don’t wear the dress. People mean well. Of course with my trust issues, I only take some advice. So when one of my closest friends was giving me interviewing tips, I took all of them in. I even wrote them down. However, two weeks later, there’s one that I cannot keep out of my head.

“Don’t wear the dress.”

When she asked me about my outfit, I told her cheerfully that I will be wearing a bright pink professional dress. I told her last time I interviewed, I felt so uncomfortable with a black suit.

She paused and said, “Don’t wear the dress. Wear pants. For women, pants is a symbol of power.”

Now, I know that I’m girlie, but really? Here are a serious of questions I asked myself that day, that week, and now as I’m typing this.

Are we still in that era?

Can a woman not get a job because of a dress?

What makes pants equal power?

Am I weak for wearing a dress?

Did I get two job offers that same day because I wore pants?

Do I need to look like a man to get promoted?

Am I too feminine?

What else do I wear that symbolizes the opposite of power?

Would I have gotten two job offers with a pink dress?

I’m still trying to figure out the answers to these questions. I know that being promoted at work is hard, especially if you’re a woman, but I thought as a society we were passed that. I will always appreciate my friend’s advice, but I can’t stop thinking about it. It bothers me.

What do you think?