YOU SEE IS NOT WHAT YOU GETbe serious. As the shades of color lighten, the subtext that a
woman projects lightens as well. A softer image is projected by
beiges and browns. A woman can wear a suit, as most women
lawyers do, but she can also go for a smart dress or a skirt and
blouse in court, being always conscious of the subtext she wishes
to project.
Again, there are exceptions. A young lawyer from Marin County
in California told me that she once dared to go into court in
jeans. "The judge gave me some flack, but not much. I knew he
had jeans on under his robes. It was the jury I wanted to reach.
They were all young, counterculture types, and I knew they'd
react negatively to the subtext sent by a suit or even a dress. I
know the jeans swung the case in my favor." This approach would
be foolish in most cases, but this time it worked to project an
image with which the jury could identify.
The subtext the jury perceives is often a determining factor in
a case. In a rape trial, for example, verdicts often depend not
on the facts, but on the appearance, reputation, social life, and
demeanor of the accused—in short, on his subtext!
According to Dr. Barbara F. Reskin, a professor of sociology
at the University of Michigan, jurors tend to place the accused
in a rape case in two categories. If he seems a loser, disheveled,
unemployed, and unmarried, jurors are biased against him. But
if he is good-looking and has a girlfriend or is married, the jurors
usually do not believe he would commit rape. "He doesn't look
like a rapist," was often heard. Most men and more than half of
women jurors surveyed had this attitude.
In the courtroom, lawyers are faced with a particular problem—
jurors who tend to accept the subtext projected by the image of
the man or woman on trial. Attractive people are favored by most
jurors. Well-dressed people are seen as less likely to be guilty.