For women, why is business casual painted with such a broad brush? Ask three women in your office what business casual means to them, and I guarantee that you will receive three different answers. At my job and while I'm out with friends and colleagues, I hear many different excuses as to why it's ok to dress in a less than professional manner (khaki, wrinkled clam diggers instead of trousers, printed tshirts instead of blouses, "Crocks"-inspired footwear instead of heels, wet unstyled or unwashed hair shoveled back into a an unprofessional bun or ponytail instead of a well-styled cut).
I would like to think that most of us are not as obtuse to not know what qualifies for acceptable work wear. Truth be told, I think it all boils down to being lazy - in some form or another. Let's face it, we've all had days where we press snooze on the alarm leading us to rush during our morning process or last-minute items like leaving a little bit early to get gas because you were unable to the night before. But when you peel back another layer, most times we find out that those are the excuses not the real reason for our lax style.
Study after study shows that those who look put together get ahead faster than those who don't put the same effort into their appearance. And I would even dare to venture that those who look pulled together and give off a successful image don't even need to be as smart or qualified many of times.
So why do we still let so many easily fixed hurdles get in our way? I really believe that it's sometimes easier to know there's something to change than change it. Changing your appearance like losing weight takes time and discipline and will not happen over night.
But, once we complete the transformation, it's all worth it. Don't let the excuses of "I want to lose more weight before I buy new clothes," "I can't afford the clothes I want," and/or similar variations of stop you from your journey.
Your exercise for today is to get started in small bites. Open up your closet and see what you have. Chances are you have a closet brimming full of clothes yet you "have nothing to wear." Pull out your favorite items: the gorgeous color shirt that makes your hair and eyes pop, the pants that fit perfect all the time, the dress that hugs your curves just right.
Place your top three or five favorite items on one side of your closet. Now, go through and look for the items that are your least favorites: the dated blazer with a button missing, the pilled cardigan, the trendy fluorescent shirt that you bought from the junior's department and never wore. These items should be taken out of your closet IMMEDIATELY! They are not items that will help you discover what looks good on you.
Don't mourn the fact that you spent "good money" on these items. Rather, donate them to a charity or give them to a friend who might enjoy.
If you are not ready to do your whole closet at once, do it in bite size bits, repeating this process until there's only items you love. You'll then be ready for step 2.
