MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

As part of a larger research project involving faculty and attire, we conducted semi-structured interviews of female and male academics about the clothing they choose to wear in the workplace. Among the questions asked was, “What clothing do you consider inappropriate to wear in the classroom? For women? For men?” Overwhelmingly, the universal taboo for female instructors was any clothing deemed “sexy.” Both women and men believed attire that reveals an abundance of bare skin or clings to the body undermines the perception of a female instructor’s expertise and authority. They felt such an instructor would not be an appropriate role model for young women, would distract the students from course material, and would not convey a professional demeanor. Some of these attitudes towards sexy clothing on female faculty may indeed be empirically accurate assessments of the reality of the academic workplace. However, we argue this taboo also forces women to bifurcate themselves into professional v. sexual beings: a choice not required of men. For men, power/authority align with masculine attractiveness and sex appeal. In contrast, women professors sacrifice their claim to respect and expertise if they seek to simultaneously express their sexuality through their clothing choices.