I write this while cocooned in my favorite hoodie, a beloved garment that has tenure in my wardrobe. At this moment, one with my couch, I am flirting with the idea of an afternoon nap. Sometimes I work from bed. I’m not exactly the poster child for productivity. But on the days I swap my emotional support hoodie for, say, a sweater, I sit up straighter at my desk. My emails are crisper. I act like a functional adult.

Clothes are psychological armor, and the hoodie is an invitation to dissolve into sentient fleece. It’s the sartorial equivalent of a Do Not Disturb sign. Studies support this: A 2023 paper published in the Academy of Management Journal found that employees who dressed better than usual experienced higher self-esteem and productivity. Another survey from 1999 reported that casual workwear policies were linked to increased tardiness and absenteeism. The hoodie encourages you to clock out.

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Message Received

What we wear affects how we behave, think, and perform—a concept psychologists call “enclothed cognition.” Clothes carry meaning, and we absorb that meaning when we put them on. A notable experiment from Northwestern University found that people who wore lab coats, an item associated with intelligence, demonstrated better focus and task performance.

Whether we like it or not, clothes shape how others see us, too. Even in my remote world—where most of my professional interactions involve floating heads on screens—I ditch the hoodie for interviews and important meetings. Clothing sends a message. In a professional setting, a hoodie tells your boss, coworkers, or clients that you’d rather be anywhere else. That’s perfect for a lazy Sunday—it’s not so great for climbing the corporate ladder.

Once upon a time, workplaces had dress codes. Then the late 1990s happened, and Silicon Valley ditched suits for sweats. Tech billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg enshrined the zip-up as a power move, styling it with Adidas slides and an expression of monotony. Even though Zuckerberg has abandoned his hoodies in favor of tailored tees (and the occasional sparkly jumpsuit), one of his old sweatshirts recently sold for nearly $16,000 at auction.

The Covid-19 pandemic supercharged this casual revolution, with companies relaxing dress policies under the guise of boosting employee morale and staff retention rates. But this experiment in radical coziness has a built-in inequality.

The Hoodie as a Status Symbol

The “red sneakers effect,” a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, suggests that individuals who break dress norms—like wearing red sneakers in a corporate environment–are perceived as having higher status. But this rule-breaking is only powerful when the rule-breaker is already powerful. A CEO in a hoodie, for example, reads as too brilliant to care. An entry-level employee in a hoodie, on the other hand, signals a lack of seriousness. Women and people of color face even steeper biases.

According to a 2024 survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, 54 percent of employers have a business-casual dress code, and 43 percent allow casual attire. In theory, this means more freedom for all. In practice, it means more ambiguity. Very few people can get away with looking like they’ve just rolled out of bed. If you have to work harder to prove that you belong, you don’t have that luxury. The hoodie masquerades as an everyman’s garment, but in the office, it’s a rich man’s privilege. For the rest of us, it just makes it easier to be overlooked.

The hoodie, in particular, carries a complicated history. It’s been a flash point for racial profiling, particularly against Black men. Studies from Oregon State University found that Black male athletes were viewed as more intelligent and hardworking when dressed in formal clothing compared to athleisure. Even when their garments signified success (i.e., championship tees), their perceptions didn’t improve. The biases tied to hoodies don’t disappear when one steps into the office.

A Changing Workplace

Of course, not all workplaces are the same—not even all people are the same. Even as tech titans have long since abandoned their humble uniforms in favor of Loro Piana and Lanvin, everyday working people are redefining what professionalism looks like.

None of this is to say that workplaces should return to suits and pantyhose. Formal wear has its own gendered, classist, and uncomfortable baggage. But now that we’re all returning to the office, we have to start redefining what professionalism looks like. And I don’t think it should look like pajamas all the time. We adore hoodies because they’re comfy and schlumpy, but that’s not how you want your boss to describe you in your performance review.

The takeaway here isn’t to submit to old standards but to be intentional about how we present ourselves in the environment we’re in. Wear whatever makes you feel confident and capable, but remember that others will make judgments based on your attire. If you work on a construction site or in the field, pair your hoodie with your hard hat proudly. But if you’re in an office—even a home office—consider a structured sweater instead. Like picking the right tote bag, your attire can be a professional asset. When used thoughtfully, it can work for you instead of against you.