Men Don't Promote Women Because They Dress Too Sexy?

Just finished reading this article on Forbes.com by Shaun Rein about Why Men Don't Promote Women.  The author gives women two tips to help change this.  First, ask for the promotion.  Second, stop dressing sexy.  Now, I was on board with his first tip, despite the fact that this wasn't exactly new or groundbreaking information.  But, when I got to tip #2, it was jarring:

Second, women should not use overt sexuality to get ahead. Occasional mild flirting may have its place, but to be taken seriously, focus on business. Look professional and attractive but not sexy. The same goes for men. Guys who dress too flashily likewise aren't taken seriously--except in the entertainment world.

Looks do matter in the business world, as Laura Sinberg recently wrote for Forbes. But you want to be remembered for your business ability, not for how you look in a short skirt. The latter hardly gets you taken seriously as a business executive.

Hmmm.  So that's what we've been doing wrong all these years - wearing bustiers, stilettos, and fishnet hose with our cleavage and thigh-baring outfits in hopes that will convince men to promote us.   Thanks for clearing that up Mr. Rein.  I'm not sure what goes on in China where you apparently live, or if you are confused and think Mad Men is an accurate depiction of a modern day office in the US; but I'm pretty sure that when it comes to the reasons why women don't get promotions - dressing or acting sexy is certainly not in the top two.

Yes, I will grant you that there are some employees who don't dress professionally in the office.  However, these are not generally the ones seeking promotions.  So, maybe there might be some statistics there that support your theory that women who act sexy don't get promotions, but are those individuals likely to be reading Forbes?

  

Comments

[David G. Mitchell]

I wonder what color the sky is in Mr. Rein's world. He clearly is going to work on a different planet than I am. For that matter, what could have induced Forbes.com to print such drivel?

[Diane Danielson/CEO, Downtown Women's Club]

David - Absolutely what I was thinking. Lost a bit of respect for Forbes on this one.

[Doreen Blades]

Did Forbes recycle this article from the 60's or 70's?
Mr. Rein needs to get in the real world. We do need more women on Board of Director's of Fortune 1000 companies and we do need more women in higher positions, however we do need to stop this type of advice! I will think twice before I read Forbes again.

[NB]

My question to Mr. Rein is "what exactly IS dressing TOO sexy?" and not because I want to wear as short a skirt as I can get away with, but because I find that the reasoning of Mr. Rein and ilk usually leads to the suggestion that we be women in drag at work.

Pretending to NOT be a woman should never be a requirement to get ahead.

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