Blog 23

From the 1960s to the 1980s, men wore identical suits to court and women tried to look like men. They wore boxy black or navy suits, skirt suits, and had their hair pulled back into a bun while in court. According to English, “Over time women decided they didn’t like the required masculine look, whereupon they “rebelled and “demanded” a return to a more traditionally feminine look” (19). One woman changed her appearance only after hearing a jury mocking what she was wearing, so she began dressing in more fashionable clothes to increase her credibility. Another woman received a make-over that boosted her confidence enough that she was able to make partner. Michelle Obama dresses unlike most of the other first ladies. She talks about all of the things she wants to do in the White House and dresses like many American women. She says that she buys clothes from J. Crew, but admits that for occasions when she has to dress up, that she wears designer dresses and accessories. In English’s book, one woman says that she wears lipstick in order to look older and more authoritative during board meetings. She often gets misjudged because she is young and a woman. She dresses up and puts on make-up as an “armor.” Women were rewarded for looking more feminine with greater power and control, they were not just dismissed. Many men believe that women have an easier time with dress as lawyers than men do because of how great the range in choices for clothing is for women and not for men. For men, they are either formal, in suits, or casual, in khakis and a polo shirt.