Do you feel the need to be a lipstick lesbian at work?

It’s a question we shouldn’t really need to be asking in 2015, you should feel comfortable dress the way that makes you feel comfortable at work. However sadly, for a lot of women, this isn’t the case, and for many of us, feeling the need to ‘femme up’ or dress differently for the office is a thing. We caught up with a few GaydarGirls who have office dress code opinions, both positive and negative, and we are happy to report that dressing differently for work isn’t always a negative thing.

“Dressing femme at work makes a nice change for me” 

For some the idea of putting on lipstick and a dress for work because you sort of have to make an effort in the workplace is welcome, otherwise the temptation to live in jeans and t-shirts is too much. The recognition is a bonus too. Having the odd “Ooh you look nice today” is sweet compared to “Are you ill? Or just a skater?”

“I feel like it’s just easier to dress up, less questions, less weird looks”

We can see the point in this, while it’s such a shame to think that women get more looks if they dress in skirts at work (because really, no one should care), we understand the desire to avoid the hassle of not fitting in. Some people like to be noticed at work, others choose to separate their social lives from their work lives completely and avoiding weird prejudice or standing out in the work crowd is something they prefer, that is equally ok. However feeling the pressure to do so as opposed to wanting to is wrong.

“People are more intimidated by me if I wear a suit, I like that, so I don’t feel the need to dress like an office bunny”

For others who don’t feel the need to ‘femme up’ at work, having the image of big bad boss lady deserves much kudos.

“I don’t mind it because I’m not out at work”

Some people choose not to come out at work at all so dressing femme is sometimes a way to stay under wraps. Anything is fine as long as its your choice, if you want to be out and proud at work, great. If you want to keep things more of a secret that’s also fine. Just make sure the decision has come from you and not your peers.

“I think some people look into it too much. If you really don’t feel comfortable enough at work being who you are, that’s a bad workplace situation, otherwise it’s your own doubts on dress code, in which case you should just be yourself – it probably wouldn’t be as much of a deal as you think.”

This is definitely something to think about. It’s important to know the difference between your own insecurities at work and a genuinely poisonous work environment. If you think you’re in the latter try to remedy it. If you feel like your working environment is unaccepting it might be time to move on to a more comfortable, broad-minded space. If you feel like it’s just your own insecurities taking hold you should decide whether or not you should just take the plunge and dress how you want at work.