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Clothed with Confidance

Connecting Beyond the Clothing

Cultural Identity and Professionalism 

The workplace still tends to be a challenge for many women when it comes to experiencing cultural competency.  Below are a few links on how individuals have been maintaining a sense of cultural identity through clothing while joining and navigating companies with dress codes. Similarly, a few of these articles discuss the importance of cultural competency in the workforce!

Resources for Companies 
  • How to get serious about diversity and inclusion in the workplace

    • Imagine a workplace where people of all colors and races are able to climb every rung of the corporate ladder - - and where the lessons we learn about diversity at work actually transform the things we do, think and say outside the office. How do we get there? In this candid talk, inclusion advocate Janet Stovall shares a three-part action plan for creating workplaces where people feel safe and expected to be their unassimilated, authentic selves.

  • The psychology of office fashion: Cultural norms at work

    • Whether women are praised for masculine dress or people of color adopt white hairstyles, operative norms dictate office fashion.

  • Exploring Culturally Specific Styles in the Workplace - FindLaw

    • While rules for business attire have changed significantly in the last decade, in both "business" and "business casual" dress environments, few employers have yet dared to raise a crucial question: What about ethnic and religious styles?

  • All About Cultural Competence and Workplace Culture

    • Learn what cultural competence is, how it benefits the workplace and how you can improve cultural competency at your company.

Resources for Individuals 
  • 3 ways to be a better ally in the workplace

    • We're taught to believe that hard work and dedication will lead to success, but that's not always the case. Gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation are among the many factors that affect our chances, says writer and advocate Melinda Epler, and it's up to each of us to be allies for those who face discrimination. In this actionable talk, Epler shares three ways to support people who are underrepresented in the workplace. "There's no magic wand for correcting diversity and inclusion," she says. "Change happens one person at a time, one act at a time, one word at a time."

  • Avoiding Cross-Cultural Faux Pas

    • Avoid committing an inadvertent cultural faux pas by choosing the right clothes to wear when working in different countries.

  • The Bias of 'Professionalism' Standards (SSIR)

    • Professionalism has become coded language for white favoritism in workplace practices that more often than not leave behind people of color.This is the fourth of 10 articles in a special series about diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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