Monday 1 October 2012

What a woman in business needs to know when travelling to India

I read an article in weekend TODAY culled from the New York Times that Indian expatriate women who return to India after a stint overseas (presumbly in New York) have to keep all clothing exposing the leg.  Showing cleavage is apparently fine, but not showing the leg.

I better find some pants to cover up while I am in Chennai, India next week.  There goes my plan to wear my knee length black dress office 'uniform'.  Men have it easy.  They only have to match their shirt to their pant to their shoe to their tie colour.... ok, I take it back.  Men have it easier.  Women need to think about whether to wear skirts or pants, how long the skirt/pant should be, how much (if any) to expose of the arm.  Oh my.  Just thinking about clothes gives me a headache.

Working women who want to be taken seriously in the workplace need to dress such that our clothes do not distract from our work message.  That is why when I go into the office, I dress mostly in my knee length black dress uniform.  With a change in accessories, I am able to create different looks.  No such luck for my work trip next week.  Sigh.

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