It can be a difficult task to balance Geek Girl Fashion and being a professional in the workplace. Two of my favorite T.V. characters are Abby Sciuto on NCIS and Penelope Garcia on Criminal Minds. These ladies are smart, experts in their field, and fully express their geek girl fashion sense. In the real world, sometimes us geek girls have to scale it back a bit.
I have to admit that it would be a blast to go to work dressed 100% the way I want, but this would not be a sound career option. My employers may have something to say (and it wouldn’t be too supportive) if I had a spiderweb tattoo on the side of my neck ala Abby. So what is a geek girl with keen eye for fashion to do? How do you balance who you are and what your job requires from you?
My best advice: it is important to know the culture of your work environment. Did you notice I didn’t say policies? I am talking about the work culture, which is all about the rules (both written and unwritten) and ways of doing things at the company you work at. Do they allow tattoos? Piercings? Personal flare? Do you get that disapproving mom stare when you walk down the hall? Just because a work policy may allow something like tattoos doesn’t mean that you are not gonna face some discrimination if you have one.
It could also be that the company doesn’t have a problem, but your supervisor does. Maybe she is a closet geek and is jealous of your fashion, who knows, but is total expression worth it? The important thing is to pay attention. I know that there are limits to what I can wear at work. When I came back from Comic Con last year I had a great lanyard from DC online with Harley Quinn/Joker and Batman/Robin. It was a lot of fun to wear at work and I used it to strike up conversations with people (relating to people is extremely important in the job I do). My computer bag has a collection of geeky pins that make me smile. And every day I wear my Emily Strange watch. Sometimes you have to settle for the little things at work.
Maybe you can’t have all pink hair, but you can add a little peek-a-boo slice here and there.
Instead of wearing head to toe Goth, Punk, or Rock-a-Billy to work, maybe try to incorporate an accent piece or accessory. The retro look of Betty Paige and Mad Men is very popular and easy to get away with. A hint of these styles goes a long way in the workplace because it can allow you show the world you have your geek on without risking your job or relationships at work.
You don’t want it to look like you think work is a giant costume party. This will not help motivate your boss into giving you a raise. Sure there are people that can get away with pushing the limits to the max and there are jobs that don’t care what you wear to work. These are few and far between. Even Abby and Garcia have had to tone it down from time to time. If they can do it while maintaining total Geek Girl status so can you.
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