The nation’s female spymasters have a lot of work to do — on their looks.
That’s according to an “offensive” and “dumb” a fashion-counseling session — “How to Dress for Success” — for members of the federal Defense Intelligence Agency, which manages the flow of sensitive information coming from the military.
Women at the DIA were recently told that “makeup makes you more attractive” and were warned, “Don’t be a plain Jane” at work.
The presentation came just a week after women were cleared to serve in combat. Led by a staffer at the agency, it instructed women to boost success in the workplace by using personal appearance.
“A sweater with a skirt is better than a sweater with slacks,” read one part of the presentation, US News Weekly reported. Other advice included “no flats,” “paint your nails” and “don’t be afraid of color.”
DIA Director Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn sent an e-mail to employees and apologized for the “unnecessary and serious distraction” caused by the “highly offensive” presentation.
Flynn said he hoped the intention behind the presentation was “pure of heart” and “intended to help.”
“But even smart people do dumb things sometimes,” Flynn added.
“That said, no one is going to be taken to the wood shed over this,” he said, according to the magazine.
“They’ll require some counseling (to be sure) on what it means to think before you act.”
And a spokeswoman for the DIA — which employes more than 16,000 people and reports to the Department of Defense — admitted the presentation was in bad taste.Agency spokeswoman Susan Strednansky told the magazine. She insisted that the informal talk was organized by an employee with no clearance from higher-ups.
“Neither the agency nor the leadership has condoned anything that was in that briefing.”
“It is not mandatory,” she said. “It is just, ‘Hey, here are some suggestions.’ ”
This isn’t the first questionable advice coming from the feds.
Just earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security posted a new security video instructing people to grab a pair of scissors if faced with a deranged shooter in the workplace.