Clothes may make the man, but they can break the woman.

Many women find their style choices under constant scrutiny not only by other women, but by society in general.

“Your body is an object for other people’s approval,” said Kristen Myers, associate professor of sociology.

Women in the workplace, in the club and in the hallways are either critiquing or being critiqued for what they wear. Fashion dos and don’ts litter the pages of grocery store news stands. We put too much judgment into what a woman is wearing. For men, it’s as easy as shirts and pants. For women, even a nail polish color can have a certain connotation.

When a man gets ready for a job interview, he pulls on slacks, buttons up his dress shirt and his only obstacle is fiddling with his tie. When a women gets dressed for an interview, she must make sure the length of her skirt is past her knees and that her dress shirt is buttoned up. Otherwise, while she may be seen as “sexy,” she will not be taken seriously.

“We have a society in which being sexy does not equal being taken seriously or professionally,” said Diana Swanson, associate professor of women’s studies and English. “Being sexy as a female does not equal power and authority.”

On the other end of the spectrum, those women who choose not to be “sexy” are seen as frigid or stiff. This constant fear of being negatively labeled leads women to consider how other people will react to their style.

In addition, women are quick to pass judgment on other women, which is even worse. Insecurity is a large part of it. If we take attention away from ourselves and put it on someone else, we may feel better about ourselves.

“One way we evaluate ourselves is seeing how we compare to other women,” Myers said.

Often critiquing another female stems from jealousy.

“I do critique people. I can’t help it. It’s in everybody. We all have a judgmental tendency,” said Trish Allen, a junior deafness rehab major.

Swanson explains the conflict between dressing sexy or not as a double-bind, meaning either can result in negative consequences. Confidence is often mistaken for promiscuousness, and we condemn the woman who takes pride in her body. A short skirt does not require that the wearer work a street corner anymore than a buttoned-up look requires the wearer to work in a library. It’s a matter of confidence. Women should be able to dress to their level of self-confidence and comfort, and not have to worry about what people will associate with a certain article of clothing.

A woman’s character is not determined by the outfit she has on. Critiquing one’s ensemble does nothing for understanding another person.

As hard as it is, women need to put aside the labels they have grown accustomed to and stop putting other women down for their style choices. By oppressing other women, we are only oppressing ourselves. And most importantly, women should dress for themselves, not for other people or society.

“A basic thing of adulthood is being able to decide what you wear,” Swanson said. “Your parents aren’t laying out your clothes for you – so why should your boyfriend?”

Let’s banish the stereotypes, and not judge a person based on what they’re wearing. It’s a large request, but we can try. Next time you’re tempted to do the once-over clothing scan of the person next to you, think about it: what good will it do?

Caitlin Mullen and Hermin