In only the latest example, I was asked to give a 5 minute
I'm not sure why this flusters me every time, I should be used to it. All I could work out of my suddenly-frozen brain was, "Uh, no I'm the PI in the lab." Of course, this meant nothing to them, and the Dean had to pipe in "Principal Investigator" in the awkward seconds of blank stares following the communication logjam. Being a politician, the candidate quickly managed a backtracking two-step, claiming to be impressed by someone with my youthful appearance being in such a position and all I could do was make an awkward joke about growing up wanting to be a Magnum PI and having to settle for this instead. They laughed politely, an intern glanced at their watch while writing something down and I changed the subject.
I need a better way to deal with this question. At the age of 33, until the ravages of the job and parenthood prematurely age me, I think I'm going to be dealing with this question for a bit unless I start wearing the professor uniform. Unfortunately, pleats are my mortal enemy.
I do have the advantage of age being the single factor keeping me from fitting the prof mold in people's mind, so I am sure that many readers have had to deal with this for far longer than I. Perhaps there are effective strategies to head this shit off?
Pleated pants are NEVER OK. A nice tweed jacket, however, might help your cause.
ReplyDeleteI'm saying enjoy it while it lasts.
ReplyDeleteI visibly aged sometime midway through my tenure track (about the age you are now, hehe); I am not sure what happened -- I think it was a perfect storm of baby No 2, one too many grant proposals, general stress, and the natural progress of time. When I look at my pics from years 1 and 2 on TT and near the end, there's definitely a difference.
So enjoy the youthful appearance and all the confusion that comes with it. And death to pleats. I managed to get more "respect" (or I imagine I did, maybe it was just aging) by simply dropping sneakers and wearing (not fancy) shoes with jeans instead.
I suppose discrete make-up is not an option for you :), so how about some salt'n'pepper highlights to make you look more distinguished?
No No No to pleated pants. Flat front khaki's are fine but not pleats. Why not just go for a salt and pepper hair dye? :))
ReplyDeleteIt's going to take more than some hair color to get me in the neighborhood of "distinguished" looking.
ReplyDeleteGMP, you're scaring me with your perfect storm description and how closely it matches with my life right now. Maybe this won't be a long-term issue after all.
Dude, step AWAY from the pleats. No. No, never. They are never OK.
ReplyDeleteI will echo the big NO for the pleats. When folks ask me "are you a student here?" (which has happened) I usually counter with "Oh no, I finished being a student years ago." Then I move on. Not elegant, but efficient.
ReplyDeletedo I have to let you in on it? really?
ReplyDeletetweed jacket, preferably with suede elbow patches. on the back of your door.
as long as you stick to jeans and t-shirts (no logos, god, no logos) you can slip on that badge of professordom and, bada bing, instant prof.
I'll have to head over to Dr. No's for a fitting.
ReplyDeleteI used to be concerned about this, but the past year's antics (pregnancy, bashing of my career development grant, job search in a crappy market, and trying to sell our condo) have begun to take their toll. I'm not even dealing with the TT job or actual baby yet, and I see my youthful appearance sliding away in the mirror before me. I'm still coloring my hair to hide the grays, but I'm sure this little indulgence will soon disappear as well.
ReplyDeleteAgreed with GMP - enjoy it while it lasts...you'll miss it more than you realize once it's gone. And, please, no pleats.
Absolute veto on the pleats.
ReplyDeleteI echo the "no pleats" plea!
ReplyDeleteIf you buy pleats, you are dead to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm fully-bearded but I get the same question all the time. I once even had a university HR person assume I was under 25--at an orientation session for new professors!
ReplyDeleteI hate saying "no, I'm a professor" because it makes me feel douchey. Maybe "not anymore" is the best reply.
You've the same curse as me: eternal good looks and a fountain of youth. I manage to get by with a scowl, and two-days of stubble. And a fine pair of pleated khakis to clash with my corduroy jacket + leather elbow patches.
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem, although now that I have 2 kids and am starting to look a little older, I am sometimes mistaken for an administrative assistant. Sometimes you can't win.
ReplyDeleteSo... yes on the pleats?
ReplyDeleteThe problem is I already have the beard, so the only way to go is backwards. If I shave it off I look roughly 12.
I'm pro-pleats. Khakis and a collared shirt should separate you and give you the distinction of at least trying to look older so you don't get confused with students.
ReplyDeleteI just dyed my hair purple and got another tattoo, and I am just waiting for the next level of this problem that is bound to commence. I already got mistaken for a student or TA constantly. I guess I should know better than to express myself.
ReplyDeleteI already have the beard, so the only way to go is backwards. If I shave it off I look roughly 12.
ReplyDeleteDye your beard gray, then.
NO PLEATS. NO PLEATS EVER.
ReplyDeleteTweed jackets with leather elbows patches are the coolness, though.
Is there an anti-Just For Men hair product? Like Just For Under-Aged Kids, or Just For Junior Profs? Something that puts in the gray that the original kit takes out?
ReplyDeleteWell, if you're anywhere near the DC area, apparently that's a thing there.
ReplyDeleteI get mistaken for a student all the time and my standard response is, "Actually I am 33 and post-doc here, but thank you for the compliment". That way the person is clearly corrected but by pretending to take it as a compliment I leave them a graceful way out of an awkward situation.
ReplyDeleteI think honestly some of the problem is that only definition of a scientist anyone has in there in head is of an old socially awkward white dude with crazy hair. Anything other then that doesn't seem to constitute a scientist to most people. I blame Einstein.
Pleats don't do anyone ANY favors. Khakis could be ok, but go for the flat fronted variety. They mix well with tweed...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=403334&cm_mmc=Google_Feed-_-5-_-61-_-{keyword}&kw={keyword}
I get mistaken for a student even when I'm in MY office with MY name on the door. And then as soon as I start to talk, it's as though the visitor has emerged into a strange bizarro world in which everything is backwards. Glasses don't help me look more like a PI but there is more and more grey hair appearing by the day so that might do the trick ... although I'll look like a skunk before too much longer and that might just make me look like a weird student.
ReplyDeleteSocks and sandals with pleated khakis might do the trick for you.
PiT, seriously, go for the beard too...
ReplyDeleteWell, if you want to head them off at the pass, you could just make this t-shirt your uniform:
ReplyDeletehttp://store.northshoreshirts.com/trmeimdot.html
If that doesn't work, I vote for throwing the ol' tweed over the top. Nah, you won't look at all like a hipster.
You called yourself a PI? What's with all these biomedical people referring to a professor as a PI? In some fields a professor is a professor. An academic title is more dignified than an administrative acronym.
ReplyDeleteMeh. I write it so fucking much in all the proposals I guess it's stuck in my brain. I don't care what they call me, as long as they let me do what I want.
ReplyDeleteTweed will work if you don't mind looking like a dork.
ReplyDeleteKhaki pants: Do you work in an electronics store?
You are a man. Dress like a man. As Barney says 'Suit up'.
-antipodean
Pardon my ignorance, but what's wrong with pleats?
ReplyDeleteAn academic title is more dignified than an administrative acronym.
ReplyDeletePing!
"You are a man. Dress like a man."
ReplyDeleteI do, but whenever I go out in my kilt, people look askance at me.
I have two suits that get dusted off for weddings and funerals... maybe.
ReplyDeleteScience Daddy, LMFAO. Thanks for a good ROFL
ReplyDeleteDr SciDaddy
ReplyDeletePeople are not looking askance, they are looking in envious admiration.
-antipodean
This post is so getting submitted to Open Laboratory 2010.
ReplyDeleteMy husband has some nice Columbia golf pants for occasions when big wigs come to tour his lab. No pleats. And I wouldn't be too offended if a politician had no clue about 'ranking'. They're just looking for the cool equipment so they can have their photo op. Oh, but don't wear white - it draws people's eyes toward you rather than the politician when on film...and they don't like being grandstanded like that.
ReplyDelete10 years since I graduated, I'm now kind of flattered to be mistaken for a student (I just assume it is because I look young enough - not because of what I wear). It did bug me when someone in the area assumed I was the grad student of one of my colleagues after he saw my talk at a conference (mind you, my colleague wasn't even a co-author). It was pretty funny seeing his reaction when my colleague told him I was a colleague and it was also the first time he had seen the work.
ReplyDeleteCherish: Grandstanded, or grandstood?
ReplyDeleteYou called yourself a PI? What's with all these biomedical people referring to a professor as a PI? In some fields a professor is a professor. An academic title is more dignified than an administrative acronym..
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