For women in leadership positions, gaining respect and equal treatment in the workplace isn’t always easy. In relation to men, women in positions of power face more pressure and demand to curate their fashion and presentation to be more likable. According to Alicia Menendez, author of The Likeability Trap, "If you are a woman who strives to lead, you are told one of two things. You're either told you're too much, too assertive, too aggressive, you need to tone it down. Or you're told you're not enough, you don't take up enough space... (Noah, 2019)". The “likability trap” is a key notion that illustrates the very difficult predicament of being accepted as a woman in the workplace. For example, a woman can wear a power suit, but it shouldn’t dominate the men around her. A woman who exhibits "too much masculinity" through her attire or speech is subjected to criticism for her lack of warmth or femininity.
Not only do women face the plight of having to gain likability, but they are also placed in rigid boxes regarding how they are expected to behave- they aren’t allowed to be nuanced. In a similar vein, Hillary Clinton was well-liked throughout her tenure as Secretary of State. When she sought to be in a position of greater power by running for the presidency, her likeability dropped. When women run for positions of authority, they defy gender expectations. The fundamental paradox is that we want women to be warm and communal, but we expect leaders to be competent and strong (Wine-Banks & Shi, 2021). This means that when women rise to positions of power and are recognized as such, they face the risk of being disliked. This begs the question of whether society will ever regard a woman as both ambitious and likable, or whether these traits will always be mutually exclusive.
The limits on clothing for women in positions of power resembles a fabric ceiling where women are subjected to increased judgment on wardrobe- this is a fitting extension of the likeability trap notion. Rhonda Garelick, professor of fashion studies at New York's Parsons School of Design, encouraged the Huffington Post to ponder "how much more it takes a young woman to dress in a way that speaks to power when her male colleague simply has to put on a dark suit (Sehra, 2019)." In addition to developing and exhibiting intellectual and situational competence, women must navigate the conundrum of finding a happy medium between hyper-feminine and hyper-masculine clothing. The pervasive pressure and undue effort directed toward women's clothes, and, even more so, the criticism and spotlight on women's appearance rather than their intellect, serves as a reminder of the level of growth that still needs to occur in the workplace.
So, how do we escape the likeability trap? Firstly, gender-correcting behavior of fitting into the molds anticipated by society will only increase the demanding weight of likeability. Another option is to be unconcerned with likeability, which completely disregards the significance of being liked. This can result in certain repercussions such as fewer office interpersonal relationships and decreased referent and connection power. One viable option presented by Alicia Menendez is to challenge likeability and how it is utilized as a screen to shield bias (Noah, 2019). This action allows us to see likeability for what it truly is: a disguise for gender bias.
