Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think this is not appropriate for the office?

234 replies

chickentonightx · 01/04/2015 21:47

One of my team wore a dress similar to this today:

www.asos.com/ASOS-Petite/ASOS-PETITE-Long-Sleeve-Bodycon-Rib-Mini-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=4948857&cid=8799&Rf989=5011&Rf981=3677&Rf1012=4458&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=204&sort=-1&clr=Black&totalstyles=187&gridsize=3

AIBU to think it's not appropriate for the office? I didn't say anything as we don't have a formal dress code and didn't know if I was just being a jealous old fart (she's 10 years younger than me and looked very good in it)

OP posts:
SinglePringle · 01/04/2015 22:11

YABU, work(ed) in an office and that WOULD have been acceptable.

Not an eyebrow would be raised.

May wear similar myself. Regularly

TiggyD · 01/04/2015 22:12

Disgusting. She should have hidden her ankles with pianos or something.

ImperialBlether · 01/04/2015 22:13

It's about three foot longer than the OP's dress, though, Vodka. In fact, yours is knee length!

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 01/04/2015 22:13

Is this a joke? How is that inappropriate? I wore a bodycon mini dress to work today and I'm a senior manager (and quite old) - should I report myself? Fitted dresses a) are comfortable b) don't require ironing and c) or matching / coordinating. Plus if you're tall hemlines are always going to be high.

LaurieFairyCake · 01/04/2015 22:13

Thick black tights and flat shoes would render it very smart and French looking

No tights and high heels is 'lady of the night'

msgrinch · 01/04/2015 22:13

It would have been fine in every office I've ever worked in and now I work in fashion it's expected. My boss sent a woman home for looking scruffy in a blouse and skirt.

StillStayingClassySanDiego · 01/04/2015 22:13

Bare legs?, bloody freezing out there today, Shock

Respect to her, I'm still in my thermals

TheWhiteRoad · 01/04/2015 22:14

So you don't have a dress code?

And her manager had no problem with the way she was dressed?

But you clearly want a bunch of MNs to clutch our pearls and lambast her for being 'unprofessional' or 'inappropriate'. You really want to say tarty but don't quite dare do you?

Threads like this depress me.

WorraLiberty · 01/04/2015 22:16

I think that about sums it up TheWhiteRoad

VodkaValiumLattePlease · 01/04/2015 22:16

True Imperial it starts there, but its bodycon so three steps and it rides up to half way between your knee and your bum

thenightsky · 01/04/2015 22:17

I would love to see what response you got if you'd posted this in S&B Grin

Passmethecrisps · 01/04/2015 22:19

I am not sure if the frock I had on today classes as body con.

All stretchy so I just yank it on over my head. I wore it with wedges, thick tights and a cardigan so no one was distracted from their work by my physique

LaurieFairyCake · 01/04/2015 22:21

I'm the opposite of pearl clutching and as a feminist I would say that women should be able to wear whatever they like

But body con dresses that skim the thighs are there to display us sexually and conform to a sexual stereotype

So actually I think they're pretty bloody far from being worn by liberated women

And fuck all to do with 'tarty' which basically is just a word to criticise women

But I don't think they should be worn because it's all about legs on display and it's bloody hard to be taken seriously when you wear clothes like that in a society like this with so many sexual assaults on women

Oakmaiden · 01/04/2015 22:21

It is quite short - does she have pretty legs?

ChipDip · 01/04/2015 22:22

You clearly don't have much going on in your life to be this bothered.

KeturahLee · 01/04/2015 22:23

It wouldn't be appropriate to work in a primary school or cleaning windows, but surely in an office all you're doing is sitting at a computer or walking between a desk and a photocopier - can't really see why it's a problem?

beautyfades · 01/04/2015 22:23

O why would you be botherd to be botherd!??

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 01/04/2015 22:24

Well that escalated quickly. Linking short skirt wearing to sexual assault - from a "feminist" as well.

Unfuckingbelievable.

msgrinch · 01/04/2015 22:25

"lady of the night" ... nice. really nice.

Delphine31 · 01/04/2015 22:25

There are women where I work who wear dresses like this. Massive sweeping (but relatively true) statement, but it tends to be women in the marketing department who are far more stylish and generally fitter (in both senses!) than the geeky women in the department that I work in who wear things like this. They've got the legs to be able to pull it off. I would look dreadful if I wore a dress like this. I'm a size 10 but with stumpy legs and wobbly bits and couldn't pull this off in a million years.

I actually think they look fine. As long as they're doing a job that doesn't involve crouching down or whatever, I don't see the problem.

To the PP who said no skirts shorter than knee length should be worn in the office, I think that's a bit OTT. Women can look very smart and perfectly respectable in a slightly shorter than knee length skirt.

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 01/04/2015 22:26

Ha! Delphine - I work in marketing

WorraLiberty · 01/04/2015 22:26

And fuck all to do with 'tarty' which basically is just a word to criticise women

And 'Lady of the night' (the phrase you used upthread) isn't?

LaurieFairyCake · 01/04/2015 22:26

Clearly you missed the bit where I said women should be able to wear what the like Hmm

But you know, feel free to go ahead and misquote me without the full context of what I was saying

Snowberry86 · 01/04/2015 22:27

Would look good barefoot Wink

LaurieFairyCake · 01/04/2015 22:27

That was a joke Worra Wink