Does your job affect your personal style?

[Autumnchik 6]

Was reading Bora Bora's post about cutting her dreads, and it got me to thinking. How many of you feel that your job influences your personal style / appearance?

I used to have a huge streak in my then jet black hair that I would dye different colors - pink, blue, green. Also wore tons of black, combat boots, heavy silver jewelry, several ear piercings, etc. In grad. school, during my internship, I decided that I needed to change my appearance to be taken seriously, and the appearance change continued after I got out of school. I was starting out as a psychotherapist at the age of 23 and I looked younger than my age anyway, so I tailored my wardrobe, hairstyle, etc. to appear more mature.

In the past few years, I have wanted to get a nose piercing. However, a year ago, I was working in a conservative school system in Georgia. Any visible tattoos, piercings, etc. were against the dress code. I have not yet broached the idea of a piercing at my current agency. There have been some major political changes at the agency and a lot of policy is being redefined. Definitely not the time to rock the boat with any other issues.

When it comes down to it, I do love my career and would tailor my appearance to suit it. Just was wondering if anyone else has felt the same way?

[bora bora 1]

Well, my personal style isn't affected much by my career. I have a very small nose ring and that has never been an issue for me. Also, having dreads never stopped me from getting a job as a teacher either.

It only stopped me from getting a job earning $7/hour and working like a slave .

The only thing that I am not 'allowed' to do is wear flip flops - but I do anyway (fancy Brazilian ones). But hey, I'm 25 years old....

[Fandango 1,440]

Job really hasn't affected my personal style all too much. I tend to wear suits and whatnot to work, and I really love shopping....so adding 50 of em to my wardrobe wasn't such a bad thing, lol. I still put a bit of flair in them by an odd accessory...like a fur bag, or a really great necklace...just today I wore a patterned muticolor sequined shoes that I got in Italy. They sound atrocious, but they look great & everyone always compliments them. I feel it's a bit of the rebel in me to wear one quirky thing with a conservative look.

I used to work in a very trendy salon & we were expected to dress all swish. That was pretty fun & easy cos I just wore what I would buy for my personal life. As for the hair...it could be styled any way, as long as it looked good & trendy. At one point I had pink/purple tips in my hair wayyy before they became commonplace, cos one of my hairdresser friends had learned it at a 'cutting edge' hair show. I still remember when my neighbor accidentally told my mother. They had just moved 3 hours away, and I was going through a divorce. Flash forward to a 3 pg email from my mom about her worrying about 'the effect my stress is having on my decision making skills' lol.

That job was also cool cos I got my hair done whenever I wanted, and I changed about 5 colors in less than a year. Previously I had never dyed my hair! And I also got the really nicccccccccce hair extentions for free....I only had to buy the hair which cost $500, but the install was free, which normally would have run $2k.

I'm not into tattoos or piercings, I have 2 piercings in each ear, and I used to have a belly ring, but I took the belly ring out years ago.

So all in all...current job....no real effect. Cept the suits and my professional growth have really made me feel comfortable & all 'found-my-niche'esque, so I'm more confident in who I am as a professional.

Edited June 4, 2007 by LisaD

[Autumnchik 6]

Well, my personal style isn't affected much by my career. I have a very small nose ring and that has never been an issue for me. Also, having dreads never stopped me from getting a job as a teacher either.

It only stopped me from getting a job earning $7/hour and working like a slave .

The only thing that I am not 'allowed' to do is wear flip flops - but I do anyway (fancy Brazilian ones). But hey, I'm 25 years old....

Your school system sounds a lot more liberal than the one I was in

[babybunny 2]

I have my nose pierced. since I wear a uniform I dont wear it.

instead I take straw from a broom ..burn the ends and replace the piercing.

it keeps the hole open. when I am out of uniform - I put the sudd in sometimes.

[sereia 0]

amazingly enough some restaurants i've worked in cared about hair, visible tattooes, and piercings. i used to have a nose ring and was forced to take it out at a hotel i worked at. i loved my job there and i was more than willing to do so.

[Alex+R 0]

I really try to look professional, but I somehow feel I'm never really pulling it off.

[MissStacey 1]

I'm unemployed now. I wear my PJ's alot

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I work in radiation safety and have to maintain a clean shaven face in case I need to wear a respirator. But in my business you will see every type of hair style. On my last job we had a guy with facial piercings so we called him 'tackle-box'.

[Mary Lou 682]

TBH, i'm pretty low maintence in my personal style. Don't get me wrong, i like dressing nicely and all that, but im more for comfort. So since i work in a hospital and have to wear scrubs, it suits me fine.

[Donna A 4]

i work at a factory so anything goes there.

[MichelleandCraig 1]

Alex and Stacy...ditto, exactly. For me, I think it's my weight issue mostly. I have some cute clothes, and a few professional-looking ones, but with the extra weight I always feel frumpy, even if I've been complimented. I have to gradually build up my work wardrobe, because my job was printing on golf tees for a golf tee manufacturer and print shop for several years...so jeans and old ink-stained tshirts was all I had to have for work! Work clothes were cheap though...second hand shop for more tshirts... Now....not so much.

But...trying like mad to find a job. Going to both MI and WI job agencies for a couple of hours each (againnnnnn) between my CT scan and Corey's football match in the evening. Feeling ill and slept all day yesterday, so now I'm up doing laundry, dishes, organizing and....of course, VJing a little bit. If I don't get some calls on the dozen or so jobs I applied for already (office work) then I'm just going to take any job to be working again, so I won't be in my PJs too much longer...unless, of course, I end up needing back surgery or who knows what else with all that's been going on. ...but that's a def. last resort and only if the doc thinks I really need it in order to get rid of this level of pain.

To answer the actual question, not really. I couldn't wear sandals to work at any of my jobs, and had to wear appropriate dress everywhere like anyone else...but I'm really not too "out there" anyway...pretty average! I do like to have a cute bag/shoes too, but I have some real catching up to do on shopping...pretty difficult to do without a job! I miss my paycheck, (and shoes, and purses, and and and!) so better get back to work, hey??? M.

[doc_cute 0]

i m too unemployed for a short time

[pedroh 21]

I like wearing those fancy 'formal' sneakers (not nike and stuff), like Puma or Gola, like in Europe, but Americans see them as regular sneakers, and I'm very very picky for shoes, I just can't wear any kind of formal shoes, they have to be ubercool and comfy.. other than that, I like wearing fancy clothes and ties

[Reba 2]

when I worked for the software company in Toronto, they made me cover up my tattoos with my clothes, and their company policy has been no facial piercings or "extra" piercings. As I have a tat on my ankle, I always had to wear pants, or to the floor skirts. However, I could always stretch my own personal style a bit, and they tolerated my funny shade of red hair (usually a purple-ish red). Being a consultant had some advantages, though I was always a little jealous of my friends who worked at Microsoft and film production companies, they're all allowed to be freaks.

Most jobs I've had have had similar policies. No visible tats, no facial piercings etc etc

My hubby finally gave up on Domino's when they once again changed their corporate policy to restrict all facial hair, tattoos and piercings. I mentioned to him it would be weird for us to own our own store, if we couldn't even "legally" hire ourselves Franchising sucks

My current job however is fairly relaxed. Pretty much everyone wears jeans every day (except the owners and execs, they wear suits if they have meetings outside), and flip-flops are allowed. Most of the time though the air conditioning is just too freakin' cold at my office, so I still wear shoes or my Docs. I hate having cold feet. I work for a furniture manufacturer as receptionist now.

I even recently saw an article on Careerbuilder.com that had a list of jobs where you were "allowed" funky hair and tattoos and such. For some reason most of them listed were stuff like hair salons, Starbucks barrista, minimum wage kinda stuff. Or start your own company.