# Canadian TV station does informal study of attitudes to men’s and women’s clothing **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 2, 2024, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004 "2024-02-02T03:03:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/1 "2024-02-02T03:03:12Z")
Global BC tv station decided to do an informal experiment about people’s scrutiny of male and female clothing. For a week, their two male news anchors wore the same suits. For the next week, their two female anchors wore the same outfits. Reactions from viewers about the male anchors? Zip. Reactions from viewers about the female anchors? E-mails, plenty of them. > [@](#): > > “We conducted a bit of a sociological experiment at work,” [read](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2vVHCzysMN/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=378d6a96-99c3-4a63-b81f-b9a90e3c7260)the on-screen text of Lui’s Instagram reel before revealing footage of the men’s and women’s repeated clothing choices. “And the viewer response for the men: Zero emails into the station. As for the women…” > Liu went on to share [screenshots](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2vVHCzysMN/) of the several emails the station received inquiring about the women’s repeated looks, including, “Is this some kind of protest?” and “Have they run out of clothes?” > **[Canadian TV anchors repeated their outfits for 2 weeks — and viewers only...](https://ca.style.yahoo.com/global-news-experiment-anchors-male-female-191105056.html)** > > News anchor Sophie Lui shared the results of the experiment to social media. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/2 "2024-02-02T04:15:08Z")
So much denim, so little time… ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/3 "2024-02-02T07:12:52Z")
I’d be willing to get the ratio of emails about the female clothing was closer to parity than most would assume. It is not only males who pay attention to what women wear. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/4 "2024-02-02T07:48:29Z")
As another data point, and nearly a decade ago, Karl Stefanovic, co-host of an Australian morning show, Channel Nine’s _Today_ program wore the same cheap blue Burberry knock-off suite for a year without drawing comment. After announcing his social experiment Karl had the suit dry-cleaned and [sold at a charity auction](https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/karl-stefanovic-auctions-worldfamous-sexism-suit-for-womens-violence-campaign-20141119-11pnkh.html): Stefanovic’s co-host Lisa Wilkinson, says she has mixed feelings about the auction. “Look, I’m glad the suit is going to such a great cause,” says Wilkinson … “But to be honest, I’m kinda going to miss it. It’s become like another member of the _Today_ show team” … “The truth is, with the scant dry-cleaning it’s had over the past year, these days it could probably get up and walk around the studio all by itself.” ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/5 "2024-02-02T08:11:37Z")
Ummmm…may I please point out the elephant in the studio? COLOR and SHAPE. Human beings have eyes. We notice and remember changes of colors and shapes. All men’s suits look very, very similar color-wise, and they look absolutely identical in form and shape.\* There is not much to notice. Women’s clothes are more colorful, and therr are lots of different styles. Not everything has to be about sociology ,culture wars and gender equality. \_\_ \*(obviously there exist a few variations, but mostly at weddings, not on news shows) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/6 "2024-02-02T08:28:56Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > All men’s suits look very, very similar color-wise, and they look absolutely identical in form and shape.\* > There is not much to notice True. Men’s suits tend to be blue, black/grey, and sometimes brown, and sometimes with pinstripes. Shirts tend to be dull, either solid colour or an unobtrusive simple pattern. About the only place a man can “show off” is with his tie. And even that must conform with the setting—while I was once interviewed for a job by a guy wearing a Bloom County tie, I doubt I’ll ever find a lawyer in a courtroom wearing anything similar. I do have a tie that, from a bit of a distance, looks like a pattern. Get up close though, and it’s kittens wrestling and playing. I’ve worn that to court, but that’s the closest I’m willing to come to a “fun” tie in court. Somewhat of an aside: I’m a regular at the local horse racing book, and another regular pretty much always wears a sportcoat, shirt, and tie. (Classiest-looking guy in a joint that can always use some classing-up, as we joke.) But his tie is always something funny—Warner Brothers cartoon characters, or Charlie Brown, or Bloom County, or (most recently) ugly Christmas ties. I often compliment him on his choice of tie, and he in turn, thanks me and usually offers some good insights into the next race. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/7 "2024-02-02T08:38:41Z")
I never trusted that guy (the one on the left) after the cider in my ear incident. My go to guy is the one with the bow tie. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/syyMuRMTZO0/maxresdefault.jpg) ](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/syyMuRMTZO0/maxresdefault.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/8 "2024-02-02T08:40:46Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > My go to guy is the one with the bow tie. “Nicely Nicely” said! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/9 "2024-02-02T09:06:05Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Reactions from viewers about the female anchors? E-mails, plenty of them. > > > [@](#): > > > > “We conducted a bit of a sociological experiment at work,” [read](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2vVHCzysMN/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=378d6a96-99c3-4a63-b81f-b9a90e3c7260)the on-screen text of Lui’s Instagram reel before revealing footage of the men’s and women’s repeated clothing choices. “And the viewer response for the men: Zero emails into the station. As for the women…” > > > Liu went on to share [screenshots](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2vVHCzysMN/) of the several emails the station received inquiring about the women’s repeated looks, including, “Is this some kind of protest?” and “Have they run out of clothes?” Isn’t this kind of bad form? Why would people feel the need to make time to write into networks and comment on TV presenters’ style choices in the first place? Just because they’re somewhat public figures somehow means that that concerns you? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/10 "2024-02-02T09:48:47Z")
Oh, man. The ubiquity of electronic communication has made a lot of people feel perfectly entitled to comment on things like that. Female meteorologists have been pointing this out for quite a while. > **[Global BC meteorologists weigh in on TV wardrobe criticism | Globalnews.ca](https://globalnews.ca/news/2362335/global-bc-meteorologists-weigh-in-on-tv-wardrobe-criticism/)** > > A Reddit post that has now gone viral showing female meteorologists across the United States all wearing the same dress has again sparked a larger discussion about gendered style expectations women on TV still face. > “Comments on social media give people the right to lash out and hide behind their computers where they don’t see the effects their remarks have on us. Sure, given the fact we work in television we put ourselves out there to a certain extent, but that should not give viewers license to openly ridicule our appearance or the job that we do.” > > “I’ve been called overweight, criticized for the length of my hemline and told I have ugly knees. Viewers have made comments on whether they think my dress should be one worn on the morning news or evening news, and I was recently asked if I’m pregnant. I am not, for the record. The worst, however, was being sexually harassed on Twitter to the point I had to get the Global BC management involved.” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/11 "2024-02-02T13:14:52Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > For a week, their two male news anchors wore the same suits. > > For the next week, their two female anchors wore the same outfits. At first I could not tell if you meant the two e.g. men dressed the same as each other on any given day, but differently every day, or that they each dressed differently from the other, but each wore their chosen outfit every day for a week. It eventually became obvious you meant the latter, but I think the former might be an interesting experiment too. OTOH, there are lots of contexts where we see folks wearing work uniforms that, although gendered, all the males or all the females are dressed alike or nearly so. I think @chappachula is pretty close. Men’s clothing, and especially suits, is all but invisible. Women’s clothing is usually much brighter and therefore more noticeable if nothing else. I’m curious about @Dr_Paprika’s point, with which I tentatively agree. Of those who wrote / posted about the female anchors’ clothing, what was the male / female breakdown of writers, and how does that compare to the run-of-the mill male / female ratio of incoming emails/posts on all topics? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/12 "2024-02-02T13:43:02Z")
I met my wife in the workplace in the mid 1990s. She was convinced that I had one, maybe two grey suits that I wore three days a week. And then maybe one navy and one olive suit that I wore every other week. This was in the days when Casual Friday meant a blazer or sport coat over a patterned shirt and Dockers. When she first visited my home, she went straight to the closet to verify that I did indeed own about twenty suits and about forty dress shirts that were mostly in colors and patterns “indistinguishable to her”. If a woman in the workplace wore the same outfit twice in a fortnight, you bet my wife would have noticed. But a man could wear the same suit six times in that interval and no one would notice. In fact when I was relocating cross country, the movers lost all my belongings for almost four weeks. All I had were the clothes I hand carried on the flight. I wore the same suit for four days at my new job, while the two new suits I bought were being altered. Then I wore three suits for the next two weeks. I even wore the same three ties repeatedly over that three week period. I bet no one paid any attention. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/13 "2024-02-02T13:47:19Z")
My stepdad’s closet had like ten of the same blue button-down shirts, and an equal number of the same khaki pants. Not similar, the exact same. He just bought multiples. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/14 "2024-02-02T13:53:25Z")
Yup, my daily ‘around the house’ wear; Black shorts: I own 6, identical, pairs. Green or yellow t-shirt: I own 5, identical, in both colors. See me on the right days and you might think I don’t ever change clothes! ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/15 "2024-02-02T14:00:01Z")
i concur. If the men wore the same eye catching outfit every day, then there would be more notice. Oddly though, I conjecture that if the women wore the same drab undefined outfit everyday, that would still get noticed. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/16 "2024-02-02T14:00:45Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Ummmm…may I please point out the elephant in the studio? > COLOR and SHAPE. > > Human beings have eyes. We notice and remember changes of colors and shapes. > > All men’s suits look very, very similar color-wise, and they look absolutely identical in form and shape.\* > There is not much to notice. > > Women’s clothes are more colorful, and therr are lots of different styles. > > Not everything has to be about sociology ,culture wars and gender equality. > > \_\_ > \*(obviously there exist a few variations, but mostly at weddings, not on news shows) You must be inside my brain. Thank you for saving me the trouble of formulating my thoughts on this matter. mmm ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/17 "2024-02-02T14:06:59Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > All men’s suits look very, very similar color-wise, and they look absolutely identical in form and shape.\* > There is not much to notice. > Women’s clothes are more colorful, and therr are lots of different styles. > Not everything has to be about sociology ,culture wars and gender equality. Surely that is the point; men are expected to wear similar-looking clothes in formal situations, while women are expected to wear different clothes all the time. These expectations need to be challenged. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/18 "2024-02-02T14:40:54Z")
And, people feel no need to comment on men’s clothing, but do feel free to comment on women’s clothing. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/19 "2024-02-02T15:03:09Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > i concur. > > If the men wore the same eye catching outfit every day, then there would be more notice. > > Oddly though, I conjecture that if the women wore the same drab undefined outfit everyday, that would still get noticed. Exactly. Have them try the experiment with the men wearing bright purple and yellow suits and then see how many people notice. I only glanced at the photo in the OP but I remember the woman was wearing red and the man, probably dark blue? But if he wore the same again tomorrow I wouldn’t even notice. The faces are so small in the thumbnail so it’s not gender-based, it’s color-based. Now of course, why people felt they needed to write in and _comment_ on it, is a totally separate issue than noticing it, though I wonder how many people would email if the man was wearing the same bright red suit every day instead. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004/20 "2024-02-02T15:09:23Z")
Remember when Obama wore a tan suit to some bill signing & the $#it he got for not being formal enough for the event? Yup, guys suits are mostly the same shape & mostly in a dark color. I have a black suit with a maroon pinstripe in it, but you probably wouldn’t be able to tell that if you’re sitting across the table from me; you’d just think it was black, which isn’t all that different in color than the charcoal grey one I have; especially, if you’re seeing them on consecutive days & not side by side. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-tv-station-does-informal-study-of-attitudes-to-men-s-and-women-s-clothing/997004.md?page=2)