"Some VCs won't believe that a 25-year old white woman (who -- gasp! -- wears skirts and makeup) is capable of being a technically solid engineer. We soon figur

"Some VCs won't believe that a 25-year old white woman (who -- gasp! -- wears skirts and makeup) is capable of being a technically solid engineer. We soon figured out that pitches to potential investors went better if I was dressed like a slob in sweatpants." I've seen that one happen, and I had a lesser version of it happen to me because I dress east coast prep. I started wearing sloppier clothes for some outside meetings and got treated better. Even inside the company, it took new hires a while before they realized that I have skills. SV culture on appearance is every bit as stupid as the culture of the dinosaurs, it's just flip-flopped. Instead of 'you must dress professionally', it's 'you must wear unflattering hoodies, t-shirts, and jeans.'