By: Lynne Schwartz
Did you know that the way you present yourself can affect the amount of money that you make over your lifetime? You may have heard that attractive people make more money, but research shows that personal grooming plays a major role in this salary gap. In fact, according to the researchers, “Grooming remains an important and significant predictor of earnings for both men and women even after controlling for attractiveness and other relevant factors.” So what does this mean, and how do we use
this to our favor?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, grooming is defined as “the things that you do to make your appearance clean and neat.” Typically, people think of things like brushing your teeth and hair, keeping your nails neat, and having good personal hygiene. However, how you dress also contributes to the impression that you make on others. Wearing clothes that are neat, well-fitted, and appropriate to the situation are an important part of appearing well-groomed. This can present challenges for anyone, but can be especially difficult for people with certain disabilities or health issues.
The adaptive clothing market, while growing, is still considered a niche segment in the fashion industry. There are 61 million Americans living with a disability according to the CDC, and these disabilities can make wearing traditional clothing a challenge. For example, women with feeding tubes often have a difficult time wearing dresses because they can’t easily access their tubes in public, and those with ostomies need extra room when the bags inflate. These obstacles were what lead Haley Schwartz to found Vertige Adaptive.
Schwartz was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia at the age of four and, while growing up, had to wear heart monitors frequently. As she got older, she became self-conscious and tried to hide the monitor and cords, but found it was difficult to do because the monitor was bulky and the cords would get tangled. She ended up wearing oversized sweatshirts and pants, even in the summer. As a fashion design student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, she realized that she could use her love of fashion to design clothes that she wished she’d had growing up. Today, Vertige Adaptive caters to people with various health issues and disabilities. The clothing is designed with function in mind, but also places a major focus on being fashion-forward.
“All women should have the opportunity to feel beautiful, no matter what their circumstances,” said Schwartz. “Fashion played a major role for me in my formative years when I learned first-hand how my appearance effected how others reacted to me.” She says that she started to use fashion as a way to distract herself from her illness, but soon found out that when she dressed nicer she received more respect from teachers, doctors and her peers. She’s not surprised that data also shows a correlation between appearance and higher pay.
So how do you put your best foot forward if you don’t have a huge budget? Here are some easy ways to get started:
- Start with the basics – Buying a well-fitting pair of neutral colored pants is a great start. These can be dressed up or down for any number of occasions, and will always give a polished look to any outfit.
- Buy neutral – While it might not be as fun to buy a basic white tee, having these staples in your closet will allow you to put together multiple outfits using a few pieces. This cuts down on your overall clothing budget while also making it easy to dress on days when your energy is low.
- Dress it up with accessories – Adding a belt, scarf or statement jewelry is an easy and affordable way to expand your wardrobe and gives a finished look to your outfit.
- Look for multifunctional pieces – Any item that can be worn multiple ways instantly adds versatility to your wardrobe.
Remember, your closet doesn’t have to be overflowing in order for you to dress for success. It’s better to have a few, well-made, versatile items. Then have fun mixing, matching and accessorizing. A small investment in your wardrobe can mean a lifetime of higher pay.
