Things I Hate About Anxiety:

When I am feeling good and happy about and admiring about some part of my chosen appearance–like my hair after a fresh haircut, or how well a buttoning shirt (from the men’s department) fits, or how good a shirt/tie combination looks–I hate how the voice of Anxiety will creep in with “you’ll never get a job dressed that way; you’ll never get a call back from an interview if you go dressed like that–as yourself, the way you’re comfortable–everyone knows that, you know that.”

And…it’s not exactly *un*true. Articles pop up all the time about the impact of makeup and perceived femininity on hiring. Most recently, Cheeto Voldemort’s desire for his female staffers to “dress like women” also reflected this (though I am thankful that that spawned backlash).

I cannot function normally in a dress. In a dress, I have to have a different persona–I have to be a character. I could probably pull off Distant Aristocrat, but I’ve only ever *actually* performed–as an actress–Somewhat Campy Ingenue. Otherwise you just get Person Who Feels Like They Are Doing Really Bad Drag And Would Prefer Not To if you put me in a dress. Skirts I can manage by pretending they are kilts. I do not think that would work if I had to wear one on a daily basis; in that case, I would be sorely tempted to buy the cheapest kilt I could find, wear it, and see if any one noticed.

In short, I want to be Me, and anxiety is a douchecanoe about that when it comes to the job market (which tends to hate me quite well enough sight-unseen, on paper, let alone in person).