[speaker001:] okay what do you usually wear to work
[speaker002:] well uh I am basically retired now I was a member I was in education and in administration so basically I wore
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] dresses and uh heels and I was never one uh because my work often took me into court uh never was one that got uh accustomed to wearing pants suits and pants to work
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] but that was just me I know many people are comfortable very comfortable in the classroom and what have you wearing pants uh it I guess I was just old enough not to uh be very comfortable in it how about you
[speaker001:] uh-huh well I work at TI and they don't really have uh dress code so to speak there it's pretty lax about um you know we you can pretty much wear whatever you want to and I wear anything from jeans when I'm feeling really casual to uh suits and dresses when I'm meeting with a customer or I I teach training classes
[speaker002:] oh
[speaker001:] and so when I'm teaching a class obviously I wear a suit or dress so
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] it it uh definitely fluctuates mainly with what I'm going to be doing that day and kind of what my mood is and when it's raining I'm more likely to wear jeans and and when it's really cold I'm more likely to wear jeans or pants or sweaters or that type of thing
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] um but it just really depends on the weather and my mood and then you know obviously when I'm doing anything that I'm in front of people or or making presentations teaching whatever I'm going to dress up more
[speaker002:] yes and I think that does make a difference because when you do have to be in front of people uh I think you the the tendency there is to wear dresses and suits and and uh more classical style of clothing
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] what about the miniskirt
[speaker001:] there are a few people every now and then that wear those to work there pretty strict about that though um I've never worn I just wouldn't I mean even to well jeans aren't exactly professional but for some reason a mini skirt is to me a little more unprofessional to wear to work than jeans just because it's maybe it's just because of the sexist views and everything but you just feel like you're you're being showing too much leg I don't know I wouldn't want to wear a mini skirt to work I have seen a few people do it though but they they weren't overly short and they weren't overly revealing they were pretty much in good taste but um for me I just
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] for me I just I just couldn't wouldn't want to do that
[speaker002:] well there are miniskirts and there are miniskirts there are some that are really short and then there are some that may be will come like four inches or five inches above the knee and again it depends upon the size the shape of the person
[speaker001:] yeah uh-huh that's what I've seen uh-huh
[speaker002:] as well as the shape of the person's legs
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] now I also uh even though I retired from education I uh I do modeling and I teach at a modeling agency here
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and uh so when we are doing wardrobing and we have uh two two hour classes in wardrobe we do discuss a great deal the miniskirt and the types of clothes to wear on the job
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] uh even though I may have them from sixth grade on up through uh grandmothers
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] in my class and uh when I always try to emphasize the clothes that you wear should not necessarily be the greatest fad
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] because maybe they those are not the clothes that are the most uh appealing to you or the most uh complimentary to you
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] but uh the miniskirt many times will evoke comments you don't really want
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] and and then uh then you're in the situation where you're very unhappy
[speaker001:] uh-huh well I feel like too on the job when you know there's men around and some of the managers are men you just you know you don't want them looking at your legs necessarily and uh to me I just wouldn't feel comfortable in that at work
[speaker002:] that's right well I I uh I have to agree with that even when they was very very popular in the early sixties uh I uh
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] uh again maybe because I was at the school there were still many teachers who wore miniskirts uh we had no regulation against it and a lot of the kids did of course and it could be very embarrassing for the men teachers
[speaker001:] uh-huh right
[speaker002:] because they were not that careful in how they handled themselves in those miniskirts
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] and so I think uh uh of course now I go the other extreme I do not like to see in the corporate areas uh all the women dressed like men
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] with the suits and uh white shirts and ties and what have you so that they all look exactly the same
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] uh I don't like that I don't I think there should be individuality in dressing
[speaker001:] uh-huh even with the very tailored look of a suit sometimes I like to have something a little just a little something that's feminine
[speaker002:] yes
[speaker001:] not you know you don't want to over do it but just a little a touch of it just to say yes I am a woman but I can be professional too
[speaker002:] right well I and I don't think that you have to be manish and extremely tailored to to look professional
[speaker001:] right uh-huh
[speaker002:] I think that you you make of that what you wish and you can go the opposite direction and uh overdo all the frills and laces and flounces and what have you which don't belong in the uh at least in my opinion in the workplace uh but that that you can have a classical look without a lot of a great deal of adornment and what have you and still be very feminine because that was one thing I always fought against I started out as a physical education teacher
[speaker001:] right uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] so I was always fighting against the idea of looking tailored or mannish uh and people would never ever guess that I was phys ed and um and that pleased me
[speaker001:] right uh-huh
[speaker002:] uh and uh so then I of course just continued what I considered the best style of clothing for me at work and uh and I find even even at home here now I I will wear blue jeans or I'll wear shorts and what have you uh and be very comfortable but when I go out somewhere then uh unless I have a pair of dress slacks I don't usually wear a lot of blue jeans
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] I have difficulty getting them to fit me comfortably any how and so uh uh I just feel that uh you know each person has to dress to their own liking and for their own comfort
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] but uh there are certain norms that companies should be able to uh put out as guidelines for their employees
[speaker001:] right that's what I one thing I like about TI is that they aren't overly strict about what you wear and they don't you know your boss doesn't come up to you and say now remember tomorrow you have a meeting so you'd better wear a suit I mean they they leave it up to you and your judgment to to use good judgment and dress tastefully and dress for whatever occasion you may have
[speaker002:] right yes
[speaker001:] the only real restrictions they have are uh no halter tops and no shorts even the long walking short of the squirts the the split skirts anything that that could be considered shorts they don't allow and they don't allow um
[speaker002:] yes yes that's good
[speaker001:] and they don't allow uh any sweat any sweat shirts or t shirts that might have vulgar or you know anything like that on it but
[speaker002:] yeah um-hum
[speaker001:] other than that it's pretty pretty lax and I think that's good because it does allow people to be individual and it allows you to kind of dress the way you feel that day or you know if you want to be comfortable and casual you can and sometimes I think you
[speaker002:] yes
[speaker001:] may be more productive if you're comfortable with what your wearing and can be be feel more relaxed whereas uh
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] sometimes when your in the suit and feel kind of almost stiff and you're not you know maybe you don't uh can't get as comfortable to sit down and you know like when I'm writing training material I prefer to be more comfortable unless I know I have to meet with a customer later during the day
[speaker002:] right right
[speaker001:] so that's I think that is good that they're like that I do know there's a lot of companies that are very strict about what the employees wear and they must wear blue or gray or black and a white shirt and you know no variation and I don't I don't quite agree with that
[speaker002:] yeah yeah well I don't either unfortunately I don't have to work in those companies but uh I I uh
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] did have a group come over from one of the banks over the children's hospital where I was volunteering and uh they were doing a presentation and every one of the young execs coming up were dressed exactly alike men and women they all had on the gray jackets and the gray trousers or slacks or skirts and the white blouses and the same color tie I mean you could hardly tell the women from the men except for the lengths of the pants
[speaker001:] uh right
[speaker002:] and one was a skirt and one was a pant and uh and I think that's sad because that doesn't allow for any individuality
[speaker001:] yeah uh-huh
[speaker002:] that's uh can stifle creativity
[speaker001:] right I agree
[speaker002:] so
[speaker001:] well it I guess we've talked probably long enough nice talking to you too I enjoyed it bye-bye
[speaker002:] I guess so well it's been nice talking with you uh-huh bye-bye