You must work in an art museum
I get that comment a lot.
People see the floral skirts, silver shoes, lace necklaces, and rhinestone spider pins and think they know who I am. And they rarely think biology nerd. The way I dress has a stronger visual fit in the world of paintings and sculptures than it does in specimen jars and skulls, but here I am – collection of insects and all.
One more than one occasion the naturalists clad in khaki vests and hiking boots have scoffed at how I look. They see pink and silk and lipstick and assume that I can’t be “one of them.” They initially doubt my experience and knowledge based on my appearance, but it doesn’t take them long to realize they were wrong.
I will always be the person who adds dangly earrings to the ensemble of baseball cap on my head and handkerchief around my neck when working in the field. I will always be the person who shows up to give a briefing to park rangers wearing a piece of statement jewelry. I will always be the person who waxes poetic about slime mold while dressed in a tulle skirt. I will always be that person because I will always be me.
I was fortunate enough to grow up under an umbrella of feminism that made it clear that I had the power to chose who I would be and where my passions would be found. Those passions may sometimes seem quite polar (florals and fossils, ballet flats and bumblebees), but they are equally mine and equally me. So when I wear a dress to dissect a squid, in my own small way I’m asserting my convictions and faith in feminism. I’m happily refusing to be placed into a box of preconceived expectations based on how I look and what I do. My fashion choices coupled with the other passions of my life alert the world to pay attention, look closer, and be ready to be astonished. I will always be more, so much more, than you first expected.
As a fellow biology nerd who likes pretty things, I totally endorse and identify with this post.
(Also, you know those fox-shaped knit wool stoles that have been popping up in recent months? OMG someone needs to make a boa constrictor. Boa constrictor infinity scarf! Yessssss! I am actually hyperventilating a little bit here…)
Well said, Katie! I like the list of challenging scenarios and suspect you have more opportunity than I to upset potential stereotypes.
Question: How do children react to you? I ask because you are the woman with the rhinestone spider pin and silver shoes. You would seem like a keeper of magical things to me.
None have run off in terror yet!
Hurrah! You are fabulous!!
Thank you. I wish I had been able to read this blog post as a teenager. For so long I dressed in ill-fitting, plain and boring clothes under the mistaken belief that giving minimal attention to my clothes was a way to make sure I wouldn’t be hit with judgments or fall into vanity or superficiality. Of course, there still were judgments and expectations, they were just ones that “fit” better with how I saw myself (and/or was prepared to be seen). There’s nothing strong or feminist about dressing in a blah way instead of an expressive way, especially not when –as you explain so nicely– bothering to dress in a way where you feel pretty often results in negative feedback.
Actually if you are in a heavily male dominated profession it’s often the women giving you a hard time for dressing different and not the men
It’s hard… so BRAVO for sticking to your guns and refusing to be molded into the suit brigade (or whatever the standard “uniform” is of your profession).
Knowing your stuff is an EXCELLENT way to knock the stuffy off their high horses, well done!
I love the title, I love the subversive contrast you present, and I definitely can relate to (and be outraged at) the problem of being perceived as superficial/incompetent because you care about clothes. It’s a prejudice I’ve been fighting inside my own mind even… It’s getting better though, in part thanks to this great group and everyone’s great posts!
Rock on, lady! Great post!
” I will always be the person who waxes poetic about slime mold while dressed in a tulle skirt.” Perfect summation of the issues round stereotyping. We will, of course, be demanding photographic evidence…
This was so beautifully written. Although as a teacher I’ve never felt an expectation to dress a certain way, (not that it hasn’t happened to other teachers I’m sure) my interest in clothing and how I look has been perceived as superficial. As much as I hate people doubting my intelligence or my abilities because of this interest, I think I enjoy proving them wrong just as much