AIBU to be bothered by the way female presenters dress?

[Justwrong68]

I was just watching Good Morning Britain and it seems ridiculous that the male presenters stick to their male uniform whereas the females, particularly Susanna and Kate wear very tight, colourful dresses that really emphasise their body shapes. The contrast is stark, I don’t understand it and it’s certainly distracting!

Men are considered professional based on their ability to do their job, but women’s professionalism is determined by their shoes?

Do many men in your life choose work clothes based on how sexy they are? Not any of the men in my life do.

Your thinking has been formed by male ideas of how a woman should present herself, how attractiveness is valued above all else. Have you never wondered why males do not have any equivalent standards to conform to?

As I said earlier, I don't actually think these outfits are sexy, or are intended to be. They're meant to be accessibly lightly glamorous and safe, in a MoB kind of way. But if you think this is all 'choice', think about air stewards and the differences between their uniforms. The women's ones aren't sexy, but they are that kind of formal shift dress look, usually, and the men wear shirts and trouser - and that's certainly not 'choice'

Why does it bother you so much? You sound jealous of these women and how good they look. You're being really snippy towards people who aren't fawning over you and rushing to agree with you, but people are entitled to disagree.

This is what Kate Garraway is wearing today. She looks nice. Nothing wrong with this outfit. It's not 'revealing,' and it looks smart. None of these women on TV are forced into wearing anything they don't want to wear.

I have long thought this. But it goes deeper. Particularly when Susanna was on the BBC, the camera people would zoom out and often focus on her legs under the table. There's no doubt that female presenters on the morning news shows are meant to also serve as eye candy or as a 'little bit of sex' with the news.

You notice the shift when it's a purely economic/geopolitical current affairs news program. Then the dress regulation is formal even for the women presenters. Why? Because of the gravitas of the subject and the presenter needs to be taken seriously. It's more cerebral. So the whole thing is deliberate as is the message it conveys.

But I also slightly unrelated, think British female presenters and weather people tend to dress more sloppily in comparison to say American or Asian presenters. Since they all surely have wardrobe and makeup people, I don't know why this is. It's clearly a British thing.

Yes I do think the dress code could be tightened and female presenters clothing more reflective of their status and less reflective of their sexual appeal.

running for a taxi? in a hurry? in, or sensing, danger on a walk home at night? If your priority is to walk along carefully and sexily as if you're on a red carpet all your life, sure, I image you've perfected that walk. But it's not how you're designed to walk.

Of course it is! Women are conditioned by society to present themselves as sex objects. Choices of clothing are not made in isolation. No one would wear heels if it were, however much you might like to tell yourself otherwise. Yes it is a horrible way to view women but one that the patriarchy doesn’t cease from pushing.

Yeah @Tunnocksmilkchocolatemallow coz NO woman dresses how SHE wants, for HER! It's always for da menz. For the patriarchy! 🙄

Get a grip!

I wear what I want, and what I think suits me, whether that's a boiler suit and converse, or heels and a short skirt. Fuck-all to do with any man. Stop infantilising women and acting like they're too stupid to know their own mind.

.

Is that you mum?? I'm only wondering because this is something you often comment on, together with tutting about their cleavage, and every time I have to remind you that it's really none of your business, they're not hurting you and they can wear what they want.

What are you wearing today?

No, my thinking has not been formed by male ideas of how a woman should present herself. You've clearly convinced yourself that any woman that likes to wear heels is brainwashed by men.
Did I say anywhere that it's my belief that attractiveness is valued above all else? Or just that some women like to feel good in themselves, which will vary dependant on the woman herself.
Where did I say that her professionalism is defined by her shoes? I said that I personally think heels make outfits look more professional. I was talking about the outfit, not the woman.
You are making a fair few assumptions on me based on nothing - the fact that some women feel good in heels.
Yes, many men like to look good too, and will dress in what makes them feel good/attractive. There's nothing wrong with that.
And as a matter of fact, I hate men. And yes, I hate the patriarchal bullshit that exists in society. But I can and do also believe that heels look good, nothing to do with men 😂

Yes I agree. They look like they are playing some weird 1990 sexy secretary cosplay.

I get you op. There is a massive discrepancy in how the men and women dress.

Of course there is choice involved in uniforms. Maybe not that if the worker but someone made that choice. And that choice is certainly influenced by culture (and for airlines, consideration of various cultures they are serving). Plenty of air stewardess uniforms are designed for the women to be ‘attractive’ though practicality and safety would be a bigger consideration than on the ground.

If I had to hurry along for a taxi, yes I could do that in heels. Done it many a time with alcohol included in the mix too, it's perfectly possible. Just because you can't, don't assume others can't either.

yeah that's partly what I mean: it's not the case that the female air stewards have decided that a shift dress is the safest and most practical outfit, or that they get a buzz out of looking that way: a company has decided this is how women should look and this is how men should look.

It's really odd you don't see heels more at the gym, isn't it?

This exactly. It’s such a dated look and looks ludicrous.

Or, you know that part of a wedding, late on when the dance floor comes out, and all the women take off their trainers and put heels on so they can dance better? Nope, me neither.

No, not at all. They're not designed for that.

For what? The ability to move freely and easily?

Where does your hate for women in heels stem from? Because you're really trying to push the point that women shouldn't be seen in heels.

I don't usually get distracted by the presenters on UK TV, I do sometimes like a particular dress or top that is being worn. I love what Rita Chakrabarty wears, she's the classiest dresser I think.

It's the weather presenters that distract me a lot, they look awkward swooping and pointing all over the weather chart (BBC), even tomasz schafernaker does it, although he is the only one who dresses casually amongst the men weather presenters. I like Chris Fawkes best.

I prefer seeing them from the waist up, men and women, I pay more attention then.

Anyone who thinks heels are a free choice made by women in the absence of social conditioning is living in cloud cuckoo land.

I'm not sure how worthwhile it is trying to explain the nuance here, because you're quite resolutely failing to understand anything. But I don't 'hate women in heels' and nor do I think they 'shouldn't be seen in heels'.

What I don't buy is the idea that heels are a neutral, practical, or empowering choice by women, made without any insidious ideological influence about what women are and what they're for and how they might move through the world. Objectively, heels make it more difficult, not less, to move. Not impossible, obviously. But more difficult. Why else are there special dressings you can buy in Boots to mitigate the pain and discomfort of wearing them? And if they were that bloody comfortable and elevating and great.... men would be wearing them too.

Well then, clearly, you're not a woman who likes wearing heels. But they do exist, you know 😉

I do know - hence this conversation, right? Don't think we were discussing the question of whether women who like to wear heels exist, were we?