As I embark in to the business/financial world I find the issue of appearance and what's "appropriate" coming up with my peers and mentors...I remember my Riordan GMAT teacher says, "everyone dresses like they're going to a funeral for recruiting events."
I find it interesting that in order for a woman to be taken seriously she must dismiss their personal style in favor of being taken seriously.
My mom always taught me that feminism isn't a linear scope, that the point of feminism is to give a woman the right to choose whatever she wants in life. I think far to often feminists, judge other women in the scope of what we are comfortable with. A feminist can be Dita Von Teese, Beyonce, Gloria Steinem, Jane Goodall, and Hilary Clinton. Feminists walk across pageant stages, sit in the pages of magazines, work on construction sites, or can be stay at home moms. Like in that movie "Mona Lisa Smiles," when Julia Stiles' character decides not to go to graduate school and instead wants to get married and have a family (hopefully I got the plot line right). But she explains to Julia Roberts' character that she is a feminist, and that means she has the right to choose whatever life path she wants, there is no right or wrong choice.
I came across two amazing articles a while back about White Privilege, Feminism, and Beyonce (I'm a woman of color and the issue of diverse feminist voices is another hot bed issue that rumbles around in my thoughts from time to time...and finding a way to incorporate Beyonce in to a current event post is a win all around) and recently an article in Elle Magazine called, "Why Can't a Smart Woman Love Fashion," piqued my interest.
I hope you take a moment to read both of these articles, and I would love to hear your thoughts on them.
XOXO,
MacKenzie
Update: I was reminded after I published this that today is International Women's' Day...what a fitting post to mark the occasion!