A prestigious global law firm, Clifford Chance, is coming under fire for the five-page memo that was sent to all the female employees in its two U.S. offices in New York and Washington, D.C. The memo’s intentions were to give their employees “a range of different viewpoints and approaches” with golden tips like, “don’t giggle,” “don’t take your purse up to the podium” and “no one heard Hillary the day she showed cleavage.”
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A spokeswoman (woman? clever) from Clifford Chance said, “It was put together by a female partner from her personal perspective after years of public speaking,” the rep told TODAY.com. “A lot of the tips in the document were gender-neutral. We believe that it is important that women as well as men are given access to a range of different viewpoints and approaches.”
Once the legal blog, Above the Law acquired the memo, they posted it and it became viral in no time. Many commenters wondered why the memo had so many “tips” against women. The most offensive part of the memo is that whoever wrote it (reports claim a woman did) included tips that are not only obvious but pointless to mention. Why would I wear a “party outfit” to work? Well, I would, but I work in the media and most days I have a from desk to dawn moment. But I would assume that the women who work in a prestigious law firm with 35 offices in 25 countries would know that they need to dress in a suit.
Check out a few of the tips geared towards women:
- “Like” You’ve got to Lose “Um” and “Uh,” “You Know,” “OK,” and “Like.”
- Use a relaxed, open throat, breathe from the abdomen & keep your mouth open.
- Think Lauren Bacall, not Marilyn Monroe.
- Don’t giggle; Don’t squirm; Don’t tilt your head.
- Practice hard words.
- Wear a suit, not your party outfit.
- No one heard Hillary the day she showed cleavage.
Clifford Chance released a statement, claiming:
The original presentation and associated tips represented a personal perspective, shared with a group of colleagues, some just starting out in their careers. The more than 150 points are based on what this individual has found helpful as a public speaker in a broad range of business environments. While much of what is covered is common sense, we believe that it is important that women as well as men are given access to a range of different viewpoints and approaches; there is no Clifford Chance template on how people should present. The offense caused by a small percentage of the suggestions in the tip sheet was entirely unintentional.
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Law Firm’s Sexist Tips To Women: ‘Don’t Giggle’ & ‘Don’t Show Cleavage’ was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
