So, I found myself browsing for Hugo Boss female watches the other day. Don’t ask me why, sometimes you just go down these internet rabbit holes, right? Or maybe I was thinking of a gift, who knows.
And you know what? I looked at a bunch of them. Honestly? They were… fine. Some were pretty, sure. But a lot of them just felt like they’d taken the men’s designs, shrunk them down a bit, maybe slapped a bit of rose gold on there, and called it a day. Or they were trying super hard for that “powerful woman” vibe, but it just felt a bit… stiff. Like, not really me, or most women I know.
It got me thinking about this whole thing with brands and how they try to do “female empowerment” but sometimes it just lands a bit weird. Like they’re selling you an idea of what a successful woman should look like, instead of, you know, just making cool stuff.
That whole ‘look the part’ pressure
It totally threw me back to my first proper corporate gig. Oh boy. I was young, super keen, and absolutely clueless about the “unspoken rules.” And everyone, and I mean everyone, had an opinion on how I should present myself to be taken seriously.
My well-meaning supervisor, my slightly older colleagues, even that one lady from HR during onboarding. It was a chorus of:
- “You need a power suit, dear.”
- “Invest in good shoes, they notice.”
- “And you absolutely MUST get a proper watch. Nothing too flashy, but, you know, substantial.”
A “substantial” watch. That phrase stuck with me. I remember looking at my cheap, cheerful watch that I actually liked and suddenly feeling a bit… inadequate. So, I started looking. I looked at brands that screamed “I’ve made it!” or at least “I’m on my way to making it!” And yes, some of those Hugo Boss watches, or similar styles from other “serious” brands, were definitely on the list I made in my head.
I spent weeks agonizing over it. It felt like such a huge decision. This wasn’t just a timepiece; it was supposed to be a statement. But what statement was I even trying to make? That I could afford a certain brand? That I was “one of the boys” but, you know, the female version?
In the end, you know what I did? I didn’t buy any of them. I just couldn’t bring myself to spend a chunk of my tiny starting salary on something that felt so… performative. I stuck with my old watch for a while longer. Then I got a different one, something I actually liked, something that felt like me, not some idea of who I was supposed to be. It wasn’t “substantial” by their definition, probably. But it was mine.
And looking back, that was a way better decision. That whole period taught me a lot. Mostly about how much of that “professional image” stuff is just noise. You do good work, you’re respectful, that’s what matters. Not the label on your wrist.
So yeah, browsing those watches the other day, it was a funny little trip down memory lane. Still not sure I’d buy one, but it definitely made me think about how far I’ve come from that young, impressionable kid worried about her “substantial” watch. Glad I dodged that bullet and just focused on being, well, substantially me.
