Fashion as a power tool to make it in the corporate world

How do you be confident in the corporate world?

For a woman, this is a double-edged sword: if you are confident, you are egotistical, and if you're reserved, you are weak and unrespected. For every woman to find that middle ground, it is hard. Only you can stop the imposter syndrome and block out the haters. Only you can achieve the fake it to make it last in an environment where no one wants women to succeed. If you need to take a page from The Help (the book) and create your positive mantra or slogan like Nike, do it. If you say it enough, maybe you will start to believe it. Ultimately, you are not the problem. They are as much we put ourselves in a box, our work does not equal your worth, do not compromise yourself on that matter

Fashion, although taxed as a luxury, is illegal to be naked. ( but clothes are luxury, meaning they do not necessarily make it make sense) There are also forms of art and expression. I am not a fashion stylist or student, and I do not dress perfectly for my shape and colours, but once you hit the jackpot, you are on the catwalk of life. This is a scientific fact, with research showing clothing affects how you perceive yourself and impacts your mood, cognitive processes and behaviour.  This could be choosing clothes that align with your desired self-image, so for work, wearing a formal suit could invoke feelings of authority, whereas jeans may reflect a comfortable and relaxed view.          

The mantra “dress for success” is quite literally actual. What you wear, your smile and your body language are what people notice first when they see you. Research has shown people who dress formally and professionally are perceived as more competent and authoritative than those who dress more casually. No matter the occasion, your outfit must reflect it as it instils confidence both in the wearer and observer and shows readiness to face a challenge with utmost conviction. 

Research has shown that putting a well-put-together outfit triggers a powerful boost of confidence and metaphorically creates this armour around you; if you feel good about your appearance, you will tend to project that confidence in your work. Fashion is a powerful non-verbal communication tool.

How to break the “glass ceiling”, Marilyn Loden coined the phrase at a 1978 Women's Exposition. The metaphorical ceiling prevents women from becoming CEOs and being promoted to top jobs in management. The term is not only used for women but also discrimination against minorities.

After the icons of Hillary Clinton donning power suits with shoulder pads, they forged a path to success. This is still something that is still prevalent today—especially for women who are not getting promotions if they want to have children. Although it's illegal not to give someone a job due to a desire to have a family, and they cannot ask such a question, the stigma and judgement that women can't have at all is still strong.

The power of a power suit, which Hilary Clinton optimised in the 90s. From the outside, one would think that wearing a bland, unstylish pantsuit doesn't draw much attention, maybe hoping they would focus on her work and outfit style, which is “never flashy, just appropriate.” The real reason to change from a skirt to trousers came from a place of fear, not to show power. It came during a state visit to Brazil. The former secretary of state said, "I was sitting on a couch, and the press was let in," and a bunch of them were shooting up.” To her horror, some images were later used in lingerie ads. Suddenly, the White House gets alerted to these billboards that show me sitting down with, I thought, my legs together, but the way it's shot, it's suggestive." Up until 1993, a woman could not wear pantsuits on the Senate floor, but now you will find it challenging to find a woman wearing a skirt due to the sexualisation and fear of underskirt images. This ideology has set a formula for other women politicians like Angela Merkel and Theresa May. The uniform claims to care more about substance than style and fights against longstanding cultural assumptions that women politicians can reasonably be judged according to their clothing.

It's known that when wearing a power suit, one feels more focused, alert, and powerful, leading to improved performance. The female power suit started in the 1970s to fit within the masculine and male-dominated workplace to mock said institution and its old white man's club.          

Amy Cuddy, a known social psychologist, has researched the power of “power posing” If you have watched Grey's Anatomy, you will have seen Dr Ameila Shepherd do this before surgery. The technique in which you stand tall and in a Superman position is with an open, confident posture. Cuddy's research shows this technique can make people feel more powerful and successful, even when conducting the striking power process for just a few minutes, leading to significant physiological changes in the body. A pivotal reaction to the pose is the release of testosterone, no matter your gender, which is associated with dominance and confidence, which tends to increase with the hormone. While this elevates the stress, hormone decreases have a positive impact on your work.

While confident, body language includes maintaining eye contact, standing up straight, not fidgeting and not having crossed arms, which presents you as closed off. Standing out against others and mirroring others' movements is familiar to people who have trouble interacting with others socially.