I think that this can also fall in line with "dress for the job you want, not the job you have." If your intentions, like Boyle, are to be a professional singer, then you have to dress the part. Being a great singer is a lot more than that these days and it launches you into celebrity status - they are called the "beautiful people" for a reason. You are expected to be a certain something and even Boyle herself (while most deem her unattractive) is actually an average looking woman. She simply chooses not to make herself more attractive because that is her gimmick, and hey, it worked!

The same can be said for office roles. If I am allowed to wear jeans on a daily basis, as is becoming more popular in corporate offices, but choose to dress more formally, chances are, I will be taken more seriously by my peers and supervisors. Even at a job where I could wear jeans daily, I would never dress that way to the interview at that corporation. Put your best foot forward. I take that with me into my job as well, sure the dress code is business casual, but that doesn't mean I can't wear a great suit that makes me "appear" to be a higher level than I am. It might not be fair and it may be biased of people to think this way, but the fact is, it's the way it has always been and it is unlikely to change. The next time another Susan Boyle comes around, she'll have to prove herself in the same way.