The Girl's Guide to Law School®
Get In, Get Through, Stay You
Do Supreme Court Justices worry about their wardrobe choices? The answer may surprise you. we’re pleased to welcome back guest poster Juliana Siconolfi to share her thoughts about high-powered women and fashion. Welcome, Juliana!
Pop quiz: Who said the following? “I wish I had my own sense of style.” [Read more…]
Did you know that overweight women are more likely to experience discrimination in court? It’s a sad statement, but unfortunately, it is true and is a fact for many women.
I’m pleased to welcome back guest poster Juliana Siconolfi who addresses this touchy subject in a brave and thought-provoking post. Welcome, Juliana!
Scrolling through my Google Reader earlier this year (back when it still existed), I came across a post by Sesali Bowen entitled, “Quick Hit: Overweight women more likely to experience weight-based discrimination in court of law.” In it, Ms. Bowen provides a brief recount of a study that determined overweight women were more likely than thin women, thin men, or overweight men to be deemed guilty of a crime by male jurors. She then points out that women are often subjected to negative judgment because of their weight, and not just in mock courtrooms.
The results of this study left me feeling disheartened, albeit not entirely surprised. Reading about this study also helped me realize that I should take the opportunity here to write about a somewhat related topic. [Read more…]
Can fashion work magic? In honor of Fashion Week(s) all over the globe lately, I’m pleased to welcome back guest poster Juliana Siconolfi with her take on the topic. Welcome, Juliana!
A few months ago I read a post entitled, “What I Want My Daughter to Know About Fashion.” I took some positive takeaways from the piece, including the sentiment that one’s value stems from who she is as a person as opposed to the contents of her closet. I also finished the piece wondering about one point in particular:
Fashion doesn’t give you confidence. Fashion isn’t magic.
And by “wonder,” I mean that my jaw may have dropped.
Does it really matter what you wear as a lawyer? Shouldn’t you be judged on how brilliant your briefs are, not on whether your nail polish is chipped or your shirt is wrinkled? Maybe, but we all know that’s not how it works in the real world. Guest poster Juliana Siconolfi returns with a simple suggestion: Can we at least talk about these things?
Today, we’re excited to welcome Juliana Siconolfi, Professorial Lecturer in Law and LL.M. candidate at The George Washington University Law School for her first Subject to Interpretation post. She’ll be writing about a very important, interesting, and under-discussed topic: appearance standards and professionalism.
Hi, Everyone, and thank you for taking the time to stop by my guest post. Thanks also to Alison for giving me the opportunity to speak with you all. Over the course of the next few posts, I look forward to sharing some of my thoughts and experiences concerning an aspect of professionalism that is often times not taken very seriously — the appearance standards that female attorneys confront.
I want to discuss what the standards are, how these standards may help/hinder our career goals, and whether we might want to change some/all of them . . . and if so, how?
