Co-constructing a Qualitative Inquiry into Aesthetic Labor: Uncovering Organizational Norms of Fit and Belonging in Schools

This qualitative inquiry explores aesthetic labor in educational settings, focusing on how organizational norms shape expectations of professional appearance, behavior, communication, and belonging. The roundtable invited participants to examine how implicit standards of “fit” operate within schools and leadership contexts, including how such expectations may be experienced differently across social identities and professional roles. The session emphasized collaborative sensemaking and the co-construction of emerging interpretations around professionalism, credibility, belonging, and performative exhaustion.