Following reports that President Donald Trump's female staffers allegedly felt pressure to dress "like women" while working on his campaign, women across the globe are speaking out against the myth that their workplace wardrobes should consist solely of skirts and heels. And their Twitter retorts, via the hashtag #DressLikeAWoman, have been pretty inspiring: Women are challenging the outdated perception of what femininity means and how it translates into clothing, and it's encouraging proof that fashion can get political and positive.
Anonymous sources told Axios that there was an expectation placed on the women employed by the Trump campaign to dress in a way that was traditionally "feminine." The excerpt, which is part of a bigger dossier on POTUS (but not that dossier), reads: "'Trump likes the women who work for him 'to dress like women,' says a source who worked on Trump's campaign. 'Even if you're in jeans, you need to look neat and orderly.' The document alleges that women who worked in Trump's campaign field offices (a.k.a. folks who spend more time knocking on doors than attending glitzy events) "felt pressure to wear dresses to impress Trump."
The report also insists he judges his male staffers' appearances just as much as their female counterparts, noting his peculiar obsession with the brand (and thinness) of suit ties. But, of course, the alleged perception of women was much more gendered.
Yes, I'm doing an autopsy wearing pearls. #DressLikeAWoman pic.twitter.com/l3QBlCeJ2m
— Judy Melinek M.D. (@drjudymelinek) February 3, 2017
A handy guide on how to #dresslikeawoman:
— Maddie Soper (@misformaddie) February 3, 2017
1. Identify as a woman.
2 Get dressed.
👏WOMEN👏DRESSED👏LIKE👏WOMEN👏 #DressLikeAWoman pic.twitter.com/GmR5520Hci
— Alanna Vagianos (@lannadelgrey) February 3, 2017
As pointed out in these tweeted photos, women have been fighting for our country, protecting us from crime, nursing citizens back to health, and much more — and it really doesn't matter what they're wearing while doing so (and, nope, it usually doesn't involve a dress). These uniforms probably don't look like the feminine pieces Trump might prefer; nor does, say, a pantsuit, or what we wore to the Women's March. The idea of judging fashion in the workplace is an important topic, sure, but it's also disappointing that it's still a conversation that, apparently, needs to be had.
Bring your baby. Teach her to vote. Teach her to govern. Dress like Licia Ronzulli in European Parliment. #DressLikeAWoman pic.twitter.com/t3jNEPVaC2
— smoze (@sarahmozal) February 3, 2017
@realDonaldTrump Here I am, dressed like a woman, because I'm a woman wearing clothes. #dresslikeawoman pic.twitter.com/iRO8VPjgeH
— Victoria (@VOBOE) February 3, 2017
I #DressLikeAWoman. Do you think Trump would approve? I'm thinking not. pic.twitter.com/l0yO78xdps
— KateP (@doctorwibble) February 3, 2017
Me & my son; he's dressed like a man & I am dressed like a woman. In case you couldn't tell. #DressLikeAWoman pic.twitter.com/nVM2Emssj2
— Tara Wildes (@TaraWildes) February 3, 2017
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