One of the random things I'm finding difficult about my new(ish) professor status and my new climate is my attire. When you are 5'2", and the youngest member of your faculty by almost a decade, dressing age appropriate, professional and comfortable all at once can be a challenge. I have been mistaken for a new student at least half a dozen times since I've been here, and been complimented on my attire just as many other times. I'm at about a 50% success rate if you ask me. I think of this as one of those little things that women deal with and men don't. On it's own, it's not a really big deal, but alot of those little things add up to a pile more of stress that a woman TT prof deals with and a man doesn't.
Anyways, given the unknown appropriateness factor, coupled with a body type that is not the one most clothing companies design for an a very limited budget, and it's a struggle. Don't get me wrong, I like to shop, so it hasn't been too much of a burden, just something extra on my plate.
I found myself in need of some new shoes. Brown flats that could work with skirts and pants, and weren't too tall to make my pants look like the wrong length, but weren't too flat to make them drag on the floor. That also were comfortable enough to get around campus without falling on my face. I searched for awhile and finally settled on a pair I liked. I ordered them, they came and I'm quite happy with them.
Well, on Thursday, I wore them to work for the first time. Somewhere between the office and the vending machine I apparently stepped in gum! A really gooey nasty wad of gum. That in and of itself would usually be bad enough. I, however, was so engrossed in my world, that I did not know that this gum was on my shoe, and settled in on my nice chair, to read a journal article...with the gummed shoe tucked nicely under my butt. Sitting like this is an awful habit I just can't seem to break. I'm 30, I know better, but I do it anyways. I figure it's less offensive than some bad habits (like the improper dispoal of gum), so whatever.
So here we are, gum shoe and butt of my favorite pair of pants all merged on the chair for the 20 minutes it takes for me to read the article. I'm glad no one was around to see what happened when I tried to get up and all of the above components were rather stuck together. Chair is ruined, pants are probably ruined, and my loving husband spent some considerable time saving the shoes so they survived.
The next politician to support a ban on gum like the one in Singapore has my full support!
I know what you mean-- not only am I 5'2" and the youngest person at work, but also one of the only women. My fall/winter "uniform" is a vest or sweater vest over a button down shirt with a blazer or suit jacket on top, and suit pants (that have been hemmed of course!) or an a-line skirt and thick tights on the bottom. It's a very smart, tailored look that's professional yet flattering.
ReplyDeleteYou MIGHT have some success using dish soap on the chair/pants. Depending on how willing you are to experiment (if you're thinking the pants/chair may be a loss anyway), you might try some vegetable oil to get the gum out, then dish soap to get the oil out.
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