AIBU to think that short skirts and cleavage are totally inappropriate professional dress?

[Shamwari22]

Following the recent shenanigans about Angela Rayner crossing and uncrossing her legs while wearing a mini-skirt to throw Boris Johnson off his stride ... And further back, I was cringing at Theresa May standing outside No 10 as she took office as PM, flashing her cleavage. I really think if women wish to be taken seriously in politics and the professions, that they should not flash the flesh. In parliament, men are expected to wear jacket and tie, so why should women not have similar professional dress guidelines?

Good examples for me are the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg and Emma Vardy wearing very structured suits and coats that do not distract at all from what they are saying.

I said 'cringed' not 'titillated'

So brief shorts and a bikini top would be fine in the workplace if that’s what a woman wants to wear?

So brief shorts and a bikini top would be fine in the workplace if that’s what a woman wants to wear?
it’s what my daughter wears to work

Does she work in an office?

No

FWIW @Shamwari22 I agree with you, but there's no way you were ever going to get most people agreeing on here. You wouldn't expect a man to wear shorts, and a vest with his hairy chest showing, and hairy bare arms, (in a professional setting,) but it's somehow OK for women to wear plunging necklines showing off their boobs, and a skirt up to their bumcheeks 'because women should be able to do what they like.' I bet everyone saying 'YABU and women can wear what they want,' would NEVER dress anything like this in a professional setting.

So she's a lifeguard in the local swimming baths then?

No

Lifeguards at local pools don't wear swimwear.

OP the example of Laura Kuennsberg reminds me that Boris Johnson despite her style of dress still stares at her tits when being interviewed.

I also think that men should not have more than one shirt button undone if they don't wear a tie for work.

Sounds like the Daily Mail. They always describe women as ‘flaunting’ So and do was ‘flaunting’ their figure, ‘flaunting their legs’ No, no they’re not, they’re just women with a body or with legs out and about minding their own business.

Its a very misogynistic outlook actually, to assume women are in anyway dressing for men. Worse the comment that ‘if you’re showing legs/a bit of cleavage then how do you expect people to look anywhere else.

I mean,yikes. That’s not far from ‘she was wearing a skirt, she was asking for it’

I agree women can’t win.

There was a thread in Style & Beauty where an OP had posted a knee length strappy dress, (just the dress by the way not even of her in it) and was met by lots of ‘too tight’ ‘too chavvy’ ‘too cheap looking’ ‘you need to buy this a size up’ then a few days later another OP posts a baggy sleeved high neck dress, and was met with ‘looks handmaiden tale’ ‘looks like an Amish dress’

So no, women can’t win. We have to dress in clothing tight fitting enough to be acceptable but definitely not too tight so it’s obvious we have a woman’s body.

There were also posts about it exposing too much skin, a knee length, not even that low cut dress. Was really odd.

I do think there should be a dress code for all MP's. Lots of male MP will have a hairy chest - should they be vilified for displaying it? I feel they would indeed be attacked if they left buttons open to proudly display it.

Not relevant at all but I quite like how Angela Raynor dresses. I have thought once or twice that it’s refreshing to see an mo dresses a little less conservatively (stuffy & boring). Yabu op.

There is.

It's 'office wear'

Why stop at “no short skirts or cleavage?” Why not say that women should cover up the shape of their bodies lest their curves be deemed inappropriate? After all, we can’t do much about the actual shape of our frames so maybe we should only wear shapeless clothes so as not to cause offence. And cover our hair too; after all that can be distracting and alluring.

Or - and I appreciate that this is a radical idea - those who find it distracting could keep their eyes to themselves and, where necessary, exercise self-restraint.

Why don't women cover up as much same as men do? (in a professional setting?)

Why not? Why should they be allowed short mini skirts when men are not allowed to wear shorts at work?

@ivykaty44 Go on, don't keep us all in suspense. What DOES your daughter do for a living that means she can wear shorts and a bikini top? (And don't even TRY to pretend it's in a 'professional setting.')

It’s to do with looking businesslike and professional in the workplace. Visible thighs and cleavage don’t look professional and businesslike IMO anymore than a man’s chest would. To dress professionally and businesslike doesn’t mean suits necessarily. Trousers or skirt no shorter than an inch or two above the knee, and a top, blouse or jumper, or a dress.

Exactly this. There are some hugely disingenuous and hypocritical posters on this thread, that think women should be allowed to wear nipple tassles and a fig leaf to work if she so wishes. Men couldn't dress in such casual attire as mentioned on here, (and wouldn't do so.) Why should women be allowed to do so?

I quite like how she dresses.
But the problem is everyone else - society is misogynistic, women (particularly MPs) get much more criticism than men, if she wants to be accepted as a future PM she should probably conform to suit this sexist society and dress soberly.
If she doesn't aspire to be PM she can do what she wants as long as her constituency are happy with her.

K1233 thanks I got a good laugh ,at the thought of having my retinas destroyed by an army of overweight lycia clad men going by the coffee shop!

The vote results do not surprise me. To take your thread title, YANBU. Wear what you like out of work, dress appropriately for the work place. The fact that you mentioned Rayner, would automatically get most hitting the unreasonable button.

Spot on. Then we get the cheering of the chanting of empowerment, by women, who release half naked selfies. Ridiculous and an insult to real empowerment of women. No wonder why men get confused.

Yabu . That’s it.

Hooters?