Debbie Berebichez aka The Science Babe was raised in Mexico City and early on in life knew she wanted to work in physics. She was HIGHLY discouraged to do so by many people, however. You're supposed to get married and have kids, not get a higher education in the USA and be a career woman on Wall Street! Every time I interview someone I always ask them what piece of advice they'd give to anyone trying to "make it". Every time without fail they say, " NEVER GIVE UP". Debbie defines perseverance ( see her answer to question #9) and Wardrobe Wire got a chance to interview her. She works on Wall Street during the day as a risk analyst and writes about the physics of high heels and other girl stuff in her free time. Visit her website at www.the science babe.com.
She was the first Mexican woman to get her PhD from Standford in physics. She also studied at Colombia and NYU. She speaks 5 languages. Jealous yet? I am!
1. First and foremost, what does THE Science Babe wear to work on Wall Street?
Compared to most other industries, Wall St tends to be a fairly conservative place in terms of fashion. When I walk into banks or financial institutions, most men are wearing black or navy suits with white or light blue dress shirts and ties. Generally women wear suits with buttoned up dress shirts and they add a little color or accessorize with simple jewelry such as pearl necklaces and a nice pair of high heels. When you look around, you see a lot of straight lines.
I tend to wear mostly dark suits in black, blue or brown and I try to add some color by wearing silk dress shirts in colors such as red, blue or green. I may wear pencil skirts that hit at the knee of a pair of form-fitting pants that pair up nicely with a feminine jacket. I wish I could wear high heels every day as they really make me feel feminine, but with all the running I have to do in NYC from meeting to meeting, I just can’t walk efficiently in them so I tend to wear shoes with a small 1” to 1.5” heels. My favorite suit is a Theory set in navy blue suede that I bought two years ago. The pants are made from a stretchy material and the texture is really elegant, so I can wear it with any color shirt and it looks good.
As for jewelry, I generally wear white pearl earrings and try to keep it simple. I tend to talk about pretty quantitative things, so I want my clients to focus on what I’m saying and not on what I’m wearing. Now, when I leave work the story changes. I use the time outside of the office to go more creative and wear things that really accent my femininity!
2. What inspired you to write about the physics of heels, of all things?
A couple of years ago I was watching an episode of Sex and the City and in an effort to popularize science concepts I thought: why don’t I write about something that most women love? I picked an object that accentuates women’s feminine bodies and decided to explain the mechanics of how they work. My idea is that by showing that the laws of physics elucidated by a XVII Century physicist Isaac Newton (who by the way used to wear high heels!) apply to something as common as high heels, then I could convince women everywhere that science is really cool and that applies to everything including fashion.
3. What fashion advice are you dying to give the women and men on Wall Street? Any Do’s or Don’ts you must share?
I would love to see a little bit more color in Wall St. like men wearing buttoned shirts in colors other than white and light blue and ties that reflect a bit more of their personality. For women, suits that have some flair and use different textures. How about red or purple shoes with a black suit? Or patterned shirts or dresses. In general, I believe fashion exists so that we can express our individuality. Since I’m Latin American, I tend to love very feminine pieces that make me feel attractive. Combined with a powerful mind, there is nothing sexier than a woman that feels confident in whom she is.
As for Don’t’s, I would probably stay away from things that make you feel uncomfortable working in a tight space at a desk for many hours in a row such as clothes that are too tight, or heels that are too high. The important thing is that clothes should compliment you and who you are.
Having said this, I would love some advice from your readers on how to easily transform a conservative office outfit into a fun night out one. My usual frustration is that I always need to go home and change after work before I go out to an event.
4. You studied at Stanford, Columbia, and NYU. Was there a major difference in the style of dress between the different student bodies?
Before you read my opinion, do bear in mind that I was always in the Math and Physics departments at these schools, which don’t generally make for the most stylish people of all! I would say that Stanford, being in North Cali, is the most casual one of the three. I recall feeling overdressed if I wore skirts or dresses with high heels. Most people wear casual clothing to go to class and to go out at night. Palo Alto is a pretty casual place. My colleagues, including the professors that taught my classes wore jeans or shorts with T-shirts and sandals. The weather is always great so it’s easy to just wear comfortable clothing. Coming from Mexico City where people go through considerable effort to look fashionable, I was a bit dismayed to see that you could walk into fancy restaurants by wearing jeans and sneakers! Nevertheless, Stanford has an incredibly creative vibe and that ensured that people were always appreciative of different styles. In terms of NYU and Columbia I found Columbia more conservative. My office at NYU was close to Tisch School of the Arts (where Lady Gaga studied!) so I got to witness some great designs and Halloween costumes! New York tends to be a much more fashion conscious place than North Cali. On any given night, it’s easy to find women wearing gorgeous gowns on a night out of town. It’s much harder to say the same of the Bay Area.
5. As a native of Mexico, what are some of your favorite Mexican fashion trends, styles, traditions and customs?
I love that Mexican fashion, as well as its food and architecture, is full of color. Just like walls in houses can be painted in dark pink, so can women wear beautiful and bright colors in everyday fashion. Mexican women are not afraid to be feminine and define their curves. Just look at Salma Hayek. My current favorite fashion designer is a great Mexican woman by the name of Ximena Valero. When I did some modeling in New York a few years ago, I had the honor to wear her clothing and I think she is amazing!
6. We ask this question to every globetrotting fashionista: what packing tips and tricks do you have to share with our readers?
I must say that I’m a bit of an over packer. I always carry the basics and a lot more. After all, you never really know what exciting event you may be invited to attend last minute! When I fly to conferences around the world I tend to bring outfits that I feel great in and that I can wear the whole day since I probably won’t be going back to the hotel in the middle of the day. I always bring a black dress, and a dark skirt that I can wear with different sets of tops. I try to think about which outfit I will wear each day and if I have the time, I will create an Excel spreadsheet with the possible different combinations. Yes, I know it sounds geeky, but it always saves me from trouble to think of things beforehand.
7. Why physics?
Because I am an extremely inquisitive person, and I find the world we live in a fascinating and curious place. Physics is the discipline that allows you to investigate why things happen the way they do. It is an incredibly profound field, where you systematically learn how to use the language of the universe: Mathematics. The feeling of completing an equation and seeing how it describes an actual phenomena that happens in the world is one of the most exhilarating things I’ve ever felt. I love science, but physics to me is the most profound or all branches of science because its focus is the abstraction and generalization of principles. Many times in biology, each molecule has a very particular description that differs from every other molecule. However, in physics a law has to be applicable to every atom in every place in the world. Coming up with these kind of over-encompassing laws is very challenging and thus people argue and experiment a lot, until they find the theories that explain the phenomena the best. But ultimately all theories are up for being proven false. It is essentially a big experiment with the world. And what can be more playful and fun than that!?
8. What is your plan to expose people, especially women, to science in an unconventional way?
I plan to have a TV series and books that put together fashion and entertainment with science. I believe this hasn’t been done before and I think it’s a great way of attracting women who may otherwise find science boring or too distant from their everyday worlds. Not to say that I don’t plan on continuing to spread the word about more sophisticated/deeper topics in science; but as a start I think it is a great way of attracting people to it. What about the physics of special effects in movies? Or the chemistry of cooking? Or the physics of fashion such as new materials? Topics like these are an amazing gateway for attracting people, especially girls, to science.
9. What advice can you give, both men and women, on how to overcome odds, obstacles and all that may be against them in society and just pursue their dream and never give up?
In short: don’t ever give up! If I had to tell you how many times people told me to quit, to abandon my dreams of studying physics, I could fill an entire book with those stories. But I always believed in my dream. I had no previous math background and I was able to finish a physics major in two years. Thus, I always say that if I was able to do it, anyone can do it. You don’t have to become a scientist yourself, but knowing a bit about how the world works and having a basic understanding of the basic laws that govern our universe can go a long way! Our dreams and desires are what make us who we are and constituted the reason why our lives are meaningful in the long term. If you give up your dreams, you will be giving up the most important part of who you are.
10. Would you say that the line of work that you’re in is a male dominated industry? If so, do you ever use that to your advantage?
My work is definitely in a male-dominated field. I don’t think I ever use this to my advantage, but it is funny how sometimes some men do react surprised when in meetings I am the most quantitative person in my team or when I talk to clients about highly mathematical concepts. It’s almost as if they don’t expect it initially, but as long as you know what you are talking about they immediately respect your work and become comfortable with your work.
- Paige Rolfe
