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First World Problems: Put On The Power Suit

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Aug 27, 2015

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Article Icon - First World ProblemsFirst World Problems is a weekly advice column for India’s first world population. Write to Judy at contact@theswaddle.com (confidentially!) if you’ve broken a nail, felt a little blue, yellow or green lately, or had a strange encounter of the any-numbered kind.

 

PROBLEM: My boss recently told me I should try to wear “less dowdy” outfits on sales meetings. He made the comment not in a creepy way, but as if he was really trying to help me do better. But it still made me very uncomfortable. Do I tell HR, or am I overreacting to an innocent comment?


Sweetie, if your boss is right – and for some unfathomable reason, I suspect he is – the only person you should be telling anything to is your fairy godmother. Alternatively, I recommend watching at least one episode of Suits a day. You don’t have to like the show, but watch it for the swagger and the power dressing. Once you’re inspired, invest in a new wardrobe, get a new haircut and practice walking in slow motion to background music. If you really want to go the whole hog and mess with your boss for that comment, make sure you can say, “Now get out of my office” like Jessica Pearson. Believe me, the poor chap won’t know what hit him. But then again, I’m sitting here in my PJs binge-watching Once Upon A Time, so it’s possible I have no idea what ‘dowdy’ means.

PROBLEM: My father-in-law has started asking me to do a lot of one-on-one things together. He has no sons, and my wife says he’s trying to bond. I want to be respectful, but we have none of the same interests. And I don’t even spend this much time with my own father. How often do I have to hang out with him?


What if I told you that you don’t have to hang out with him at all? But if you want to do it without hurting his feelings, you’ll have to find a way to get him to end it. Unrelated question: Do you remember that episode of Friends where Chandler goes to the steam room with Monica’s dad and assumes he’s supposed to take his clothes off—completely? No? Well, you might want to watch that ’cause, if I remember right, those two never hung out together again.

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Written By Judy Balan

Judy Balan is a bestselling author and blogger popular for her quirky, often self-deprecatory humour. She is a self-proclaimed expert at American pop-culture with a sitcom/romcom quote for all of life’s situations. Judy believes that if she’s made you laugh, smile or even snort in the middle of a stressful day, her job here is done. Follow her at her website judybalan.com, on Twitter @judybalan, or on Facebook.

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