LESSONS FROM UGLY BETTY: BUSINESS ATTIRE AS A CONFORMITY STRATEGY

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1 FOCUS ON BUSINESS PRACTICES 365 Address correspondence to Terri Grant, Professional Communication Unit, School of Management Studies, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7701, Cape Town, South Africa; Gaontebale Nodoba, whose interests range from multilingualism and intercultural communication to transformation and diversity studies, joined the Professional Communication Unit at the University of Cape Town in mid LESSONS FROM UGLY BETTY: BUSINESS ATTIRE AS A CONFORMITY STRATEGY Barbara Burgess-Wilkerson Jane Boyd Thomas Winthrop University DOI: / IN TODAY S MARKETPLACE, a premium is placed on corporate image and business attire. The rationale is that appearance reflects on the employer (Andrews & Baird, 2005). We tell students that first impressions, made within the first 60 seconds of meeting, are critical to their future success. As professors of management and marketing, we are routinely engaged in preparing students for professional occupations inclusive of an awareness that business attire is often reflective of a willingness to conform to workplace norms. We have known for quite some time that appearance can be indicative of conformity (Tseelon & Kaiser, 1992). Countless stories and lawsuits reveal lost career opportunities because employees failed to look the part. This reality is exemplified in the sitcom Ugly Betty, which provides weekly challenges encouraging us to consider the value of conformity as reflected by our appearance. Betty is an aspiring editor of a major fashion magazine. Raised in a blue-collar, working-class family, Betty does not conform to contemporary notions of style. Clothes in her world have a practical application that should not overshadow the individual s inner beauty. Betty functions with the utmost integrity in a world of competition and greed as her counterparts claw their way up the corporate ladder. Interestingly, they, unlike Betty, remain under the radar as their fashionable sense of style provides a veneer of honesty, fair play, and an unquestionable willingness to conform to the company dress code.

2 366 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION QUARTERLY / September 2009 Betty, on the other hand, is singled out, the target of ridicule and disparaging jokes not because of her incompetence but for her outlandish wardrobe, a combination of early Salvation Army and Kmart. Her appearance, offensive to the fashion elite, overshadows her kind disposition. As her altruistic personality competes with a signature candy-apple red, patent-leather belt, she is at times the victim of mistrust and resentment. Salt-of-the-earth Betty would be the next senior VP were it not for a terrible sense of style; nonetheless, she is a highly capable team player. Despite the outstanding results reaped by the magazine for which she works, she remains relegated to the bottom. We wonder why Betty doesn t just buy a Chanel suit, a matching pair of Prada shoes, and a Gucci bag to help her gain that well-deserved promotion to fashion editor. However, in Betty s mind, one s character should speak louder than one s outward appearance. Good luck, Betty! The lesson from Ugly Betty can serve as a tool to stress the importance of conformity through business attire. Students in business communications and consumer behavior classes (N = 100) were asked to watch an episode of Ugly Betty. Afterward, a class discussion was held to determine the extent to which students felt that dress can be an expression of conformity and the extent to which one should dress to conform to workplace norms. The classroom discussion on this topic was lively and provided insight into how today s college students view attire as indicative of conformity. The majority of the students felt that conforming to the company dress code would be beneficial to Betty. Comments included, Although she would be more successful, her dress should have nothing to do with her ability, and Conformity is not a bad word. The students understand the value of conformity; however, a theme that emerged was a desire for individuality. A female marketing major commented as follows: We are interested in individualism. We customize our Nikes because we feel the need to show our individuality even when we are conforming to workplace norms.... Maybe wear a pin or a fashionable pair of shoes with an outfit. A 20-year-old marketing major commented on the generational differences: The 40-year-old is about rules and everyone looking the same. I want to be an individual. These thoughts are supported by the findings of Guy and Banim (2000) who surmise that, for

3 FOCUS ON BUSINESS PRACTICES 367 women, clothing is an extension of self and assists in expressing who they are. Tseelon and Kaiser (1992) argue that a woman s identity is realized through clothing and that garment selections are made to fit a certain role. Another female marketing major offered this personal account that further illustrates the complexity of conforming and the generational differences regarding acceptable professional attire: I was called into the manager s office for dressing too casually. The manager explained the expected code of dress for the office. I argued that I did not interact with clients or others outside the business and felt more comfortable in my clothes. I did not want to spend my salary on new clothes. Furthermore, nothing was written about what I should and should not wear. This notion of individuality is consistent with descriptions of Generation Y ( ) as self-inventive, individualistic, not intimidated by authority and willing to re-write the rules (Kogan, 2001; Thielfoldt & Scheef, 2004). In a phone interview, Paula Harvey, president and CEO of K & P Consulting and 2005 Human Resources Professional of the Year, confirms the notion of individuality and argues that Generation Y has carried on the notion of individualism which was started by Generation X. In her opinion, Generation Y is breaking down the door that was opened by Generation X. She believes that employers are attempting to redefine dress as a talent recruitment and retention strategy (P. Harvey, personal communication, March 12, 2009). Conclusion Business students should understand the relevance of professional attire as an indication of conformity. Of equal importance is the recognition that some companies have loosened their dress codes to a more flexible policy to recruit young talent. Ugly Betty could serve as a teaching tool to initiate the dialogue on conformity in a lighthearted, yet thoughtful manner. A follow-up to this lesson might be to have students research by industry those companies that require strict adherence to a company dress code and those industries, such as the information technology field, that allow for more flexibility.

4 368 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION QUARTERLY / September 2009 While it appears that companies are moving toward a more liberal dress code, students are well-advised to err on the side of tastefully conservative business attire. References Andrews, P., & Baird, J. (2005). Communication for business and the professions. Long Grove: Waveland Press. Guy, A., & Banim, M. (2000). Personal collections: Women s clothing use and identity. Journal of Gender Studies, 9, Kogan, M. (2001). Bridging the gap. Government Executive, 33(12), 16. Thielfoldt, D., & Scheef, D. (2004, August). Generation X and the new millennials: What you need to know about mentoring the new generations. Law Practice Today. Retrieved March 13, 2009, from Tseelon, E., & Kaiser, S. B. (1992). A dialog with feminist film theory: Multiple readings of gaze. Studies in Symbolic Interaction, 13, Barbara Burgess-Wilkerson, PhD, is an assistant professor of management and director of student professional development in the College of Business Administration at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Address correspondence to Barbara Burgess-Wilkerson, Winthrop University, College of Business Administration, 207 Thurmond Building, Rock Hill, SC 29733; burgessb@winthrop.edu. Jane Boyd Thomas, PhD, is a professor of marketing and Grier Professor of Business in the College of Business Administration at Winthrop University. THE SEMIOTIC FUNCTION OF CLOTHING AND GENDER ROLES ON BROADCAST BUSINESS NEWS Sabine Tan Monica Owyong Yuet See National University of Singapore DOI: / IN TODAY S FAST-PACED, competitive society, attracting the attention of viewers has become increasingly challenging. Consequently, in broadcast business news, the communicative function of newscasters and presenters overall appearance may be highly significant in securing and sustaining viewership in more than one way. The following article arose out of a preliminary, exploratory study of mediated business news as part of a larger project that aims to develop and use computer-based technology for modeling, analyzing, and retrieving qualitative meaning from multimodal phenomena. The Events in the World project is concerned with describing

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