Dress Week Challenge Day Six

Sorry for posting this so late! I said last Friday that I would post this Saturday or Sunday, but due to battery issues with my camera, I was not able to upload the photos until now. Friday after school I headed over to a friend’s house. She has two loving and rambunctious golden retrievers, so after I left there I looked like a shag rug. Hence, I couldn’t get a good, hair-free photo of my outfit to post here. I wanted to post the photos I took of the other gals participating in Dress Week, because they all looked really great, and I just love the outfits they put together.

Left to right are Christina, a math graduate student, Brandy, Tracy, Shannon and Christy.

So that concludes “No Pants Week” on The Math Fashionista. Last Monday, Margaret from New York commented on my blog, asking, “What’s the point of the challenge exactly? To be dressier? More feminine? Or is it strictly a kind of fashion challenge?” Here’s how I responded:

“Hi Margaret! Since I didn’t come up with the challenge, I can’t say the exact “official” reason for it, but according to some of the gals who are participating, they are mainly doing it to feel more feminine. I think a lot of women who work in math/science/tech (traditionally, very male dominated fields) sometimes shy away from dressing in an “overtly” feminine way. Not necessarily because they enjoy dressing in a more “masuline” way, but because they don’t want to draw a lot of attention to themselves or stick out, and they want to be respected and seen on the same level as their male colleagues. I know this is the case with the women I have spoken with personally about this. So, “Dress Week” was really just a fun fashion way of feeling more girly and dressing up a little. It was kind of to say, “Yes, we like math, and we’re smart and hardworking, but we’re also female, and that shouldn’t be a big deal.” I feel fairly confident wearing skirts and dresses to school, and do so regularly, but a lot of the women I attend with don’t feel as confident doing this, so I can say my personal reason for participating in the challenge is to show solidarity and to support my classmates and friends.”

I am lucky to attend school with such fabulous, confident women, and I had a really good time with this challenge. I hope if you are in similar situation in your life or at your workplace, you will likewise feel inspired and confident enough to dress up a little bit if you want to.