How Clothes Construct an Inner and Projected Gender

In 1998, while working as a customer service representative handling major accounts for a Fortune 500 copier company, I had an experience that highlights Loeber's perspective in how clothes construct both the inner gender as well as a projected gender. My conscious act in this experience raised great debate amongst career women within the organization, and in me as well.

At the time, I had responsibility for over 250 accounts, all of which were Fortune 500 major New York financial institutions. As you might imagine, these accounts had several offices worldwide, however their corporate headquarters maintained the decisions for purchasing and payables. My duties included developing standardized billing systems for all affiliates, compilation and submission of billing, collection of payables, as well as all customer service issues arising at any location. It came to our attention that a new VP of Payables took position at one of these financial institutions, and he absolutely refused to work with a woman. He would not take phone calls from anyone at our office unless it was a man. Unfortunately, besides our manager, there were no men on the Financial Institutions team; however we of course did not acknowledge this. They transferred the account to me as the Senior Representative on the team and as someone who worked well with several male counterparts in New York's financial district, to no avail.