It's that time of year again, where college students nationwide are rushing to the train station for their early morning commute to their unpaid internships. We all have that one moment where we miss the 6:57 train to the city by a heartbeat, and the anxiety of being late to work sets in. We grab our phones from our overpacked backpacks and email our Job supervisors, because it is only your third day on the job and you will be indefinitely late #EveryInternEver. I personally allocate an entire hour alone just to compensate for New Jersey Transit never being on time.
The struggle is more than real when I wake up every morning frantically searching for a professional outfit for the office; because presentation is key in the workplace especially for a woman. Is my push-up bra pushing just a bit too much? Is this skirt showing my unwanted cellulite? Are my lips a bit too provocative to walk into work? As a female, these are only a few questions I take into consideration while getting dressed for my internship. As unfortunate as it is, there are guidelines in the workplace in order to maintain professionalism. You may luck like I did this fall, and have an office atmosphere where everyone is dressed casually. But for the rest of you, first impressions will mold your boss's opinion of you. In other words, as someone who identifies as a female, you have have to play it safe.
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Wear minimal makeup.
We all love cat eyes and fleeking those eyebrows all the way to Jesus. Trust me, I appreciate your effort and goddess like contouring; but your boss may not. Society wants us to associate heavy make up with promiscuity. As a licensed cosmetologist, makeup is literally life for me; but when I am in the office I wear minimal makeup which includes foundation, powder, mascara, and just a dash of eyebrow pomade. Feel free to mix and match you daily makeup routine, so as long as it does't scream Kylie Jenner (or any of the Kardashians in this case). If your eyeliner is sharp enough to kill a man, you may need to rethink your choices.
I used Lauren Curtis's video for an example.
Don't drown yourself in perfume.
Even Steve Harvey won't have to do a double take on this one.
Smelling good is nice, but keep in mind that allergies exist. I have personally habit of spraying myself all of four hundred and eight million times a day. My boss was more than able to smell me from two offices away, and that is when you know you have a problem. Spray once or twice for the day. Impress your workers with your time management skills, not the latest sprays you got from Bath and Body Works at a buy three get three free sale.
Dress to Impress.
Net-A-Porter's video below is a great example if you're looking to shop this semester.
Blazers will be your best friend for as long as you work. Mix and match blazers with dresses or button ups and slacks. If you look in the mirror and you see your mother, then you are probably dressing correctly. We all want to wear our short shorts, and our low rising v-necks (this is the majority of my wardrobe), but at the end of the day women are oppressed into looking a certain way for the workplace. In order to keep our jobs must follow the rules. If we follow the rules we can get ahead and fully break that glass ceiling.
