The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-03-22

NEW YORK CITY, March 22.-The
heavy bombardment of dress regula-
tons which is being hurled at the
poor, surprised working girl in so
many American cities has made no i'm
preston upon New York. Here work
ing girls can still wear what they
please. Their employers have laid
down no stern and arbitrary rules for
them. When Chicago department
stores frown upon bobbed hair and
rouge for sales girls, and when New
ark banks forbid rolled stockings and
peek-a-boo waists in their formal pre-
cincts, New Workers merely sh-ug
their shoulders and smile superior
sort of smile So far, they have de-
veloped none of these prejudices.
"Short skirts and bobbed hair have
nothing to do with morality and eff
cheney" declared the head of a large
New York mercantile house when
questioned on the subject. Whether
the skirts of our employees are six
inches or twelve inches from the floor
does not concern us. We stress neat
ness and dignity, but aside from that
there is no effort made to influence or
coerce our workers. Dress is matter
of taste and habit. Wearing the hair
short or long is a personal matter
which has to do with the individual
and no one else. We feel that cur
people have the same right to exercise
individual taste in questions of dress
as the debutante or the society
woman"
YES" joined in his junior partner,
disgust in his voice, "all such prohi-
billions are nonsense-sheer nonsense.
Business women should be permitted
to dress as they please, just as men
I, do. We do not object to bobbed hair
for our saleswomen any more than we
| object to bald heads or side whiskers
on our statesmen. In fact, when you
come to think of it, bobbed hair is not
! half so offensive as no hair at all, is
! it," And he smiled as he stroked his
J own sparsely-covered scalp. Then
| the question of dress is sensitive one
with women. ThSy won't stand much
criticism on the subject. They are apt
to get sulky and develop a grudge. and
! an employe with g1udge is worse
than no employee at ALL
Suggestions, Not Regulations
| There is one department store in
! New York, employing about $500 wo-
/ men, which does have certain regula-
! tons concerning dress, but they are
| tactfully offered as suggestions rather
/ than demands. An advisory commit
| tee on this important matter, elected
from among the saleswomen them.
/ selves, does the advising when neces-
sary. Girls who wear thin waists. for
example, are gently informed thai ii
| WOuld he in hotter taste If tbpy ron.
fined themselves to inconspicuous un
derwear, and girls who appear in ex
travangant decollete are politely re
| quested to desist. Otherwise, the ad
visory committee seems to possess
rather liberal ideas
Not even these limited restrictions
are placed upon the 1000 girls and
women who are employed by large
insurance company in this city. When
| questioned as to this seeming lack oil
| discipline, a business executive of the
firm asserted that the company was
concerned entirely with the efficiency
| of it's employees and not with their
| clothes.
! IF the girls want to wear short
| skirts or wear their hair bobbed or
in Mary Pickford curls, they may
| Some of the company's officials, OF
| course, have their individual preju
| dices. By the way, a funny incident
| happened here the other day which
| you might be able to use in this con
| nection. A girl came in to apply for a
job as stenographer in Mr.. (we'll cal
him Smith, Smiths office. She was
/ the regular fapper type, with short
hair and short skits and her face