The Apprentice is back next week for its tenth series, but Alan Sugar’s recruitment factory of choice is already causing a stir. This time, Karren Brady has hit out against a female contestant’s ‘antiquated’ view that that women must wear make-up, heels and short skirts to win big in business.
In the first episode, hypnotherapist and Katie Hopkins stand-in Sarah Dales informs her all-women team: ‘Most people will buy from females because females are more attractive to look at. Tomorrow, what we need to do is wear loads of lipstick, make-up, heels, we’re going to wear short skirts.’
Woman are absolutely held to a different dress standard than men in most corporate environments
As you can imagine, Alan Sugar’s right hand woman was none too impressed. ‘It’s a very old-fashioned attitude that you have to wear short skirts and a lot of makeup to get on in life,’ Brady, a government business advisor, says. ‘Most women will look at that and laugh. These are antiquated views for a bygone age that thankfully is no longer around any more.’
READ MORE: Rogue Holes And Elastication Woes: The Trials and Tribulations Of Wearing Tights Again
The thing is, Dales is kinda right – but not in the way she thinks. Underlying her bizarre suggestion that professionals should dress more like strippergrams is a rock-solid belief that a woman’s appearance matters at work. It matters more than your qualifications. It matters more than being good at your job. And it DEFINITELY matters more than it does for your male colleagues. Sadly, she’s not that far off.
‘Woman are absolutely held to a different dress standard than men in most corporate environments,’ Jill, 28, says. When the Londoner worked as a lawyer for a top City firm, navigating the office dress code was a constant minefield, from the pressure to wear high heels to avoiding outfit choices that would have sent the ‘wrong’ professional message.
The dress code tyranny doesn’t just afflict high-powered City lawyers, either. It extends to every profession
'I was once told a tale of a male partner being horrified that his female trainee had worn smart ballet pumps to a meeting,’ she says. ‘Another woman I know used to say “no wearing cardigans until you make partner”. There was a perception that girls who wore cardis were “soft” and wouldn’t make it.’ Who knew knitwear signalled the limits of your ambition, right?
The dress code tyranny doesn’t just afflict high-powered City lawyers, either. It extends to every profession – just look at these insanely detailed guidelines for American Apparel female employees, which includes a ban on everything from liquid foundation to shiny lipgloss and overplucked brows. (Needless to say, the clothing brand did not feel the need to be this specific for male shop assistants.)
READ MORE: A Few Smart Things To Say About The Feminist Protest That Was The Chanel Show
This isn’t just unfair on principle; it also affects women’s wallets (and in case you forgot, the UK already isn’t doing so great at closing the gender pay gap).
When you're working on a deal around the clock and literally have time to eat and shower it's really boring to have to think about having your makeup bag with you as well.
‘Guys can invest in one suit and one pair of shoes with loads of shirts whereas girls need a myriad of dresses, shoes, handbags,’ Jill explains. And that’s not including the cost of cosmetics. ‘Stuff like this really impacts on women. When you're working on a deal around the clock and literally have time to eat and shower it's really boring to have to think about having your makeup bag with you as well.’
Back on The Apprentice, fellow contestant Roisin Hogan challenged Dales and sensibly pointed out: ‘Whether we have shorts skirts or short dresses on, it’s not really going to matter. I think we really need to think about strategy.’
We might laugh now at Dales’ bonkers business plan, but what if she just reflects what society’s obsession with our office attire? Worrying that you’re violating an unspoken, gender-specific Ten Commandments of clothing just adds just one more layer of anxiety to the everyday grind of your job. Forget wearing high heels and short skirts to get ahead – maybe the focus on what we wear is stopping us from actually getting down to work.
**Liked this? You might also be interested in: **
Are You Dressing For Your Star Sign? Shelley Von Strunckel Tells Us How
Follow Zing on Twitter @misszing
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.