Actually I never mentioned attire. I do believe in dressing appropriately
for an occasion and I have never been reprimanded for inappropriate work
attire. I was speaking of other aspects of appearance.
What I was trying to do is get people to not pre-judge on appearance and not
associate subcultures with negative terms. Ie. not judging a book by its
cover.
Carrie
----Original Message Follows----
From: "Gayle \"Indigo Nights\"" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] comment on today's youth...
Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2006 10:17:32 -0700
"Gayle \"Indigo Nights\"" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Carrie, it's
been the responsibility of the elders for generation upon generation to
lament "What are these young people coming to?" It's generally been
accepted that it's also the responsibility of the young people to question
"What in the world is the matter with these older folks?" It didn't start
with you, it's been happening for eons.
While I understand well your point of not being judged by the
individuality of your attire and the need for each of us to be ourselves,
your analogy comparing your attire to someone else's race fails. You can
change your clothes; they cannot (generally--except maybe Michael Jackson)
change their race. One is a condition of birth, the other is a personal
choice.
There comes a time in each of our lives when we have to recognize that,
in the work place, we may need to show a little deference to conformity. In
other words, when in Rome, act like the Romans. Huge deviations in attire
are going to get their original intended objective--to be noticed. One
dresses differently to assert their independence (which is sometimes just
dressing uniformly with one's particular peer group or associates).
Unfortunately, in the business world (and that of museums), sometimes you
have to dress a little business like. It's the price you pay (right, wrong,
or otherwise) for having a job.
Just as you want people to notice you are different, you are going to
have to accept the fact that not everyone deals with different in a manner
you'd like to receive. You've drawn attention to yourself by your attire;
that means you may be commented upon as well. In a perfect word, you'd be
judged by your demeanor and the content of your character, but this is an
unperfect world, and initial observations sometimes count against you.
Perhaps it would help you to spend some time on
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MuseJobs In addition to the job leads, I
regularly forward employment related articles, and I believe this topic may
be available in our archives.
I value your assertive behavior that says you are not going to conform to
the norm. But, I'm not paying you, and to my knowledge, I am not your
customer/patron. As budget will allow, the choice is up to you to decide how
differently you're going to dress. Just please do not complain if people
don't see your fashion statement as endearing.
Keep your chin up. Someday, you'll be uttering, "What in the world is
the matter with these kids." It happens to the best of us.
Carrie Hoover <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
These last two posts have caused me concern. Please judge people by their
actions and not their looks or their age.
On occasion I sport an "alternative" look (generally reserved for after
hours and weekends) and am youngish but I have always strived to maintain a
professional demeanor and provide excellent customer service. I have
frequently been praised for my success in these areas regardless of my
appearance or age. I also have many "alternative" friends and colleagues
who pride themselves in doing the same.
You may not realize it but judging someone on their appearance can be
perceived as akin to judging someone for their skin color. I'm sure that is
not Becky or Linda's intention in reacting to the inexcusably horrid
customer service Becky received at Kinkos.
Many young people are sporting more "alterative" looks these days - tattoos,
colored hair, piercings, etc. These looks are becoming more "normal" as
time passes by. Soon these young people will be entering the professional
world. They may tone down their "alternative" look for the business
environment but may still look "different" from today's norm. Please try to
appraise them on their deeds and not their appearance.
I am not trying to persecute either Linda or Becky. I am merely offering a
different perspective.
Sincerely,
Carrie Hoover
Indigo Nights
[log in to unmask]
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message
to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help"
(without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
|
