When Dressing Up is Hard
Your heart, mind, and soul are resolved and filled with anticipation as December approaches. You are ready to advocate, care, and share Dressember’s cause with anyone who may listen. But amid all of your excitement, your workplace either doesn’t, or simply can’t, allow you to wear dresses or ties on the job. Take a deep breath, do not back down on your commitment to Dressember, and remember that this movement is not about legalism, but freedom.
Start by understanding the nature of your workplace’s policies. If they are not for your safety or the safety of others, use this as your first opportunity to speak out. Even if your employer doesn’t allow you to wear dresses or ties after you share your platform, walk away knowing that even your inability to participate while at work was an initial opportunity to share about Dressember. Remember that you can choose to wear ties or dresses every moment you are not at work. Ladies, reach for the swing dress and not the sweat pants. Men, dig into your tie collection, or pull out the only one you’ve ever owned, and wear it with pride during the most menial tasks. The important part is to participate fully in the hours you are able.
If you can commit to wearing a dress but have to be creative with your workplace wardrobe in doing so, consider hiding your dress under uniforms, tucking it into pants, or knotting it like a shirt. Choose thinner, breathable material for these concealed dresses so you are more comfortable throughout the day. It is not an ideal wardrobe, but it is a reminder that the situations you are advocating for are far from ideal. Use the extra bulk or the fashion confusion as an opportunity to start conversations and embrace the question of “What are you wearing?” You physically become a talking piece, even more so than if you were simply in a dress, and you can capitalize on this as you share Dressember’s cause.
Another option when being creative is to find out if your uniform comes in a dress style. There are many uniforms which, although not commonly seen, can also be worn in dress form - including food and beverage uniforms and scrubs. Although this may be a minor financial investment, it would be a creative solution without having to wear a dress underneath your uniform every day.
If you are able to wear a tie, find creative ways to include it into everyday outfits, even if that means wearing a button-up shirt instead of a tee shirt every day, or being the most overdressed person at work all of December. Many work uniforms with collars would likely allow you to add a solid-colored tie if you only ask.
When wearing a dress or tie is allowed without any modification, but simply inconvenient for your line of work, choose to spend 31-days personally inconvenienced for the sake of every trafficked human you represent. Consider your affliction small in the face of the crisis you represent, and dress up even when it is hard. I encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone and open yourself to the empathy you may build within yourself when you are less than comfortable. For you, it is merely a season: use it powerfully.
And in every workwear dilemma, remember the larger commitment you are making as an advocate: the dress or tie, by itself, means nothing without the heart behind it. Give your heart a voice when your clothing cannot be used to start conversations. What you wear acts as merely a symbol, but the words you speak can affect change within human hearts.
So, whether or not you can wear a dress or tie all of December, commit to making a difference through conversations and relationships which you may have never made before you had a reason to speak up.
About the Author
Myra Grady is honored to be using her love of writing as she joins Dressember in their fight against human trafficking. She is pursuing an English degree through Thomas Edison State University and currently enjoys her days as a preschool teacher. Outside of work, Myra can often be found exploring St. Louis with her husband, watching The Office reruns, eating far too much ice cream, and learning how to knit.