Something Existing

To be an OL (Office Lady), you have to dress like an OL. And a lot of people do dress like this, most of the time, it's because of company policy, or it's just that lady's habbit!

Every freshman/freshwoman(who just graduated) does think that they need to dress properly whenever they are going to an interview because of "first impression", to show how much you respect this oppertunity. Well, it is true that you should dress proper, but how proper? A Suit? It does cost a lot to these new/fresh people to get some formal clothes from some stores, such as Single Noble, G2000, or wherever in the department stores. I heard that my younger cousin's classmates spent her one month's salary for purchasing these formal dress because her new boss requires her to dress "proper", and you can imagine well that in this new age, there aren't really many students who have suit to wear, or enough formal clothes to cover their bodies 5 or 5.5 days a week. Therefore, spending their first month salary seems not really a surprising thing!

I never really had this kinda company policy in my previous works, and a female like me, I really hate to wear skirt, especially if the work requires me to move things sometimes. For example, the first work, I need to carry a big roll of fabric sometimes from one floor to another, I need to run through the whole office to get the accessories, and sort of works would never allow me to wear skirts by moving faster. Thus, I never wore skirts at work.

Personally, I love to wear jeans, because it's casual and easy for me to move around. Most important of all, it's just so great for any kinda top, T-shirt, shirt, or sweater, ALL GOOD! And it's also so great for any kinda shoes, especially it's cool with high heals. Therefore, I LOVE JEANS!! In the last work, I attended ShangHai exhibition and gee, I was so in love with jeans plus shirt, it's just perfect match without really giving people wrong imagine of "not respect" because of "shirt" and of course, everybody wear jeans, and jeans make people look more friendly and not that hard to get close or talk. My previous boss loves to wear jeans himself so he didn't really mind us dressing like that tho, so it's totally cool!

Well, for so long, I didn't really meet anyone pick on how I dress (only they think I can be more feminine, which not really a very comfortable thing for me to do, not because I am not girly. It's just I think skirts is so troublesome to keep women not to move). HOWEVER, someone did challenge me last week. (fuck)

There was this Japanese customer (well, God knows that Japanese love suit, but thanks God, I am NOT Japanese) coming to our office, so I had to meet him. I ignored my T-shirt that day and put on my most favorite black shirt to accompany with my lovely jeans as before. I didn't wear high heals coz I hate it and I gotta run everywhere in the office, but I wore my boot, which I leave it under my jeans so people think I wear leather shoes. There, I was satisfied, and going to meet this super polite Japanese. During the meeting, it's fun that this Japanese doesn't speak English so we were like Japanese with English, and sure, it made me want to sleep so bad, but I had to knead myself coz my boss was in the meeting with us (she doesn't understand English at all).

If you know me well, you will understand that the most I can do is being polite and smile, but I don't kiss ass at all. And there is no doubt that person like me don't really have chance to make people happier, but only can make sure that I won't fuck you up because I am a responsible person. Unfortunately, my boss is the type of person who loves people kiss her ass and she is too tradition to understand that the world has BEEN CHANGED!! So here you go, she talked to me in Taiwanese to make sure that the Japanese won't understand. She said "next time, be polite, wear a suit." What the fuck? What suit? A suit like yours? Gee, look at yourself, you are totally like an eggplant!! Don't you know that your suit is like thousand years ago, and God, I can even smell the mildew from your suit! Get lost, woman!! And look at you, don't you know that now everybody is in economical crisis, hide your gold necklace, bracelet, and jewelry. You are embarrassing yourself by being so funny!!

Thus, for God sake, leave me alone! I am not offending your customers at all. See, I have smile on my face and I did pull him tea whenever he drank up all of our tea. I even turned on the air condition for him to cool down, and I was running in and out of the meeting room just to get you things that do NOT need. So, do NOT challenge me because seriousely, I really almost ran OUT of patience to deal with you, an old mind, stubborn woman, and please, don't even try to push me too hard!!

I, being your employee, worked 3 people's workload now by over 10 hours working hours everyday, even the last day before Chinese New Year, I worked till 11pm without eating my dinner, and you doubted that I have no work to do, and told me that I was being unrespectful to your customer! Seriously, you fired a girl who used MSN in her first day at work because you didn't tell her to use MSN isn't allowed in our company. You complained to me that the other girl isn't a good employee because she expressed herself very well that she wants to work for some of our present customers, instead of new customers only after you made her leave. And you kept reminding me that I have this 3 months trial which I need to work harder to pass it. Thus, what the hell is going on with you? I only worked in your company for two weeks and I had done my best to pick up 3 people's workload without having anybody's help!!

I really want to ask you "is it possible that you will fire me one day because I didn't dress in the way you like it, after you find some new employee you think is more suitable for you?" Hahaha, so there is chance I will get fired because I did NOT wear suit!

Seriously, I think it's totally bullshit to wear suit! I meant don't you think suit will give people a "too serious" expression? Sure, to be proper is an important thing in business, but I think suit is really an overdo. We are NOT politicians, but we just have to get the business done, so why don't we wear a bit casual to release the tense first. Why suit? Why not a more comfortable pants and a shirt? Why jewelry? Why all the heavy makeup? Why heavy perfume? Why it has to be contact lens? Why NOT something light and make everyone a little bit easier?

Everyone will get old, everyone has different taste, and why don't we do something more nature? Why we have to straight up ourself by putting our body in some clothes that make people sing National song, or look so stupid to fight in congress? Why not to wear something that brings the imagine that "you are NOT that hard to get close"? Don't you know that a lot of Japanese have an unbelievable/invisible pressure by wearing the suit every single day? That suit has become an invisible fetter for them? They are considered to be depressed and even their president tried to change his imagine by wearing no suit!

For me, we don't need suit to be an OL. To show my respect, I can stop wearing jeans when there is customer visiting us. However, I really don't see the reason why only suit can bring people respect!! That's totally bullshit, so boss, screw you, I will NEVER wear suit, and be free to fire me for this fucking stupid reason!