Kitty Ault
Women and power and style are part of the discussion with Kitty Ault.
Kitty’s back in the studio talking about how we present ourselves to the world. ‘Cause, the truth is, clothes and hair and make-up all enhance or hide our identities.
It’s always fascinating to dive deep into something that’s often misunderstood, trivialized, and/or exploited.
And Kitty’s an expert. She’s a stylist with a degree in Art History/ Fine Arts. She worked in New York in public relations, design, marketing, event management, and fashion for innovative companies such as Perrier, L’Oreal, Cacharel, The Hearst Corporation, and financial institutions. She then ventured into the world of modeling, magazine location/styling, and photoshoots. She had the opportunity to work with top photographers, Conde Nast, Hearst publications, Time Inc., and associated magazines.
In 2005, Kitty and her family moved to Santa Fe, NM.
She shares thoughts on how the pandemic changed the ways we see ourselves, and how we choose to show up in the world.
How we’re shifting identities, roles, and priorities.
The ways in which it’s a re-set for women in the workplace.
Kitty and Melanie also get into women and power (yep, she’s an expert), and women and vulnerability (yes, there’s a connection).
Psychological studies show the impact of clothing in the workplace. Including, no surprise, that women can be judged harshly for their attire. Especially if their position is “higher status.”
In one study, “we found that the clothing did matter. People rated the [female] senior manager less favourably when her dress style was more ‘provocative’, and more favourably when dressed more conservatively (longer skirt, buttoned-up blouse). I reiterate that the clothing in the ‘provocative’ condition was still very conservative in style and look—it was not a short skirt and a revealing blouse, but a skirt slightly above the knee and one button on the blouse undone.
“The rating of the receptionist role was not affected by these clothing manipulations, suggesting that there may be more leeway for some jobs than others.
“So even subtle changes to clothing style can contribute toward negative impressions of the competence of women who hold higher status positions.” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/do-something-different/201304/what-your-clothes-might-be-saying-about-you
In that same article, the author writes “it is important to choose our dress style carefully because people will make all sorts of assumptions and decisions about us without proper evidence. We are unlikely to know what these assessments are, so it is quite possible that our clothes reveal more than we thought.
“Sartorial laziness is an easy habit to slip into. We may think that fashion is just profligate indulgence and our sunny personality will eclipse our dull attire or detract from the soup stains on our anorak. Untrue. What we wear speaks volumes in just a few seconds. Dressing to impress really is worthwhile and could even be key to success.”
Dr. Melanie Harth, the Santa Fe Therapist, website here
