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I once worked with a short, over weight white guy, late 30 or early 40 who moved into a client facing role. It was a disaster. Although he dressed well, he had

I once worked with a short, over weight white guy, late 30 or early 40 who moved into a client facing role. It was a disaster. Although he dressed well, he had the body type that clothes just didn’t fit him well. He would always look disheveled and frumpy, his shirts would not stay tucked in. He was very capable but the (east coast) business bros at the client would not take him seriously and openly mocked him. He went back to a technical role. It was sad and I learned a lot about human nature from witnessing it.

rchaud 4y ago
Building a wardrobe of clothes that fit is the kind of "hack" that is blindingly obvious, but I think would rub HN readers the wrong way. It feels deceptive, because nothing about your inherent skills or personal qualities have changed. But short of changing your body, face or racial background (none of which should impact a career negatively to begin with), changing your wardrobe probably has the highest and quickest ROI.
Bakary 4y ago
By definition he is not dressing well. There is a ceiling to what you can do with certain body types but frumpiness and untucked shirts is not that.
tacostakohashi 4y ago
From an "east coast business bro" perspective, looking presentable is a simple problem-solving exercise. Obesity can be tackled with diet and exercise, and if off-the-rack clothing doesn't fit well, one can get bespoke shirts made by a tailor. A person who presents themselves as not being able to manage this task is treated accordingly. Note that this isn't related to some congenital trait, it's all about the choices the person makes for themselves.
- ferrumfist 4y ago
  I kind of agree with you, actually. I think when it comes to clients, you should be presenting yourself in such a way that's most likely to sync with them. If your client is a bunch of grizzled/cynical old-school IT guys then you should approach them differently from how you would treat a room full of young type-A finance bros.
colinmhayes 4y ago
Many people, especially "east coast business bros" see being overweight as akin to an addiction. Just like any of us would have reservations about working with a using opioid addict, many have reservations about working with overweight people. They feel it either means the person is incapable of hygienic care, or (worse) they don't care about social standards.

rchaud 4y ago

Building a wardrobe of clothes that fit is the kind of "hack" that is blindingly obvious, but I think would rub HN readers the wrong way. It feels deceptive, because nothing about your inherent skills or personal qualities have changed. But short of changing your body, face or racial background (none of which should impact a career negatively to begin with), changing your wardrobe probably has the highest and quickest ROI.

Bakary 4y ago

By definition he is not dressing well. There is a ceiling to what you can do with certain body types but frumpiness and untucked shirts is not that.

tacostakohashi 4y ago

From an "east coast business bro" perspective, looking presentable is a simple problem-solving exercise. Obesity can be tackled with diet and exercise, and if off-the-rack clothing doesn't fit well, one can get bespoke shirts made by a tailor. A person who presents themselves as not being able to manage this task is treated accordingly. Note that this isn't related to some congenital trait, it's all about the choices the person makes for themselves.

ferrumfist 4y ago
I kind of agree with you, actually. I think when it comes to clients, you should be presenting yourself in such a way that's most likely to sync with them. If your client is a bunch of grizzled/cynical old-school IT guys then you should approach them differently from how you would treat a room full of young type-A finance bros.

colinmhayes 4y ago

Many people, especially "east coast business bros" see being overweight as akin to an addiction. Just like any of us would have reservations about working with a using opioid addict, many have reservations about working with overweight people. They feel it either means the person is incapable of hygienic care, or (worse) they don't care about social standards.