Sexist Female Oppression? Cleavage In The Workplace

reply to post by Onboard2


I completly disagry with your comment that breast were not ment to attract the opposite sex. We are animals first and for most and what we look for in woment instinctively is big breast and big hips. Why? So they best nurture our offsprings. Ofcourse in todays world this is irrelivant but the fact remains the breat/hip/waist ratio in encoded into aur DNA. Now if breast were not ment to be sexual, why do women get implants?

reply to post by Mystery_Lady


There is no such thing as being too hot. If she dresses like a slut then Dress up. If her boss is a total douche and can keep it in his pant well that's his problem. It should all be bassed on compitance. SHe is really easy on the eyes though..dayum.

Well, From a personal perspective

I have worked in many environments..from a formal suit and tie standard dress code, to a mom and pop backroom computer nerds no human contact beyond the same people day in/out.

How a person dress simply has to be approprate to the environment. a woman wearing short shorts and a top barely covering her in a formal environment will not last very long at all...in the same way a man wearing a wife beater and shorts under the same conditions.

and of course, in that mom and pop shop, if you showed up in a suit, you would promptly be laughed at.

Yes, people are attracted at other people...and anyone whom thinks women aren't checking out a guy they find attractive in a workplace is simply fooling themselves...however they do tend to be far more stealthy at it

Does it slow down progress in the workplace? hmm..an argument can be made overall...especially initially, but once people get used to the eye candy, they get back to work.

Is there sexism in the workplace? Of course. People are generally sexist animals and it goes both ways. Show me a diverse workplace with no sexism and I will show you a place run by robots.

And finally, sexism is not much of a problem overall..its when people act on it. Noting the difference between males and females and appreciating someones attractiveness is simply being human. If a person starts basing decisions on gender however, that is when a hand needs to come in to create equality.

The problem usually arises when people try and engage in minor flirtations. Typically this isn't a big deal, but it can lead to some misunderstandings, unprofessional behavior over time, and ultimately could lead to awkward and very inapproprate moments. some things are better left to "cocktail hour" after work if they want to go that route...but in the workplace...your working, and thats that.

Err, the entire evolutionary purpose is to not only attract males, but to nurture young, it's fact. Whether or not you believe it, it's still fact. Men have, throughout history, sought after the women with the larger breasts, because it means they're more suited to nurture the offspring than those with smaller breasts. Setting some facts straight, sorry if I derailed it...

Originally posted by LadySkadi
Wear what you will, be aware there are consequences be they good/bad/or neutral.

*My opinion is that plunging necklines, mini skirts, and bare bellies do NOT belong at work unless that is typical attire for that work environment (ie. Hooters)

Exactly. The clothes you wear are like the words you speak. They denote the level of professionalism and maturity you bring to a situation. You wouldn't expect to walk around cursing like a sailor and bad talking the boss without consequences. You shouldn't dress like a co-ed looking for a mate, or a Hooters waitress, and expect there not to be consequences.

It isn't oppression. You still have the freedom to act, or dress, in the manner you want. You just have to realize that many people don't see certain actions as the apropriate representation of their company.

As a man, i have a penis, like all men. and i am very proud of it, i dont know why they keep asking me to put it away at work, everyone should enjoy seeing it.

same difference

Originally posted by XLR8R
reply to post by Mystery_Lady

 

There is no such thing as being too hot. If she dresses like a slut then Dress up. If her boss is a total douche and can keep it in his pant well that's his problem. It should all be bassed on compitance. SHe is really easy on the eyes though..dayum.

you failed to notice that it was a woman that fired her, and that it was not the first office that had complained about her attire...

2 of the 3 pictures on page 1 in the article posted, I could clearly see ample cleavage... the 3rd picture was a head shot

the 2nd picture on page 2 was definately not work appropriate, but the 3rd was perfectly fine

it boils down to the fact that she was warned about her dress numerous times in multiple branches of Citibank...

edit-

having reviewed the 26 photos of her in the atricle, I see nothing wrong with how she was dressed, but most of the photos are staged, and we have no idea if there were any other outfits that contributed to her being fired..

to me, based on the photos presented, it does appear that she may have been terminated based entirely on other women that worked with her feeling threatened by her good looks and that is what caused them to complain about her dress... but again these are mostly staged photos, and we have no real idea as to if/when she may have worn more revealing outfits that contributed to any complaints about her dress

Originally posted by XLR8R
reply to post by Mystery_Lady

 

There is no such thing as being too hot. If she dresses like a slut then Dress up. If her boss is a total douche and can keep it in his pant well that's his problem. It should all be bassed on compitance. SHe is really easy on the eyes though..dayum.

reply to post by XLR8R


The problem is that it really sounded like she dressed a lot more sensibly than her co-workers. If you read the article, I know it is long, her co-workers wore low cut tops, mini-skirts, tight pants that looked like it gave a permanent wedgie. The branch she got hired with was noted to hire attractive females. Yet she toned down her dress, covered up, and even quit wearing make up to try to please her boss and look less attractive. How can you get more covered than wearing a turtle neck? The business suit that she is shown in I believe on page three is completely appropriate. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the first pictures is to show just how good looking she is. To me good enough to be a model if she wishes.

In the article it does state that she got constantly harassed. They didn't let her finish the training sessions, they told her not to wear heels and turned around and told her to wear 3 inch heals when they wanted her to carry around heavy boxes of paper the one time, they said she was late for work on two days the branch was not even open.

Originally posted by MR BOB
As a man, i have a penis, like all men. and i am very proud of it, i dont know why they keep asking me to put it away at work, everyone should enjoy seeing it.

same difference

edit on 17-12-2010 by MR BOB because: (no reason given)

You work in an environment where women are exposing their genitals? Dude...your working at a strip club then

and its STILL unacceptable...because the customers are coming to see the women, not you

reply to post by MR BOB


Ha, I was about to type something similar. Thing is, the penis has value, only to the man who possesses it, and to his partner(s). With a woman's breasts, however, they're made specifically to give nutrients to offspring.

reply to post by hotbakedtater


i do not mind seeing a woman's clevage in the work place and i don't think it should be held against them.

reply to post by BrandonTsia


Err no sorry they serve two purposes, the first is feeding offspring and the second is attracting a mate. Do you think evolution would make breasts large simply to feed children? A completely flat chested woman can produce milk, the purpose of them being big is to attract a mate.

It's pathetic that there is a double standard here. Men have to wear restrictive clothing at work and they do it because it's expected and more importantly they know if they dress badly they won't be considered for promotion. When women are treated in the exact same way then we hear it being called oppression. It's nonsense, it's a joke and the OP seems to think the world revolves around her and she should be able to do what she wants wherever she is.

An employer can insist you dress however they like as long as they make it clear from the start of course. Women showing cleavage is done for the sole purpose of attracting a amte, no matter how you dress up the idea that it's empowering or whatever else the fact is it's about attraction and the OP proved it when she said her breasts are her best asset.

To me the OP is basically saying "I'm really angry i can't show off my breasts at work, i want to be sexy even at work dammit, wah wah". Well sorry the workplace is not a bar, it's not a place to be trying to pick people up, you go there, do your job and go home.

Originally posted by dalloway

Ladies, if you have large breasts and the guy doing the promoting is known to like small breasts, then wear something that will minimize your endowment. If the converse is true, then get yourself to Victoria's Secret and buy a cleavage enhancing Miracle Bra if you need it and wear a low cut shirt. I think cufflinks are sexy as hell. It's conceivable that I might promote a guy who walked into my office wearing a shirt with cufflinks over the guy with a shirt with buttoned cuffs, especially if they were equally qualified for the job.

So let's forget breasts and the male/female question all together and use something applicable to both genders. If you are gunning for a promotion and the hiring/firing/promoting supervisor, be they male of female, tends to promote brunettes over blondes and you are a blonde, be you male or female, then you may want to consider dying your hair a shade or two darker.

Thanks for the practical and totally honest assessment. I so - totally agree with you.

It never hurts to "lean" toward what your superior is attracted to. Both in physical and work.

My grandson was having trouble with a teacher. I told him "you learn for yourself" - - but to get a good grade - - you give the teacher what they want. Some teachers have a thing about turning in every scrap of homework - - even though you get 100's on tests. knowing the material is not enough.

AND one thing I always had a problem with is Politics. But Politics is huge in the business world. Here's a salactious tip: befriend the boss's wife or girlfriend (or both). Of course if you are big boobed and the wife looks like a pancake - - you may be screwed.

I know why women have Breasts?


So men will talk to them.

reply to post by hotbakedtater



If we go by what you say, then it should be ok for a guy to speedo's to work if he has a nice asset he is proud of. Personally, as a guy, I find cleavage distracting and an unfair attention sponge. It sounds like you are one to show it and then ask, "hey, what are you looking at?" If someone is really proud they won't be offended when people look directly at said assets. If they are in the showcase, then they are on display for the publics viewing pleasure. How dat be?

reply to post by XLR8R


they attract me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

reply to post by ImaginaryReality1984


Yeah, I mentioned that in a previous post. But the reason they attract males is because of the potential aid for offspring. I'm really trying not to derail the thread

reply to post by kalisdad


I found an article on CBS that shows what type of business attire she wore at work.
CBS article

CBS picture gallery/slide show for Debrahlee Lorenzana.
gallery/slide show

Most of the pictures in the other article were inappropriate, but as I said a little earlier I think they were to show how good looking she is. Unfortunately sex sells, and in this case the news. The outfits shown on CBS, I don't see a problem with her wearing those to work. In the article she tried her best to get more and more modest, but nothing seemed to work. At one point she did say, she didn't have enough to buy a whole new wardrobe. The question remains, even if she did so, would anything in the new wardrobe considered to be good. If she came in wearing baggy clothes, would she be reprimanded for not wearing appropriate clothing. Baggy is usually not considered appropriate. A little baggy possibly, but it sounds like her boss basically wanted her to come in with a mumu. Not sure how it is spelled, but it is a tent like dress made back in the day for fat women when none of the other clothes would fit. The designers didn't design clothes over a certain weight back then.

Originally posted by Annee
Thanks for the practical and totally honest assessment. I so - totally agree with you.

It never hurts to "lean" toward what your superior is attracted to. Both in physical and work.

Sorry but you might run into an employer like myself who got rather annoyed when women tried to flirt to get a job, oh and i'm not singling out women here, men who try ass kissing annoy me as well. The moment a woman in an interview tried flirting with me the immediate thought that popped into my head was "Why are you having to flirt to get the job, aren't you confident in your skills?". I hired the woman who dressed conservatively, had good people skills and the relevant skill set for the work that needed doing.

Flirting with the boss can seriously backfire.

Originally posted by ImaginaryReality1984
Flirting with the boss can seriously backfire.

It might also land you on your back.