Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site pucc-h Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!CS-Mordred!Pucc-H:aeq From: aeq@pucc-h (Jeff Sargent) Newsgroups: net.women Subject: Correlation: mode of dress vs. perceived ability Message-ID: <521@pucc-h> Date: Tue, 14-Feb-84 00:21:37 EST Article-I.D.: pucc-h.521 Posted: Tue Feb 14 00:21:37 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 9-Feb-84 14:04:18 EST Organization: Purdue University Computing Center Lines: 42 A friend of mine works as a "consultant" for the Computing Center here. (A "consultant" in this case is one who sits in a little office at one of our sites and answers questions from users who need assistance using the computers.) Alternatively, here is her definition of "consultant": consultant n. [From con "to defraud, dupe, swindle," or, possibly, French con (vulgar) "a person of little merit" + sult elliptical form of "insult."] A tipster disguised as an oracle, especially one who has learned to decamp at high speed in spite of the large briefcase and heavy wallet. Anyway, she sent me the following and asked me to post it to net.women for her (since consultants are not yet allowed to post to the net): --- Begin article I have noticed an inverted u relationship for the amount of goodies (i.e. cosmetics, drees) I have and the way the users relate to me ( relate used to be a perfectly good word before the 'pop' psychologists got ahold of it). When I am dressed and 'made-up' as I am today (no make-up, jeans and shirt), the users seem to think I'm just another user, and not, as we say in the business ' an authority figure'. When I put on a bit of the Clinque (trdmk Estee Lauder....I'm not planning on wrinkling thank you) and got up a notch on clothes (cords, reasonable sweaters, that sort of thing), all of a sudden they recognize me as 'the consultant'. However, (especially if I'm team consulting) if I take it one step further, then most of the users think I am 'the consultant's girlfriend' and won't approach me. There appears to be a constant relationship between make-up and perceived ability at the computer to a certain point, which then becomes a negative relationship ( as make-up amounts go up, perceived ability goes down). I haven't seen a similar relationship between the male consultants, and lets say, mode of dress.... There's a paper in here somewhere.... --- End article Any responses may be posted to net.women (anyone here can READ news) or mailed to (I think this works): Red Sonja ...pur-ee!pucc-k:afo