Just like any other intern about to start their first day, I found myself confused about what to wear. Most advise you to dress up, regardless of the working environment. However, was that necessary for IF – an advertising agency started by 2 former NFL players? An office that plays ESPN all day and every day? Better safe than sorry, I figured, as I put on dress pants, a nice shirt, and heels.
I was relieved when I walked in to find another fellow intern dressed up just like me. He was even wearing a tie. It seemed like I got it right, and would not look overdressed and ridiculous when making my first impression to the company.
We walked in, and found all our superiors wearing jeans and flip-flops. FLIP-FLOPS! How could such a successful company get away with dressing so casually? I knew IF was pretty laid-back, but I never thought I could actually pull off flip flops and jeans in a real working environment. I wasn’t fully convinced that this style was okay until the two creative directors walked in and made fun of our attire, telling us we weren’t allowed to work at IF dressed like that. To make it worse, Fridays are considered “Inappropriate Fridays,” as the attire becomes even more casual, including tee-shirts. Two of the account executives walked into our meeting in pink IF tee-shirts – two different shades, as they couldn’t decide which they liked better, so they ordered both.
And nobody told me that everyone brings in food on Fridays. The smell of breakfast tacos all morning made me angry that I had already eaten breakfast before I came. I became even more upset when someone plopped a taco right on my desk, which looked so much more appealing than the bowl of cereal I ate hours before. And don’t forget the cake, donuts, brownies, and other types of goodies that were piling up in the kitchen. Note to self – on Fridays, come to work hungry.
I’ll have you know that as I’m writing this, I’m wearing jeans and flip-flops. The dress pants and nice shirt I wore on the first day are hanging in my closet at home, and will remain untouched for the entire summer. And I can’t wait for Friday, when I can skip the cereal and come in and eat a breakfast taco instead.