Special thanks to all of the people who took the time to answer my questions, including David Dolff, Samantha Cutrara, Tina Adcock, Sarah Van Vugt, Danielle Lorenz, Catherine Ulmer, Michelle-Kelly Hogan, Tarisa Dawn Little, Gillian Leitch, Krista McCracken, Claire Campbell, Maddie Knickerbocker, Wendy McElroy, Carol Lynn, Crystal Fraser, Ling Ling Ang, Anne Dance, Krystl Raven, Danielle Robinson, Vanessa McLeod, Shannon Stettner, Anne Marie Lane Jonah, Tarah Brookfield, Erin Millions, Aisha Wynter, Michelle Desveaux, Anne Janhunen, Mary Chaktsiris, Stephanie Pettigrew, Beth A. Robertson, Shirley Tillotson, Janis Thiessen, Linda Steer, Tracey Kinney, Blair Stein, Christine Corcos, Kesia Kvill, Jenny Leigh Smith, Katy Kole de Peralta, Elise Chenier, Caroline Durand, Laura Ishiguro, and Jennifer Hoyt. Extra special thanks to Sarah Van Vugt, Krystl Raven, Erin Millions, Kesia Kvill, Laura Ishiguro, Caroline Durand, and Krista McCracken for feedback on an earlier draft of this paper!
I recently put out a call on my Facebook page asking for recommendations for comfortable black dress shoes for someone who hates heels. Long story short, my old reliable black flats were dead, and the cobbler said they were too decrepit to even repair. Since I was going to be in Ottawa soon (more on this later), however, I needed to find something. I received a ton of awesome recommendations from friends of mine. They were so good in fact that I thought they deserved their own blog post.
When many of us first start teaching, clothing can be a fraught issue. We struggle to look professional while also still being comfortable. Lecturing involves a great deal more physical activity than many of us realize – standing on your feet for one to three hours takes its toll. Most classes also tend to be taught in older buildings, which don’t necessarily have air conditioning or heating, or even windows that open. So, in today’s blog post, I’m going to give you some great recommendations for teaching in comfort and style, from me and an awesome group of other educators. This isn’t necessarily a very original idea, and there have even been some great blogs on the subject (RIP Academichic). However, most of these are American, and don’t really help us Canadians. Not only do we have different stores here, but Canadian classrooms have their own norms regarding dress. One important note: while most blog posts of this nature target women specifically (something I’ll deal with further on), I wanted to make sure that this specific post was inclusive of any and all genders. That is why I have divided it into clothing categories, rather than breaking things down by gender. And most importantly, while these are just some recommendations, I think it’s important to emphasize that you should wear what makes YOU feel comfortable and stylish. Enjoy!
As usual, one quick caveat: There continue to be significant variations by field and by country in what is considered appropriate dress. In my experience, Canada tends to be much more casual than the United States, particularly in the Humanities and Social Sciences. I can’t remember ever seeing a professor wearing a suit to class. For the most part, people tend to go with variations on business casual. Those in Fine Arts tend to have more leeway in terms of creativity, while those in Law tend to dress more conservatively in suits or dresses. However, this will of course vary from institution to institution, and depend to a large extent on campus culture.
Finally, as one commentator noted, in the vast majority of cases, it is important to remember that it is never ok to talk about another person’s body, appearance, or clothing choices, no matter the circumstances. Even well-intentioned and seemingly-innocent remarks can be problematic, misread, and can make folks feel uncomfortable. It is equally important not to police other people’s clothing choices according to what you feel is acceptable. We could all use a little more kindness in our world, and it’s always ok to compliment someone on a nice outfit. But it is also our responsibility to do the work necessary to make everyone feel included and safe. Or, in the immortal words of Etsy, be kind, be brave, and be strong.
A scholar from Treaty Six Territory, Sarah York-Bertram is a Canadian historian and PhD candidate at York University specializing in the socio-legal histories of the Canadian Prairies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
