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Business Outfit for Woman in Medellin?

Last activity 18 August 2015 by topperZZ99

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KarinaColumbia

Hello,

I am wondering how to style myself when working in a Office and in Sales.

Here in Germany I do not use any make up, do not care much for my nails and also do not wear jewellery.
Might that seem for Columbians not appropriate or even blowsy?
I wear Suits and no Heels, might that seem to male?

I am really interested very much about this things and would be very happy if you answer honestly to me, so that I maybe can adapt a bit in order to be successful and be taken serious.

Greetings from Germany
Karina

topperZZ99

sorry to tell you this, but people will laugh at you if you dress like that in colombia.......brian

topperZZ99

simple solution...just look at what all the other local women are wearing, bu they all look & dress very fashionably in medellin...you can wear whatever you want, but you might look out of place if your dress as you describe...medellin is the fashion & beauty capital of colombia...that should tell you something

picareno

Bravo to you for asking!  I used to teach this stuff and while we'd like to believe it's just your brains that count, in business and marketing, appearance is a huge factor for at least getting you through the door.  I'm now retired and possibly moving to Medellin, but I do remember how important it was when I was still working in marketing/training.  Good luck to you!

topperZZ99

yes, when in rome, do as the romans do !!! colombia is not the united states, and medellin is not like the rest of colombia, medellin is completely unique. i know, i have been down there to medellin 5 times, met lots of very nice local people down there & i made lots of friends with the local people in medellin. something people have to understand is that it's their country, it's their city & it's their unique culture. it is not america or europe & they don't want it to be like america or europe. i'm not sure why so many people go down there and expect everything to be just like it is back home with all the usual perqs & modern conveniences & expect everybody to speak english & have a completely consumer-focused, americanized culture. every country has their own unique history, language, customs & culture. people have to learn to adapt to tat culture. that is 99% of the fun in international travel. as far a sbusiness atirre for women is concerned, it varies depending on what kind of a job it is. professional business executives will dress one way, senior business sales & marketing executives will dress another way, but the common thread is that everyone basically dresses up more or less for professional business jobs, unlike back in america. and there is a very heavy emphasis in colombia, and in medellin in particular on the fashion & beauty industry, every woman there in medellin wants to look like a beauty queen contestant and dresses very fashionably. to look her absolute best. i never saw one woman in all of medellin in 5 trips there walking around in tank tops or cut-off shorts or wearing flip flops like they all do back in america. and i never saw one over-weight woman in the entire city, they all do lots of walking & they literally all work out in fitness clubs 2-3x a week or play sports. there are no lazy women in medellin. that's the way it is down there, whether people like it or not, that's their unique culture. but i have traveled all over the world - canada, usa, mexico, argentina, germany, austria, japan & hong kong - and as far as i am concerned, it is the absolute best & most unique city in the world with the warmest & friendliest people. so when the people go there, they better learn to adapt to their local culture which includes learning how to speak spanish & learning about their history & culture.....you ain't in kansas any more, when you go to medellin....lol. 
- brian, in canada,

topperZZ99

is that woman from germany even serious ? she says she does not use makeup, she does not care that much for her nails, and she wears suits but no jewellery, and she doesn't wear heels, and she works in sales ?????. OMG, somebody should tell her that medellin is like the fashion & beauty capital of the world almost....like milan in italy. if she dresses like that for work, the women will laugh at her & even the customers. she better give her head a good shake and get in the game if she really wants to seriously work there in sales & marketing or even in an office, no matter how smart & experienced she is. and if she was that smart, she would not even be asking that question.

SteveRusso

topperZZ99, she mentioned this is the way she is in Germany, and is wondering if it would work in Colombia.
From experience, she is just aligned with the way most women are in Germany, including in sales.
Yes she will need to adjust in Colombia, even though Colombians perfectly understand that other nationalities have different ways of living. And being a European (and even more German), she will be granted an enornous trust level from her boss, colleagues, and clients.
Germans have an excellent reputation in Colombia.

topperZZ99

It's not a matter of trust, it's a matter of dressing properly for a professional work environment, especially if she is working in sales or marketing. She should dress to impress down there, just like all the other women. Just because she is from Europe or America does not mean she automatically gets a free pass. It does not sound like this woman really cares all that much about her general appearance, which seems really odd, in as much as she says she is working in sales or an office. I never saw any professional business women in Medellin dressed like the way she is talking about. I live in Canada myself and most of the women here are overweight and dress like slobs and don't even care that much about their appearance in general, but down in Medellin they would laugh at them, laugh right off the streets. Just because she is from Germany or any place else in Europe, or the United States of America, or Canada, she better realize she is not doing them a big favor by going there, it's their country & their culture, and she better get used to that fact. It just seems like such a ridiculous question in the first place. Most women in Medellin dress like they are going into a beauty pageant, that is part of the culture there, whether she likes it or not. Of course, she can dress whatever way she wants but she will definitely feel very out of place. When in Rome, do as the Romans do....hahaha

topperZZ99

and she better learn how to spell Colombians too,, not ColUmbians ....hahahaha......every time I read her first message, I laugh ....I mean like, what planet is this woman from ?

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