AIBU to think a mini skirt is not appropriate office wear?

The issue to me is if a lot of time is spent changing seating position or sitting awkwardly to preserve modesty. It is probably uncomfortable and hinders work.

I think this depends a lot on the workplace and nature of the business - in some places it wouldn’t be appropriate but in others absolutely fine.

unless you’re in a public facing very professional role there aren’t any rules anymore.

You sound a bit puritanical. Is it really a problem as long as her fanny isn’t hanging out?

I find myself wondering this, but then I remind myself that I am old and times have moved on.
My personal issue is with bum-length skirts (no doubt of the mini-ness) and strappy tops in formal settings, but it is none of my business what other people wear unless I am the person whose job it is to enforce the rules. And the rules would have be very specific before I would be doing that.

She's a grown woman.

I'm sure she knows how to sit appropriately in her choice of clothing.

OP, I think you're living in the past a bit here and also it's bizarre that you've given enough thought to another woman's clothes to start a thread about it on a chat forum.

A mini skirt means different things to different people, how short is it??

How short is it?

And would you feel the same if she was 43 and short?

She's obviously comfortable or she wouldn't wear it. For all you know she has to wear incontinence pads and is self conscious they will be seen wearing trousers. I'm over 30 and any time I wear a skirt/dress it is never below my knees, as I find longer uncomfortable.

I am 50. I have been in a professional and often customer facing role for 25 years or more. I often wear short skirts I have been know to also wear a short waistcoat with my wide leg trousers if I had to reach up god forbid someone might see my midriff. I also wear trainers.

I wore mini skirts to work in my twenties but only in winter with thick black tights and a jumper or polo neck. I found workwear tricky when I was younger because it can be so stuffy. They all passed the fingertip test but in hindsight they were still too short and I probs wouldn’t wear them now in my mid 30s!

I’m 46 and would wear a miniskirt. In the winter I would wear it with thick black tights. And in the summer I have bare, quite tanned legs. In the summer I would wear dresses a good four inches above the knee, I wouldn’t wear a tight miniskirt but I wear short dresses yes.

Never in God’s name would I wear natural tights. I’m 46, not 106.

I think in most industries dress codes have relaxed a lot. I work in finance (not customer facing) and sometimes wear a mini skirt, sometimes jeans, really whatever I feel like. Piercings and tattoos are completely acceptable and I can think of a couple of colleagues with unnatural hair colours that definitely wouldn’t have gone down well in most jobs 10-15 years ago. I used to have to take my nose ring out every morning on the way to work but I think the last time I had to do that was in 2019! I’m glad that most people finally recognise that these things have no bearing on your ability to do a good job.

How bizarre to jump to incontinence pads and her being self-conscious.
Maybe she has fabulous legs and wants to wear something to show them off.

I worked in the City of London in finance for years and certainly that wouldn’t have been acceptable, but dress codes have relaxed a lot now. I stay conservative because no one can complain about conservative! It really depends on company culture - DH’s office (software engineering) sent an email round recently saying they should wear footwear in the office and bare feet were not acceptable!

It wasn't a jump it was an example as to a reason that is even less of @Andiose's business than how a younger woman chooses to dress.

I spend zero minutes a day noticing what my colleagues are wearing.

It’s hot. Really hot. People should wear whatever they need to get through the day.

Your ‘is this appropriate to wear’ comment has an undercurrent of ‘well, she shouldn’t have been dressed like that, what did she expect?’

I’m not saying it’s the same thing, it just has the same energy.

Avert your eyes and focus on your work.

How short is short?

Couple of inches above the knee - fine. Showing her knickers - not fine.

Even though you say you are genuinely curious, I would say that you feel it is unacceptable as you have created a AIBU thread OP.
Are you offended by what she is wearing? What is the dress code in your office?

I think things have completely changed in the last 20 years when it comes to what’s appropriate office wear. Anything goes now, mostly.

It's very simple. Does you office has a dress-code policy and what does it say?
If it says skirts must reach the knees, then she is not dressed appropriately for YOUR workplace. If there is nothing in the policy, then it's appropriate.
There is nothing inherently immodest in a mini skirt unless you can see her butt. 5-6 inches above the knee is basically mid thigh on a tall person which is perfectly fine.

5-6 inches above the knee isn’t actually very short if she has very long legs as you say

Depends entirely on the workplace these days. In my workplace that would be fine. Although I wouldn’t go that short myself.