Professional boobs?

If a woman, even pregnant turned up to work with her belly showing at all words would be had. It's accepted from my guy friend I assume because they can see he is struggling with his physique.

I don't know if I agree with that. Men don't have a uniform body shape and talking of uniforms even my friend in the police force had to adjust her uniform to take into account her enormous norks.

But as I said my male friend constantly has his belly peeking out and no one says a thing.

"Men don't have these problems" because men's clothing is far less varied than women's. A man who didn't conform to social expectations would be speedily informed of his transgression, but very few ever do.

That sounds like a disadvantage for men (O what a shock, that there could be any) but maybe not so much. If you wear a uniform, you never have to worry about what to put on, you don't have to be concerned over what's in fashion, there's no expectation of variety, you're immune to criticism as long as you wear the clothes properly. Remember that Australian TV presenter who wore the same blue suit every day for a year, and nobody noticed.

You sound gorgeous ollivander very vintage proportions. Some women just have sexy bodies. Beyoncé in an a line dress and opaque and flats is always going to look more voluptuous than Taylor Swift in the same outfit. But possibly look a bit fatter than she actually is.

A male friend of mine has a massive belly that's quite hairy, but manages to go into work every day with his belly peeking out of the bottom of his three sizes too small shirts, and a bit of hair poking out the top. No one has said anything to him. He doesn't even iron his trousers, not that I'm into ironing much myself. Just saying.

That's the thing, if I wear clothes that fit, I look "busty"
Because I have a huge bust/waist difference. Someone once said about a photo of me, "it makes you look very booby"
Yes. Because I am? You wouldn't say "that photo makes you look flat chested" would you?!

If I wear something that is too high and not fitted though I look like a big fat frump and I still want to look somewhat attractive.

Men just don't have these problems do they? It's a minefield.

I'm wearing a v neck t shirt with a sort of straight neck vest top under it. And I still have cleavage because of the size of my boobs and where they sit
Reminds me of this

It''s a bloody nightmare dressing for work with big breasts. I should know - low neck, they escape; high neck, they look even bigger; shirt - doesn't fit, looks scruffy. Bottom not much help either.

One of my best workmates, who is nowhere near as good at our job as I am, got promoted because she is tall & thin, with dead straight hair. She dressed way more casually but it looked much neater. She looked the part, literally.

Straight lines = professional beauty requirement. Obviously, for women only.

I've a big chest and I'm a bit prudish I suppose about having cleavage on show, out in public anyway, at home and for dh benefit obviously fine, I wouldn't have dared to wear anything low cut to work because it would have definitely led to remarks from my mostly male colleagues.
I don't think it looks professional to have the baps out, but I kinda wish I had the courage to show mine off sometimes!

Whereas I am flat-chested (with a big arse), so that's my personal checklist - yours will be a bit different.

Same with me and my big arse, Titty, but if I wear a red leather pencil skirt with an embellished belt and 4" heels it will emphasize it more than if I wear an A-line woollen skirt fitted at the waist and skimming the hips, with flat shoes.

I personally think high heels look a bit dodgy but they are considered professional attire.

To me, sexual has to do with behaviour. I "could" wear a boob revealing top to work (absolutely fabulous norks too) BUT if I go about my business as I do every day, I would not consider it sexual. If I leaned over workstations and desks or sat on their desks flirting, I would consider that sexual.

Unless it is clothes (or lack of them) coupled with sexual behaviour, I don't see it as a problem. The problem, as I see it, is the other people making a big deal out of nothing. If someone is not overtly sexual and doing a really good job, why is there this fuss?

Define “sexual”.

It is tricky, and I think people have to take a common-sense approach, because (as you see) what looks OK on one body shape might not on another.

My personal checklist would probably be:

• High neckline
• No shoulders on show (bare arms OK from the shoulder)
• No shorts
• Skirts knee length or lower unless worn with opaques
• Flat shoes or shoes/boots with a small (no more than 2") heel
• No clingy clothing
• No embellishments that point up primary or secondary sexual characteristics ( )
• Ideally but not essentially some kind of jacket

But I think there's a little more margin for error than that - it is a question of judgement (which some have and some don't).

I do think that anything that looks even slightly sexual does look unprofessional
What utter horseshit
A dress can look sexual on one woman and not another depending on height/body shape.
Much of women's tailoring is designed to make women look attractive and is the workplace "smart professional" standard
And what about high heels? Those are definitely "slightly sexual" and definitely appropriate for work.

Drawers and best

Imagine if they saw you in your sexy draws though? Long legs and big boobies look the pest in sexy lingerie in my opinion, they have the best of both worlds. You should just turn up one day half dressed and have a good laugh when their jaws hit the floor

As a big booby girl I have to say even sometimes when I'm trying to look respectable they make an appearance.

A friend of mine in the police force had this problem, sexy girl, and constantly having to redo her shirt buttons to avoid looking like a stripper. She was called into her (female) inspectors office with the same problem too, but I think they handled it quite diplomatically. She was advised to buy a bigger shirt because "you are not a small girl". Friend was a bit gobsmacked but had to deal with it.

(I think it looks unprofessional on TM btw!)

No, I agree that you probably can't have a no-cleavage policy, but I do think that anything that looks even slightly sexual does look unprofessional. I think completely asexual dressing looks best in a work setting, for both women and men (unless you happen to work in a job where you are expected to look "attractive" - which often does mean sexual).

That's just my personal view - it is a tricky area.

"Personally I do think cleavage looks unprofessional - although Theresa May is a current role model for cleavage-at-work!"

Gawd, a sad day when you have to cite TM in order to defend a womans right to be visibly female (including cleavage).

I also hate that word 'unprofessional' which is fairly meaningless, but too often means whatever the user wants it to mean. Let's face it, I don't see how you can have a no-visible cleavage policy without discriminating against women, and against larger women in particular. Which quite rightly should land you in a whole load of shite. If a workplace really wants to impose a 'covered up to the collarbones' policy (which would at least be not quite so sexist), then they should expect to get mocked for it.

Cleavage is not obscene, or inappropriate, or unprofessional, it's just a movable chest-related bit that women tend to have.

TitaniasCloset you did make me laugh, in a good way. I am a middle aged, professional, working with all men and I have to say I am covered from head to toe, think jeans/trousers and sweatshirts. If I was to wear a skirt I think my lot at work would be following me over the shop floor with their mouths wide open!! It is a good atmosphere at work though, they do respect me an look out for me.