Punk Dress In The Workplace Summary

Critical Article Precis and Critique The article “Punk Dress in the Workplace,” by Monica Sklar and Marilyn DeLong discusses the punk subculture and the problems that people who identify with this face at work. The article begins by explaining what the punk genre is, and how people within the subculture typically look and act. One important thing to note is that Sklar and DeLong state, “not all individuals who consider themselves punk share the same perspective on all aspects of dress and appearance.” While each person puts their own take on the appearance a punk person should have, there are some commonalities: dyed hair, heavy use of makeup, tattoos, and studded belts to name a few. These choices clash with typically work attire due to their “unprofessional” look.

Depending on the time of year, job, and location business suits, button down shirts, polo shirts, blouses, muted colors, and minimal cosmetics where used as examples of appropriate work attire. But what is the importance of dressing this way? Sklar and DeLong say that it relates to communicating specific work-relevant expectations. It helps in job promotions and manages others impressions. To improve their discussion, they conducted research. They started with 208 participants and narrowed it down to 20 (7 male and 13 female) to further discuss the views of the punk subculture in the work place. Every one of the 20 participants interviewed said that they had punk items that they would not wear to work even though a large majority of them say that they use clothes to express their identity. Each agreed that it was important to look professional at work, but said they had more time invested in the punk