Does my bum look unprofessional in this?

"Look at female politicians.They are unable, in the eyes of the media and just about everyone, to get it right."

And it's just as bad here on MumsNet too. There was a derogatory thread about the hairstyle of the woman Chief Constable in the Raoul Moat case. Personally I would be more interested in how she got to the position she's in, and whether she made any sacrifices along the way.

I acknowledge that there is an insane obsession with the way women look/dress in our society, and that at times it is ridiculous, insulting and totally OTT. I also realise that men don't come under this sort of scrutiny.

However, I do find the exposure of flesh to be off-putting at work. I don't really understand why any woman would want wear a very low-cut top with her breasts hanging out, particularly while at work.

I think the real problem, though, isn't with the women who wear skimpy tops and the men who judge them for it, it's much more pervasive than that.

Look at female politicians. They are unable, in the eyes of the media and just about everyone, to get it right. Too manly, too scruffy, too mumsy, too sexy. I mean, FFS, name me one female politician (and I mean politician, not Michelle Obama! ) who has 'got it right' in the eyes of the masses? It is so bloody frustrating. Nobody gives a fuck that Ed Balls permanenetly looks like he has just come in from a boozy night or that Nick Clegg wears 'Asda manager' cheap suits.

Galling.

Male gaze, women as objects. You have to defeminise yourself in order to be seen as anything other than a cunt on legs. Cover up anything that men might like to look at - buttocks, thighs, cleavage, face, hair....

I started my career in a big london accountancy firm at the end of the seventies. Bearded men were tolerated in the ranks, but those who looked as if they might make assistant manager or manager were quietly taken to one side and told to lose the face fur, as it looked unprofessional.

With regard to women, it is a fact that men like looking at women in a sexual way. In order to maintain their professionalism, and not be admired purely for their tits and arses, women need to make sure that their clothes don't overemphasise these features.

Sadly, once men are privately saying "Phwoar, look at the arse on that" to each other, they're not going to be adding "Oh, but she's a brilliant accountant/lawyer etc."

There's some interesting thoughts about this in the Beauty Myth I seem to remember. I am looking forward to re-reading it for the book club.

This is something I struggle with. I saw an article in the newspaper recently about a young female city worker (I think in the US) who'd taken her employer to court for firing her for looking too provocative (basically she was young and pretty and, even though she wore "professional" suits, her male colleagues couldn't keep their eyes off her arse). She lost

There's a woman in my office who dresses like a walking talking Barbie doll (think 6" heels, tiny dresses, breast implants, lots of hair extensions etc). She walked past me and a (feminist) colleague/friend the other day and my friend made a comment about this woman's tiny dress. I said "that wasn't a very sisterly thing to say". Her response was "well that wasn't a very sisterly dress!"

My DP is a bit too laid back about his appearance - not to an extreme, but he would turn up in slightly creased clothes or things that were a bit too casual. He got pulled up in front of his boss about it, despite the fact that it's a casual office and the boss wears Converse and jeans.

I don't think it's fair to say that it's just women who have to watch their appearance at work.

I was having a conversation with a male friend the other day and he complained that women can get away with wearing much cooler clothes in summer - skirts, smart shorts, tops that aren't stiff shirts - whereas men have to stick to button up shirts and couldn't come in wearing shorts.

I also remember that when I had retail job there was a guy who had long hair and he had to keep it tied back at all times, whereas the women could get away with different hair styles. There was another guy who got told off for wearing eyebrow piercings and a small hoop in one ear.

I was at uni with a guy who was a very successful model for Ralph Lauren and he complained about people making judgements about his intelligence or assuming that he was going to be very arrogant and stuck up because he was good looking.

Long touseled hair on a man looks like a homeless person though! I work with a number of men who have long hair who feel very judged at work for not having "professional" short hair. And men in shorts are usually looked down on too, even when it is boiling.

Most workplaces have a uniform, formal or informal. I've found sexism to be about my gender more than how I dress, although can think of some exceptions to that rule sadly.

eg the woman being pretty = thick is a basic sexist thing, and not actually influenced by how she is dressed IYSWIM. A sexist person will think a pretty woman is thick no matter what she is wearing. I think.

I do think that there are appearance related things in your basic office environment that detract from a man's ability to be "seen" as professional.

TBH in my experience, the sexism that I have encountered has been entirely and simply due to my sex. Not anything else IYSWIM.

Check out his thread a few days ago www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/996516-What-do-you-make-of-this-advert it is about an advert for a letting agency.

What is your work?