Labels we put on and take off: Clothes, style, and choices with PhD in Clothes

If you've ever hid parts of yourself; felt challenged by fashion or presentation of "you" for the lab, classroom, or conference; or were uncertain of where your "real" self v academic self begin and end-- this one's for you. Rebecca gets me with so many zingers like

• How am I complicit in hustle culture?
• It’s challenging to have your body on display.
• Academia often puts seriousness and intellect opposite of creativity, fun, and frivolity.
• The more you think about the self- academic connection the messier it gets.
• It’s a long journey back to self.
• Universities are having a crisis of communication ourselves.
• Empathy is free.

• Top tips for dressing in academia:

  If it’s not comfortable, it’s not worth it. Period.

  Play with what it means to be a professional—joyful ability to express. Don’t hide who you are, don’t be afraid to play

  A blazer will solve almost every problem you’re having A couple that look nice, you can pull it all together

But there's so much more like:

Fashion is a lot more serious than people give it credit for

What you have on is an important part of what you communicate to the world.

Clothing is part of confidence: I can do this, I do belong

Becoming an academic is often accidental

Consider academic if you come alive in teaching – see it as fulfilling, challenging, interesting, exciting to watch someone learn things right in front of your eyes 

Teaching can be a stressful context; compassion and use student/office hours to assist in learning processes

Faculty development teaching workshops. If your instructional communication or pedagogy class will change your life

Consistency, structure, respect—don't worry if my students don’t think I’m cool or funny. If they think you respect them and consistent with empathy, they will trust then maybe like you more than if you were trying to be cool.

A class is not me versus the student; it’s you and the students versus the problem

Didn’t realize getting a PhD changes you as a person, personality, attitude, not just a “job” and there is no real way to revert from it. Once you go through an experience this life-changing

It’s ok that it changes you but you don’t really know what you’re stepping into

A person in clothes, speaking, etc.

Grad school is in many ways more challenging more than being a professor; there’s no way; but yes, you are being asked to do so much in grad school; if you’re listening and still in training and trying to manage; wearing a lot of hats; expert but not; teacher but student; leads to heightened state of I need to be working and producing

People brag about culture of work and how terrible their life is; virtue is tied to my productivit, which often leads to heightened anxiety- and further health issues 

Academia will always ask me for more than I can give it

If I don’t get away and hold boundaries, I’ll have serious issues

How do I even do that if people say they haven’t slept 4 hours; how do I get out of it?

I know I should rest but I haven’t been given the tools to do so

Freedom to determine own schedule can also become a curse

Department expects you to have outside interests; culture matters.

Life is going to demand that you impose boundaries

Previous self had an aggressive resistance by bringing whole self to work

It’s ok to lie. Don’t be an academic martyr. If you had to stop teaching tomorrow, you would be replaced. Do you really think you’re that important that you don’t deserve time off?

How are we reinforcing the system? How are we complicit?

As we gain power we need to show, not just tell 

Resources for further reading:

Slow Professor: Challenging the Culture of Speed in the Academy

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26367751-slow-professor

Steketee and Harden. Einstein’s combinatory play: A promising practice for creativity and well-being among public health professionals. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2024.100546

Read "How to take a weekend":

https://phdinclothes.com/2021/03/26/how-i-take-weekends-off-as-an-academic