WiW: To Look like a "Teenager"

Ugh. One of the very helpful ward nurses thought I looked like a teen volunteer. Am I too twee? Ugh.

Also: I bought this blazer after Angie's post on the tweeds and thought this crop shape was ok. What do you guys think?

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34 Comments

  • jurocha replied 10 years ago

    Only if your teenagers are (waaay) better than mine!
    I find the outfit very romantic, very very romantic and feminine, but not teenager.

    PS: Allow me to rant, please. These co-workers of yours have been such bummers these last days. Don't let them mess up with you: you have style!

  • Mary Beth (formerly LBD) replied 10 years ago

    No, I don't think you're too twee, and you certainly don't look like a teenager in your choice of outfit!  You look tasteful and refined and ladylike.  I think she was probably commenting on your youthful appearance :)

  • Raisin replied 10 years ago

    I have never seen any teenage girls dressing this nice.  You look great, don't let them get you down!

  • Mochi replied 10 years ago

    You look very sweet, but to be honest this outfit is making you look very, very young IMHO. Might want to rethink it for non-work days. 

  • Caro in Oz replied 10 years ago

    I think it may be the combination of the lighter & pastel colours & the florals - people tend to think "young" when they see them imo. You could go completely crazy worrying about what others think (or say) :)

  • rachylou replied 10 years ago

    Lol. She must have been a teen in the 1950s, when teens got married too.

  • Eliza replied 10 years ago

    That's quite a remark and it's hard to know where it is coming from. I wonder if your jacket were white or green, instead of pink, the comment would have been made. The jacket looks very sophisticated to me, not junior department at all. Does a traditionally feminine look ( pink and floral) automatically mean a youthful one? Do you think some people can't get past the "pink equals girl" assumption? It is interesting to think about these perspectives, especially as it relates to establishing a career. YLF!

  • rae replied 10 years ago

    That person must not spend much time around teen girls. Srsly.

  • Tanya replied 10 years ago

    You look very feminine, but not like a teenager at all.  Beautiful jacket!

  • Nicole D replied 10 years ago

    Love the jacket.  Not teenish at all, very ladylike and fresh.

  • Jaime replied 10 years ago

    Who is this overly opinionated ward nurse? I say bah!

  • replied 10 years ago

    Joining the crowd to say while you look youthful, you certainly don't look like a teenager!

  • Mary Beth (formerly LBD) replied 10 years ago

    Well... without really knowing the context of the remark (was she trying to pay a compliment, or being a little snarky?)  I would say this:  if you felt bright and beautiful and lovely in this outfit, you should wear it again and again, and not worry about what others might say.  Therein lies the path to madness...

  • K. Period. replied 10 years ago

    First, I think you look beautiful. It is a very pretty outfit and the dress and jacket both fit you very well. Now (and I can't tell you how much I don't want to say this): fit and flare dresses on a petite figure in a professional setting are challenging, especially when you add in a floral print.  You don't look like a teenager, but it isn't highlighting your authoritarian side either.  I'll admit, I take a very pragmatic view of dressing for work. When I was a new graduate, a baby lawyer, I wore suits most of the time. Our office allowed a lot more casual wear, but it was important for me to dress more formally to communicate the message that I was knowledgeable and in charge. I think the jacket will be a great work piece, especially over a sheath dress or trousers. I think the floral fit and flare is more of a day off item.  So, for what it is worth, that's my thinking on it. Please feel 100% free to disregard it. 

  • Janet replied 10 years ago

    Ugh, why do people say things like that? You don't look like a teenager. However, I see what Mochi is talking about. This outfit is lovely but it has a combination of sweet color (pink), a twirly flared skirt, and a floral pattern -- all taken together may read more romantic than professional. Switch out one of those details and the outfit may take on a more "serious" vibe. Just my 2 cents.

  • Janet replied 10 years ago

    Ah, K and I posted at the same time. She put it well.

  • Joy replied 10 years ago

    Your outfit doesn't look like any teenager I know, but it may be your hair pulled back in a ponytail. Have you tried wearing it up in a French twist or neat bin? A messy bun would still look like teen hair. You could still wear it differently when not working. You look adorable. I like the jacket.

  • pil replied 10 years ago

    No additional advice on the teen comment - other than you look lovely. I really like the jacket, the pink should work with quite a bit of your wardrobe shouldn't it?

  • Suz replied 10 years ago

    You look lovely. And your co-worker is off-base with the comment. (My teenager does not look at all like this.) 

    But -- it is a very feminine look, and fit and flare can read youthful. And so can pink, and flowers. 

    I think I'd probably go for a more sober option at work, myself, at least if I had worries about whether or not I was conveying enough authority. 

    On the other hand, colour is not out, and ladylike is not out. Both Sona and GP wear colour and ladylike very well to work, and you do, too! This particular outfit just happens to read a bit "garden party." 

    Hmm. Maybe she thought you were going to one of those and was jealous! 

  • Gaylene replied 10 years ago

    The outfit is lovely on you, without a doubt, but I'd be more concerned about what the underlying message might be implying about your power and status within the hospital. If a member of the support staff at my university made that kind of unsolicited comment to me, I'd be quite taken aback, and, to be honest, more than a little furious at the cheeky way it was delivered.

    You look very young, fresh, and pretty in that outfit, but looking young, fresh, and pretty might not be working to your advantage if you have to deal with older staff members. If you have already established your competence and authority, then how you dress isn't anybody's concern but your own--and a withering glance would put that ward nurse in her place quite quickly. But, if you haven't quite got to that point, adjusting the way you dress might be worth considering to give you more authority when dealing with older members of the nursing staff.

  • TraceyLiz65 replied 10 years ago

    Oh, boy are they just mistaking your petite siziing as youthful...You might want to heed the suggestions to create a balance and more authoritative look... Perhaps a different shaped skirt would do the trick..

  • lyn* replied 10 years ago

    Interestingly, this is a ward where I have earned my "street credibility" and this is a nurse I have worked with before. Not really sure where the comment is coming from.

    Got a white coat for my overnight shift.

  • Irene replied 10 years ago

    Just yesterday I was at a job interview (for a teacher for teenagers position) and the guy tells me that I would have to be extra careful with the teens since I am so young they might not respect me/treat me like an equal. I am 25 but I look around 20. I can't help it!

    You could dress 'older', I guess, but I have never minded how my teachers or doctors dressed as long as they dressed appropriately. I think you are well dressed.

    Your outfit is not too young but your face is. Embrace it and enjoy the fact that you are going to look younger when you hit 40 too ;)

  • harmonica replied 10 years ago

    You look lovely. And what k and Janet said

  • jurocha replied 10 years ago

    Suz and K's comments on authority are spot on and since pastel and florals are so feminine and sweet, they might not be the most appropriate attire for a conservative work environment (or one where you're the newest/youngest member).

    Nonetheless, I find the outfit cute and believe you should wear it again. If not to work, then to a stroll somewhere. :-*

  • lyn* replied 10 years ago

    I have a cute straw hat too. :p Should be cute to go get ice cream no?

  • goldenpig replied 10 years ago

    Pretty spring outfit! Agree with the others, you look lovely. BTW I have the same problem with looking too young. The pink, floral, fit and flare, ponytail and fresh face all make you look sweet and youthful, which may not be what you want in this particular setting. But I'd certainly go out for ice cream with you! (or sorbet, since I can't have dairy--DS2 is allergic).

  • jurocha replied 10 years ago

    Count me in on the ice cream!

  • Transcona Shannon replied 10 years ago

    Did someone say ice cream???

    Looking at the teenage girls my son hangs out with, trust me...you don't look like them!

    Perhaps it's just because you are petite and young looking - you can't help that and there's nothing wrong with it. Maybe a little bit of jealousy poking its head out???

    I think the outfit is lovely lyn and you look beautiful in it. But if you want to dissect it, the combination of pink, floral and fit-n-flare has the potential to look younger and in a medical setting, maybe even more so when compared to your co-workers. 

  • Glory replied 10 years ago

    Your outfit is lovely. I honestly would not take the comment as a negative remark but as a compliment. You mention she is a very supportive ward nurse and so you know she is in your corner. Sometimes people  have the words come out completely wrong but mean well.
    It sounds like you have your hospital creds in place so the question comes down to whether her remark made you consider whether a change in style would benefit you in the workplace? 
    If you wear a lab coat over then wear what makes you happy under?

  • replied 10 years ago

    Honestly? You look lovely, but the outfit doesn't project authority, which might be what that person was referring to. I think it's a combination of several factors: the sweet colors, the flouncy skirt, and the floral pattern. Don't get me wrong -- you look terrific, but I would probably save this combination for non-work days. When you're relatively young, sometimes you have to work harder to look like a serious professional. Fair? Probably not, but it is what it is.

  • Gabrielle replied 10 years ago

    I think you look fabulous.  Absolutely fabulous.  

    I did read StaceyMcGill's comment though and I agree with her.  As fabulous as you look, you may not project the exact image you desire.  I also agree that when you are young, you have to work harder to project a serious professional image ... especially in certain fields such as law, engineering, banking, etc.  There may be more flexibility in your field.  

  • bj1111 replied 10 years ago

    I woud think abt it from the patient's perspective. Is the outfit facilitating or preventing a therapeutic relationship?

    Yes, patients do expect a white coat. It hides a lot of sartorial sins.

  • lyn* replied 10 years ago

    Well, my patients don't expect a white coat - in fact one of them asked if I had spilled something on myself :p

    One of them sits at the end of the hall to yell "NICE OUTFIT" to me every day. I'm pretty sure he's blind, so it's all the more touching he takes the effort.

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