https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Tue, 05 May 2026 11:06:10 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-197290 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 05:28:12 +0000 Scarlet 197290@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ewww! Actually chemistry was my first love, but I didn't stick with it because there were only crabby male professors and I just couldn't see myself there. I know, sad, right? I didn't get close enough to look in their beards. Thank goodness apparently. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-197246 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 03:38:18 +0000 bj1111 197246@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>MNsara, some of my profs had so much food in their beards, they were well-provisioned if they got stranded in a snowdrift on their way to the math building. yuck!</p> <p>of course, 95% of these men were married! there really is a nut for every screw. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-197017 Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:35:11 +0000 MNsara 197017@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh my, Scarlet - You have painted such a wonderfully vivid picture and brought back lots of good memories from my Math Department days. . . thank you for the laughs!</p> <p>I really think you should become the belt fairy -- leaving anonymous belts at their desks, all curled up, tied with a ribbon! (I was thinking from the 99-cents days at a thrift store. . .) But there is still a huge possibility that they wouldn't even 'get' the hint :-\</p> <p>My son was in undergraduate Chemistry when he made the observation that it was a direct correlation between the professor's number of published papers and the food remnants in his beard. His other observation was the inverse correlation between the gnarly, mossy quality of their beard and their social abilities. (apparently he had all male professors ;-)</p> <p>I do NOT want to offend anyone in the Chem/science academia field -- just tap into a persona that we have probably encountered!</p> <p>That said, I adore the charm school idea, but, as always, they need to care first. . . </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-196876 Sun, 08 Aug 2010 16:36:00 +0000 bj1111 196876@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>we should call the nobel society and request a new prize category for the dressing the scientific! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-196827 Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:20:06 +0000 Refugee 196827@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Some people are called to feed the hungry. Others are called to heal the sick. It seems you have been called to dress the scientific. On behalf of the rest of us, I would like to thank you for your sacrifice (the daily assault on your eyes is indeed a sacrifice, LOL) and your public service. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-196756 Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:21:46 +0000 Scarlet 196756@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Isabel, that's hysterical! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-196378 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 19:26:36 +0000 Isabel 196378@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is hysterical !!</p> <p>MIT has a charm school ! How high tech and radical ! Many years ago I worked in a MIT molecular biology lab. The principal investigator had a collaboration with an Italian lab and the Italians would come over quite a bit to work with us. The hysterical part was that we showed them alot of science and they showed us alot of fashion !!! The women in our lab started wearing lipstick and scarves and nicer watches because one of the female Italian scientists would give "lab meetings" on elegance. Those were fun times for me.</p> <p>Another funny story, again many years ago, I was walking down the street with a friend of mine who owned a jewelry store. And I spotted the man who was partly responsible for the most recent version of DNA manual sequencing and one of the most respected molecular biologists in the world. To me, it was like running into a rock star. I pointed him out to my friend. And she replied, " That homeless man...what happened to him ?? " </p> <p>He wasn't homeless, but he was wearing bell bottom, tight fitting high waters, a beard down to his chest, and what looked like a child's oxford shirt, and boat shoes that were torn !!! It was a priceless moment. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-196361 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 18:47:58 +0000 Scarlet 196361@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>CHARM SCHOOL!!!! That is so funny, like, as in inspired by Flavor of Love and I Love New York. Ha Ha Ha! That is perfect. A local branch, a night job, someone show me how to start a business. I might not be a high-fashion maven, but I can certainly help these poor souls. What should my business card say? I can start with a questionnaire: do you or have you ever owned a full-length mirror? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-196357 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 18:34:22 +0000 biscuitsmom 196357@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>EEWW....Just EEWW! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-196337 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 17:42:53 +0000 Ariadne 196337@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Jonesy, sadly I've been told the same thing by a woman professor at the unviversity where I did my undergrad. According to her, dressing with even a modicum of care and style at that particular university (and in others, but it depended on where) was directly antithetical to advancing in her career. Super sad.</p> <p>ETA: I think MIT's Charm School is a brilliant idea. I totally would have gone to something like that (and my degrees are from Fine Arts faculties), and so would my DH. Even if you're fairly socailly competent, it would still be really interesting and fun! Tanya, that's very cool that you taught there. How did people dress? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-196332 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 17:30:19 +0000 Tanya 196332@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>He he Medusa, I used to teach at the Charm School, since it also included dancing </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-196325 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 17:23:30 +0000 medusa 196325@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Do you know that MIT has a "Charm School" to address this type of problem among us clueless scientists and engineers?<br /> <a href="http://web.mit.edu/charm/schedule.html" rel="nofollow">http://web.mit.edu/charm/schedule.html</a></p> <p>Maybe you should start a local branch of charm school. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-196293 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:42:17 +0000 Angie 196293@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I see a new night job in your future, Scarlet-Rosie? Good bit of extra shopping pocket money. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession/page/2#post-196290 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:36:37 +0000 Tanya 196290@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Jonesy, I could agree more with what you are saying. There is such a stigma definitely involved.</p> <p>Scarlet, you can't even imagine how bad the fields of natural sciences/engineering ( where I am) are! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196286 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:33:21 +0000 Scarlet 196286@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think academic dressing depends a lot on department, Londonkiwi. I think law and politics tend to be well turned out. Business/management dress very corporate. I have the impression there are a lot of stylish people in English, History, and Art.<br /> Another funny story, I was at an overnight departmental retreat and the next morning a woman timidly approached me whether I might possibly have a hairbrush in my purse because she had washed her hair but not thought to bring a comb. Yup, I am going to be the fairy godmother of scientists, if I can stick with it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196283 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:31:19 +0000 Jonesy 196283@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>These stories are hilarious! I am a professor and dress relatively stylishly; once in a while I will receive a compliment on something I'm wearing, usually from a female graduate student. On the other hand, I think there is definitely a stigma related to female academics caring about how we look. It is seen as too frivolous or superficial. One thing this site has done for me is to encourage me to dress how I want to, regardless of how I might be perceived. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196280 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:28:20 +0000 Katja 196280@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I sometimes try to explain what the people are like who work in the academic field I used to be in (parallel computing):</p> <p>These are the guys who have long, untrimmed beards, whose jeans would stand up by themselves, and who have been arguing about the same thing with the same people at conferences all over the world for the last 30 years. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196279 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:27:07 +0000 londonkiwi (now back in NZ) 196279@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Maybe you should invite people to go shopping with you at lunchtime? Or H&amp;M clothing vouchers for everyone at Christmas?</p> <p>I honestly can't remember my professors at univesity being that badly dressed. My law ones often still had private practices and even my politics ones weren't that bad, in fact my Asian politics lecturer was a particularly snappy dresser. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196278 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:26:55 +0000 Scarlet 196278@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Maybe I need to be the belt, soap, and deodorant fairy. I see a second career opening up before me. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196275 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:22:20 +0000 Angie 196275@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>*chuckle* </p> <p>Air freshener, Scarlet-Rosie? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196230 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:07:28 +0000 Beth 196230@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yikes these stories make me feel grateful that the the only things I have to put up with at work are denim dresses with cartoon characters on them and mom jeans. :O </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196218 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 13:57:58 +0000 Sihaya 196218@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Scarlet - yech. Thanks for the chuckle. Sorry you have to put up with this. Speaking of smells, one of my big challenges as a manager once was having to pull aside someone and talk to him about his over powering body odor! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196193 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:30:21 +0000 Frances 196193@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You know, it's really sad to hear that this is the state of academia today and that "projects" like Academichic are even necessary. Over the years I've taken so much inspiration from the academic look you see styled in the fall magazine issues--tweed jackets, loafers, dark-framed glasses, etc. But of course, this style is usually more fantasy than reality when you take a look at actual classrooms and campuses!</p> <p>Scarlet, I have to sympathize. There is a young woman who works in my building who is a project director in an influential position. She is strikingly beautiful and is ordinarily attired in a very elegant way. However, some days there are misfires, such as the day this past week when she turned up at the office in a lovely white leather jacket, premium denim and designer bag--and a midriff-baring graphic babydoll T. The rest of the clothing, though casual, would have been fine in her particular office setting, but to see her (surprisingly) unfit belly popping out of the outfit was just jarring. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196176 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 07:33:27 +0000 Scarlet 196176@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>OMG, Katie pea, I am not even talking about smells! Lets just say I am REALLY concerned about the onset of winter when I cannot keep my office windows open all day. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196175 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 07:31:59 +0000 Scarlet 196175@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I just remembered an older colleague of mine wears tightey-whiteys, because he also suffered from time to time of the sagging pants syndrome. Maybe I should turn myself into a belt fairy and start leaving belts around for these poor people. The same person also wore nothing but pin-striped dress pants for two weeks with whatever incongruous shirt and shoe combination because, as he later claimed, he could not find his regular pants and suspected his son of stealing his clean laundry. That was pretty funny actually.</p> <p>Michelle-<br /> as you said, "The fact that you're even making an effort to look fashionable and polished must leave your coworkers' jaws agape" It does! But they get used to me after some time, and honestly I have the feeling that I even inspire some people to make a little more effort. They sneakily come to me for help.</p> <p>Brianna-<br /> Your stories made me laugh out loud! I am glad you have found yourself such a stylin' man. Sometimes my academic husband favors a blazer, and it gets everyone atwitter every time. Where are you going? Do you have a meeting today? etc. See it happens to men too. Funny, in this case, we are the eccentric ones. I think full academic regalia is a great idea! I am tired of seeing undies.</p> <p>Sally-<br /> I am glad to hear you take more pride in dressing now. I think all of us can struggle at one time or another for various reasons.</p> <p>Isabel-<br /> I think it is true what you say too, but I draw the line at public underwear. That skirt description, ugh.</p> <p>Crazyone-<br /> In general Germans still dress better than their American counterparts. For example if the speaker hadn't shown his underwear, he would have looked quite presentable. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196169 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 07:02:59 +0000 Katiepea 196169@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Lordy, you certainly know how to paint a vivid image Scarlet! I'm wincing at the image. </p> <p>Do they at least smell pleasant? I can handle these images (with a chuckle), but I can't handle stench! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196128 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 04:36:54 +0000 Tanya 196128@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I completely sympathize with you. I have seen the same and worse, and still do, sometimes even on the daily basis. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196126 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 04:34:27 +0000 Sally 196126@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Staff dress has been a big topic in my workplace recently. Some people are really anti-jeans but I think that is the least of their worries! I think the way that those camoflage pants have been worn recently can make jeans look downright formal. Some dress jeans look really smart. And even if we had a uniform code, I still think some people would look scruffy because some people do not care about what they wear. I have been there! Especially when I was very overweight and felt like I didn't have any nice clothes anyway, I would get up and put on anything....its kind of like...I need a shirt ok now I need a jumper, find a pair of clean slacks....ok i'm dressed. These days I have a lot more clothes that fit nicely and I take a lot more pride in how I wear them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196102 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 04:08:46 +0000 Ariadne 196102@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ahahahaha, you must work in academia, right? We are an academic family too. I had more than one professor who looked like he woke up in a broom closet where he'd been asleep for the last twenty years, and then came directly to class without brushing his hair or wiping the dust off of his (shiny-elbowed, brown, polyester) jacket and (shiny-kneed, mustart, polyester, pleated) pants. Another one always tucked in one side of his shirt, but not the other, and apparently brushed only the part of his hair he could see in the mirror without turning his head (kind of like my 15-month-old does). </p> <p>The hilarious thing is that apparently despite this, you're still expected to wear suits when interviewing for university jobs.</p> <p>My husband is a PhD student and the fact that he wears striped Cons and button-down white shirts with his cargo pants, and knows better than to wear socks with his Chacos, means that he's supremely stylin'. </p> <p>I often think we'd be better off taking a page from Oxford and having professors dress in regalia every day instead. Just sayin'. Perhaps a topic for the next admin meeting?!?!</p> <p>Thanks for giving me a good laugh to cap off the evening! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/style-lows-in-my-chosen-profession#post-196078 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 03:42:27 +0000 Lisa 196078@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow I can understand some people not caring about clothes but to not even wear clothing that fits properly? That's ridiculous. </p>