He had no trousers on?

[ThisFunLife]

I saw this photo in the guardian today and had to give a double take because I initially thought the man on the right had no trousers on! I was a bit shocked until I realised he did! they r just beige!

Then I saw there was a woman to the right who actually doesn't have any trousers on and I had no reaction.

Then I wondered - what the hell? Why is my reaction so different to a partially naked man as it is to a partially naked women?

Of course, she does have some kind of skirt or shorts or something I'm sure! But I know if the man had dressed like this I'd have felt really shocked, whereas I don't feel anything much towards seeing a woman dressed like this.

Why do some women where clothes which reveal their legs and men don't? What's this about?

Also - why do some women dress 'sexy' in the workplace but men don't?

No AIBU really, just was surprised at my horrified reaction to a man with no trousers on, when I didn't bat an eyelid for the woman.

What's going on!? Any thoughts!

Psm and this was my initial view before I looked properly and saw the bottom.of the picture!

Women are often required to look sexy. The male gaze has permeated the work place to the point where it's commonplace for women to be wearing short skirts and low tops. Men don't do it because most men don't want to see other men dresses like that.

It's all about what men want.

Not saying that particular woman dresses that way for that reason. I'm just giving reason for why it's normalised. She looks fab.

I did a double take at the swimming pool cause a girl had a beige swimming suit.

Out of the corner of my eye kept seeing a naked girl going to the diving board. Then realised oh its beige swimming suit again

I think you are absolutely right.

I can't imagine a man standing for a picture in a pose similar to the woman's, and with leg showing. It would b really weird and just makes me realise how strange and unequal males and females are in the workplace .

TFL had their “no trousers or skirts “ day last Friday. 🤷‍♀️

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyevk5ng7eo

I see! Maybe the women was joining in and the man was trying to join in but without actually joining in!

Ps. Beige trousers and flesh coloured clothing should be banned! Hideous! :)

I would show my legs at work but probably only from the knee down, the same as a man wearing shorts in summer. The outfit she has on isn’t really appropriate for meeting politicians imo. The way I look at it is that it’s about having respect for everyone around you. If you’re there in a serious capacity as a professional with fellow professionals and have flesh on display, you’re there to work and are putting everybody else in the room, men and women, in a position where they have to actively avoid looking at your outfit so as not to be seen as unprofessional. None of my close male colleagues are “letchy” and they would want to be respectful to me whatever I was wearing but equally I wouldn’t want to make them feel uncomfortable or to feel uncomfortable myself so I just wouldn’t wear that outfit. Drinks after work, different story.

I think also women don't WANT men walking around with no trousers on. If I was in an office and a male worker wondered in with no trousers on so almost everything was on display I would feel very uncomfortable and to some extent threatened. Be careful what you wish for really, if you start pointing out the difference very weird men might use the "equality" argument to make us all look at their thighs. I don't think women should ever feel pressured to "dress sexy" or anything. But too far the other way and you end up with women in sacks so as not to distract the men.

But in this photo I am more distracted by the massive tit in the foreground.

fully clothed.not really partially naked is it?
not appropriate for meeting politians?(wholesome re they)maybe she lddered her tights..the beige troussers re yuk

We have male and female Posties, both often wear shorts, neither have nicely shaped legs imo. I would prefer that both covered their legs. Not that anyone will ask me.

Outside work like being a postie is different, because it is physically active so you can get hot, and it involves being in the rain. So shorts are actually more comfortable and practical. It wouldn't be fair to demand trousers because it looks better (I know you weren't). Whereas in an office I think if a bloke wants to wear shorts he should at least shave his legs like women apparently have to!

It's social conditioning. You have been trained and conditioned by society to view the scene in the way you did.

Her dress is a bit short and unprofessional for that particular work environment but I kind of like her Sass.

In my first office job I wore shorts in a heatwave (tailored and not absurdly short). The men lobbied to wear shorts as well (having originally ben told they couldn't) because of what I and another woman wore and the management backed down. But it wasn't about "flashing the flesh" or looking sexy for any of us, it was just comfortable clothing in hot weather.

Generally yes women expose more flesh on a day-to-day basis than men. Think about your average casual summer dress or strappy top that every woman will wear out and about in the summer - none of us think that's a particularly sexy outfit but it's still revealing a lot more flesh than men in the same situation are. Personally I'm all for nice-looking men showing off their legs and arms though.

She looks silly and totally unprofessional. She'll be laughed at behind her back and is probably cold. Then again she's a climate change denier so...

Heatwaves are different. Most of my office jobs involved smart professional attire for men and women. Except the two weeks of the year when its sunny and it becomes like the last days of Rome. Maybe because we don't have long periods of hot weather like Italy we don't have the habit of finding officey hot weather clothes and everyone loses their minds a bit when its hot for once.

The woman does't look undressed. Neither would the man if he was wearing black shorts.

An old boss of mine tried to stop a male staff member wearing shorts (talking knee-length tailored shorts) in summer. I did point out she couldn't do that and she wasn't stopping women from wearing knee-length skirt or shorts, but it goes to show that more revealing clothes for women is normalised when it is not for men.

Why do you think that?

If people are laughing at her behind her back it sounds like thier issue not hers.

I'd be more concerned about thier behaviour being inappropriate than her attire.

Turning this around, while as a man I have no desire to wear shorts or a skirt to the office, I do find it annoying that I am expected to wear trousers and long sleeves, and for important meetings a jacket or even a tie, including in the middle of summer, whereas it is accepted that women will wear clothes appropriate to the weather, including bare arms and nothing around their neck.

I know there are many places where men do wear shorts and tshirts to work, but I think in more formal, traditional offices, there is a much clearer expectation as to what men will wear, whereas women do have more flexibility while still looking professional.

Personally I am now old and established enough that I can refuse to wear a tie and nobody says anything, though I see disapproving looks.

That said, I do also recognise that in some places there remains an expectation that women will wear heels and makeup even if they don't want to, and that is unacceptable.

It looks like something you'd wear to a nightclub personally but each to their own.

@gannett : Personally I'm all for nice-looking men showing off their legs and arms though.

Crikey, if I had written that I'm all for nice-looking women showing off their legs I would have been torn to shreds!

What about fat, hairy middle aged men? Do we still need to cover up?

I just looked at the photo and groaned.

Its original, I'll give you that

I don't know what you're on about. She's clearly wearing shorts or a skirt, it's hard to see it clearly because it's black. It's not even that short. The man is wearing a suit jacket, it would be very weird for a man to wear anything other than long trousers with a shirt, tie and jacket.