Only knickers in the Co-op

A teenage girl (aged 15 or 16, roughly) in front of me in the Co-op was wearing a crop-top and a pair of knickers only. Not bikini bottoms, not short shorts but cotton M & S midi style knickers. I didn’t say anything (none of my business and she probably wouldn’t have approved my sartorial choices either). If I had been her mother, seeing her before she left the house, I would have said that it looked unhygienic and wasn’t an appropriate way to go to the shops.
YABU: People of whatever age can dress how they like when they go to the Co-op.
YANBU: A mini-skirt or pair of shorts are a minimum requirement when you’re off to the shops.

I wonder if this is the whole point of it: so they can identify you as a 'body-shaming bigot who is probably just jealous anyway' on social media.

It wouldn't surprise me if they or a friend nearby has a discreet camera to record any interactions. I can imagine that tags of 'going to the shop in just my knickers' and 'bigot slut-shaming me' would appeal to at least two demographics of monetisable eyeballs.

The problem is, if you question it (even on MN) you get the “women can wear what they want”, “stop body shaming”, “it’s all men’s fault they shouldn’t look - it’s their fault if they’re uncomfortable” and so on.

but I totally agree there’s a line. It’s not ok IMO to go out in your undies and of course it’s for attention. Why on earth else would you do that? And I do think boys/men are stuck between a rock and hard place with it all.

I am always so fascinated by the body positivity of today's "processed food" raised youngsters, some of who are significantly larger than people I knew in my youth.

I've mentioned to my teens a few times over the years "you can wear what you want but people WILL be staring at you, and not just pretty teenage boys but also leering unpleasant men thinking unpleasant thoughts about you. If you are ok with that, then that's fine but you need to be aware that it's definitely happening."
Has resulted in costume adjustments before leaving the house several times.

Where was this? It was 13C maximum with a cold wind where I live in the UK yesterday. Supermarkets are freezing when it's warm out.

Sounds like another completely made up lot of bollocks by very odd and unpleasant misogynistic individuals to me. Reported.

I really despair.

Quite seriously the way a lot of girls and young women chose to dress has got to the point of being ridiculous.

How do they they honestly ever expect to be taken seriously?

I don't see it as body positivity - no matter how much those of us who dislike seeing virtually naked girls and women in our day to day lives are told that it is.

I see it as desperate attention seeking and it smacks of a total lack of self worth

OP didn’t specify when this took place. The weather here has been spring like but still quite cold and windy. It doesn’t seem to deter the teens because as soon as the sun comes out the skimpy outfits appear.

Yes, I said this to my dd when younger. Kids can be so unaware. And it’s actually uncomfortable for anyone male or female. As a woman, it makes me uneasy, because it makes a girl / young woman vulnerable to predators / unwanted attention. And I’m sure plenty of men feel uncomfortable, because they don’t want to put a foot wrong, and be accused of doing something wrong around them.

Where was this? It was 13C maximum with a cold wind where I live in the UK yesterday. Supermarkets are freezing when it's warm out.

Sounds like another completely made up lot of bollocks by very odd and unpleasant misogynistic individuals to me. Reported.

I always remember being at a friends house with DH, their then 16 yr old daughter came down in an outfit which was a bra top , thong and some sort of mesh trousers over. My poor DH didn’t know where to look and found it uncomfortable as did I to be honest.
There need to be some boundaries for what is acceptable and decent and having your arse hanging out in public is going too far IMO.

The poster is 61 so born mid 1960’s. I doubt she would remember the mini skirt ‘fuss’.

I've mentioned to my teens a few times over the years "you can wear what you want but people WILL be staring at you, and not just pretty teenage boys but also leering unpleasant men thinking unpleasant thoughts about you. If you are ok with that, then that's fine but you need to be aware that it's definitely happening."
Has resulted in costume adjustments before leaving the house several times.

Oh come off it, surely you remember the fuss about mini skirts?

Where was this? It was 13C maximum with a cold wind where I live in the UK yesterday. Supermarkets are freezing when it's warm out.

Sounds like another completely made up lot of bollocks by very odd and unpleasant misogynistic individuals to me. Reported.

They all wear cycling shorts underneath. Thats why

Girls are very different to when we were younger. Non inform day is interesting. Lots of boobs on display and they are very confident. I dread to think what the boys say when they are out of ear shot. I recently told a girl who was vaping in the churchyard, with a group of boys, from my school, that having her buttocks out and swearing in front of people was disrespectful in a churchyard. The boys went very quiet and I was waiting for her response. I was ready. Fortunately she left. It’s not about the shock factor, I am not - it’s just trying to teach youngsters about dressing appropriately for the surroundings.

Girls are very different to when we were younger. Non inform day is interesting. Lots of boobs on display and they are very confident. I dread to think what the boys say when they are out of ear shot. I recently told a girl who was vaping in the churchyard, with a group of boys, from my school, that having her buttocks out and swearing in front of people was disrespectful in a churchyard. The boys went very quiet and I was waiting for her response. I was ready. Fortunately she left. It’s not about the shock factor, I am not - it’s just trying to teach youngsters about dressing appropriately for the surroundings.