A reader writes:
My partner is doing university work placement with a health organization (health professional role, non-corporate) for the next eight weeks. It’s her first week this week and I notice she has worn the same (work appropriate) outfit every single day. It’s not a uniform, but her personal clothes. She works with different people on different days, so there will be some people that have seen her in this outfit for up to three days this week.
The outfit didn’t smell or was dirty, but I mentioned that wearing this every day would likely be read as out of line with professional norms. She replied that she simply didn’t care. I should note that she has a few but not a lot of professional outfits, but this is not really an issue of finances. I replied that as women we will unfortunately probably be held to a higher standard on this than men would.
Obviously this is her prerogative to wear the same outfit all week or for all of her placement, and I will be backing off about this conversation. However, I’m wondering your thoughts on what would be the professional ramifications of not changing outfits during placement / an internship.
First, you’re absolutely right about the gendered double standard on this: men could wear the same outfit to work for months without it being a thing, as long as the outfit wasn’t particularly remarkable (like khakis and a button-down). Many men do look like they’re wearing basically the same thing every day, even if it’s not the actual same shirt/pants each day.
But it really comes down to how distinctive the clothes are (and part of the reason for the gender difference is that men’s business clothes are often, although not always, more interchangeable). If you wear a white button-down or black pants every day, it’s unlikely anyone will notice or say anything. If you’re wearing the same pink polka dot shirt or zebra print dress every day, that’s going to stand out a lot more.
When people do notice, the issue isn’t so much, “Why does she look the same every day?” or “Why does she have five of those shirts?” If there’s a concern — and there won’t always be — it’s more likely to be whether you’re wearing the same unwashed garments each day rather than different versions of the same thing. That, obviously, can make people feel squicky about cleanliness and hygiene.
But otherwise, basic pants and shirts that aren’t in unusual colors? As long as the clothes appear clean and you don’t smell, it’s no one’s business — and it can save brain power to basically give yourself a work uniform that you don’t need to think about.
