yes.
However, that certain professor is quite a bit older than me. I am still mistaken for a student, so I thought that dressing professionally would be a good way to differentiate myself from the student body. I also realized that I need to wear clothes that I can easily move in, walk around in, breath in, and not feel self-conscious in while in front of 25 pairs of eyes. I once had a film professor who wore giant bracelets that would chime together and then echo throughout the room over her microphone. With that annoying sound in my mind, I am pretty diligent about the functionality of my clothes. My work wardrobe includes dress pants, skirts, dresses, vests, button-down shirts, silk blouses, sweaters, casual cotton shirts, boots, heels, and dressy flats. I think I look nice without looking stuffy.
I'm still looking for the pink pants, but I think I have the HOYVIN-GLAVIN voice down
On my way to class one late morning, I stopped by the drugstore. The lady who was waiting on me flicked her eyes on me and then said, "Don't tell me you're a teacher."
I assumed she thought I was an elementary school teacher, but no matter. I told her I was and asked how she knew.
"Oh, just the way you're dressed. You look exactly like a teacher."
I glanced down. I was wearing brown dress pants and a green cardigan. Okay, maybe a little teacherly, but nothing I wouldn't wear at any other job. I smiled at the woman and left, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I don't think I want to look like a teacher. What does a teacher look like, anyways? What do professors look like?
If only we could all rock the three-piece suit as well as Professor Jones
A few weeks later, the weather was nice enough for me to wear an outfit I really like. It consists of a beautiful silk skirt and a light cotton white shirt. I met my mom on the way to class and as I got out of my car, she exclaimed, "Wow! You are really dressed up." She kept saying that: "You are really dressed up!" I started to get a little concerned, but at the end she told me she really liked the outfit. Hell, I really liked it too and it felt nice.
Flash forward 30 minutes: I'm in my classroom preparing for class and in walks this student, let's call him Ron. Ron is a jokester and I think that he thinks we have some sort of joking relationship. Anyways, he walks in and says, "Wow, that is one ugly shirt."
I was shocked and taken back.
The next week it was my hair. Ron walks in the classroom, looks at me, and says, "Bad hair day?"
A week or so later as he was leaving class, Ron glanced back back at me and said, "I like your skirt, Mrs. EA." I didn't hear him so I just said "Okay." He repeated, "No, really. I like your skirt."
Ugh. "You don't have to comment on my clothes every day," I snapped back.
That seemed to shut him up and he never said anything about my appearance again.
Anyone who makes another comment about my appearance can shut the hell up.
Reading over this, I realized I have a lot of stories about students being incredibly inappropriate. Eh, it was a bad semester.
I think dressing professionally for women is a much more difficult road than it is for men. I can grab pretty much any button-down shirt from the closet, make sure it doesn't clash horribly with my slacks and walk out the door. Women tend to need to think things out a bit more...
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're doing just fine, though!
That said, I did have a student in one class who kept making remarks about my hair (It was in an admittedly awkward phase...) until one day, after he said snidely, "I like your hair," when I politely remarked, "Thank you - your mother did it for me this morning."
It was, perhaps, not my most professional moment. The class had a good laugh, tension defused and we went on about our lives. Still - a 'your mom' joke, though? It came to that.
Anyhow, thought I'd share a little misery.
Ron needed that lesson.
ReplyDeleteAnd never fear: in a few years the students will no longer notice you as a human being. You will be like the grownups in the Charlie Brown cartoons: mwaw mwaw mwaw mwaw.
That is, unless you continue to teach the varied students at a comm. college, including those close to your age;-)
But seriously, I agree with you: I try to dress nicely, wearing jeans only on bad weather days, yet the men in our department rarely wear anything but jeans in winter,and shorts (well, the under 50 men) in the warmer months. It's an ongoing debate in the academic world.
And there is that funny article now reprinted in Signs of Life, one of the pop culture readers used in comp classes, about clothing and professors (including a sadly black and white picture of the soon to be president of the MLA wearing an electric blue suit 15 something years ago at a convention....).
JH-I cracked up at the "your mother" joke. Nothing wrong with that. But yes, men seem to have the uniform thing down pat. I was reminded of this yesterday when I met my husband at a restaurant for lunch and entered a sea of polo shirts and khaki pants.
ReplyDeleteAnnie-And when I turn into that Charlie Brown teacher, I'm sure I'll complain then! I also wear jeans only on bad weather days, and maybe on Fridays when there are not so many other profs around.
I'm actually with J. Harker. I don't think I've taught a class in the last 10 years (egad!) without wearing a tie. No, there was once, a summer class for which I'd forgotten to grab a tie before leaving home. My students were shocked (all four of them), and I felt a little awkward. I think, though, for me it's a sign of authority -- even when it's a kitschy tie. It's almost my uniform -- button-down shirt, slacks, tie. It helps me get into the "teacher mode," too, and the tie always comes off after class, especially if I'm talking with students. (I don't mind wearing a tie, but I don't want it to stop my students from opening up.)
ReplyDeleteBut I've talked about this with many female friends, and they have concerns about dress that are similar to yours -- often wondering what's too revealing or (at the other end of the spectrum) what's too dowdy. It sounds like you're doing pretty well, especially (and this is key) if you're comfortable. If your clothes make you uncomfortable, for whatever reason, it'll be a distraction, and your students will pick up on it.
I'm another female English adjunct, and I can't tell you how many times I've wished I was male so I could enter the polo and khaki world. As it is, I usually stick with dresses. They feel like pajamas, have more clout than jeans, and can be found for around $10 at Ross. I also have a fairly wide collection of tank tops to avoid revealing more than intended. I suppose I will never be able to move to a colder area.
ReplyDeleteI once taught at a private high school that considered a uniform for teachers. The other instructors vetoed it, but I was incredibly supportive.
Last year, I was at a conference, and the workshop leader was talking about something that led him to suggest we take notice of our clothing and how we were all in basic teacher attire. We looked around. And though we were each dressed a bit differently, we had one thing in common: Not much color. All neutral tones. It was kind of freaky.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with dressing up is that I have trouble wearing anything synthetic. I love dresses and skirts, but the cotton and linen ones cost me a pretty penny. Oh how I wish I could afford all of the skirts and dresses in the Sundance catalog.