Appearance: Adherence, Interference, and Perseverance

#Rellevent

Appearance: 

Adherence, Interference, and Perseverance

How do I look today? Am I polished? Do I need makeup? Are my curves too obvious? Do I look like a box?

I’ll be fine.

My partner got complimented today. I thought it was directed towards me, so I said thank you too. He always gets complimented on his “snazzy” shirts. Maybe I didn’t put in enough effort today.

I’ll try again tomorrow.

On average, I spend about an hour every day just on my appearance. 

I am almost never satisfied, even after that.

Are my experiences #Rellevent?

The pressure of looking “polished” and “professional” is not easy for anyone. For women, it can be one of the biggest pressures in the professional world to keep up appearances. 

In the classroom, I have struggled with the pressures of being a student and looking like a teacher each time I have gone to recitation. 

In order to protect my legitimacy, I feel that I need to dress-to-impress each time I am seen on campus. As a student, I crave the ability to dress casually, and I am envious of the relaxed fashion of the students in the crowd before me. Above all else, however, I crave respect and acknowledgment, and in doing so, I increase the distance between the student body and myself- further implementing a power dynamic in the classroom, separating my students and myself. 

Dress-to-impress

Can appearance do THAT much to affect that power stance? If we are trying to balance the power dynamic between the students and the teacher in an inclusive classroom environment, why is the power of how you dress still placed in such a high priority?  

As a woman, it can be that much more important to keep our “face” in public. Especially in academia. We walk a thin line of being considered a “bitch” or a “pushover”. Both lenses can be detrimental to a woman’s public image, particularly in terms of student perspectives. A study in 2017 by Guarino & Borden found that on average, “women faculty perform significantly more service than men, controlling for rank, race/ethnicity, and field or department.” (672). A further study in 2018 by El-Alayli, Hansen-Brown, & Ceynar found that “students… had stronger expectations that a female (versus male) professor would grant their special favor requests.” (136), which increases the likelihood of burn-out by this extra burden laid upon female professors. 

The two of these studies highlight just two ways in which female professors struggle to maintain face in academia, simply because they are women. I emphasize the impact of dress on these narratives. 

If you look the part, you are more likely to be respected and seen as legitimate.

If you do not look the part, who are you to tell me what is important to know? 

Dress-to-digress

What power does dress have over each of us? 

Do we struggle to look the part because we are struggling with an internal fear that we are not enough?

How does the way appearance impact the way we feel?

Do we have to dress a certain way to feel legitimate in an academic space?

Why does dress have power over the power dynamic in the classroom? 

Who gives it that power? 

How can we navigate the lines of dressing as a student vs. dressing as an instructor?

Do these lines allocate rules which we must follow to maintain a sense of legitimacy?

Can we use dress to break down classroom norms and make appearance #Rellevent?

Disclaimer: The information shared/provided for the hashtag #Rellevent, is not intended to be ONLY for women. It is to help break down boundaries which are held in place that many women have to deal with, but this is not strictly ONLY women dealing with these issues. Men, nonbinary individuals, and people of various identities struggle with these issues on a daily basis and I encourage informed experiential-learning across gender lines. It is not only for women to understand and acknowledge why she is #Rellevent. We are all, individually and as a whole, #Rellevent.

Sources:

Guarino, C. & Borden, V. (2017). Faculty service loads and gender: Are women taking care of the academic family? Res High Educ 58, 672–694 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-017-9454-2 

El-Alayli, A., Hansen-Brown, A.A. & Ceynar, M. Dancing Backwards in High Heels: Female Professors Experience More Work Demands and Special Favor Requests, Particularly from Academically Entitled Students. Sex Roles 79, 136–150 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-017-0872-6 

Freire, P. (1970/2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed: 30th Anniversary Edition. Continuum.