# Why do women wear shirts that don't cover their stomach, then pull them down **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 30, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796 "2006-04-30T01:29:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/21 "2006-04-30T06:05:32Z")
I can’t buy good-looking shirts that come down far enough. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/22 "2006-04-30T06:15:38Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] This sort of stuff really bugs me. It’s like the women want to be sexy, but don’t want to pay the price for it (being looked at), and suddenly, as a guy, I’m the guilty party somehow. The women at work do a thing that really annoys me. They’ll bend over to pick something up, and because I’m there, they’lll coyly press one finger to their sternum to keep the top of their low-cut shirt modest. [/QUOTE] Did you miss the rest of this thread where every single woman said she has trouble finding clothes that fit right? ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/23 "2006-04-30T06:15:58Z")
Most of these shirts you speak of are rather form fitting, and as such, fit to the form when we sit, bend, twist, breathe. I hate fidgeting with my clothes, but I have purposely developed one habit, pulling my shirt down in the back when I stand up. I became very conscious of how many women walk around with their front side adjusted right, but their back side being a big ol’ mess. I work at a dog track, I swear, we must be in some tourist book as the place for bad fashion victims to hang out. Commonly seen examples: thong above the pants, way, way too low collars (modified belts it seems), baggy to the knees manpris, super-pimped out, blinged out OLD WHITE MEN, violently baggy leggings on women way too old for either. Braless, torpedo (aimed down) boobs in tank tops (she’s about 80), men who wear nothing but Zubaz pants and tank tops, mohawks, mullets, very old women in miniskirts and high heels, the guy that wears a short sleeved shirt, with a tie and a pair of shorts (granted, he lives in the woods behind the track, but still, unbraid your beard), the guy that uses napkins as scarves and earplugs, terrycloth headbands, you name it, we got it. Oh, lets not forget old guy who’s pants fall down about once a month, woman with skirt tucked into waistband with entire right cheek showing (3x). The number of plumbers butts I see on women daily: at least 5. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/24 "2006-04-30T06:18:50Z")
[QUOTE=even sven] Did you miss the rest of this thread where every single woman said she has trouble finding clothes that fit right? [/QUOTE] Did you miss the part where I said I probably wouldn’t see anything anyway? I’m talking about the sort of clothes an average 40 year-old might wear to work. They’re not revealing, so I don’t understand this urge to be so coy and modest when I’m not interested in looking, and when I would be lucky to see more than maybe an extra half inch of skin if I did. It makes me feel guilty and sleazy when I’ve done nothing wrong. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/25 "2006-04-30T06:26:17Z")
Your average 40 year old used to be a 20 year old, and may not have outgrown the instict to cover up whatever may be visible. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/26 "2006-04-30T06:27:33Z")
Read that as: They may be overcompensating for no good reason. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/27 "2006-04-30T06:43:56Z")
Well, I’m 20 and I defy you to find “young” clothes that are of any decent length. First, most shits for my age range are made for completely flat chested girls. In fact, I think most of the shirts are made for girls whose titties somehow magically invert. See, I can put on a shirt that is more than long enough, but throughout the day as I carry stuff, move, and bend- that shirt rides up. As someone mentioned, my hips are slopey, so the shirt creeps up to my waist. Then, my boobies are big, so they pull the shirt up further. No one wants to see my gut of flabness, so I pull down. Don’t even get me started on trying to find a pair of tight jeans that AREN’T super duper pube baring low. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/28 "2006-04-30T06:47:32Z")
I am totally on board with the, it started to ride up once I began to move, camp. I think that probably explains about 95% of the tugging you speak of. One of my pet peeves is women in strappless dresses constantly hiking them up like teenagers at their first prom. Now, I am aware it’s all in the fit, whether the woman feels ‘secure’ in the dress or not. But beyond that there’s a self confidence issue. Even when the dress is properly fitted, it’s hard to resist when you don’t wear such garments with regularity, to give it the hike up, y’know, just to be on the safe side. It’s a crying shame if you ask me. So often, when so attired, woman look elegant, sophisticated and dignified, especially striking in young women. One hike of the dress and it all evaporates, poof. At formal events it tends to seperate the real deal from the wanna be’s. Whenever I see a woman do it, I want to sneak up behind her and stay, stop doing that, it’s wrecking everything. Ooops, sorry for the hijack. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/29 "2006-04-30T07:01:36Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] c) I’m not going to stare at your chest as you bend over. [/QUOTE] You are such a liar. What also gets me are the women who cover their chests with their arms when they walk, well one woman anyway. Whenever she passes a guy in the hallway she’ll bring her arms up to her chest to prevent her boobs from bouncing. She always wears tight shirts so there is always some noticeable boob jiggle going on when she walks. Why not wear a looser shirt if your going to always try to cover up anyway? ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/30 "2006-04-30T07:23:53Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] And they do it with skirts too. Wear really short ones and then tug at the hem as though they can get it to stretch down to their knees. I kinda like it though, it looks cute. [/QUOTE] Skirts are a different kettle of fish altogether. The problem there is quite often caused by static created by the rubbing of the legs in pantyhose, causing a rising issue with the skirt, regardless of the length. I’ve worn _knee-length_ skirts that have ridden right up necessitating a constant pulling-down to protect my, um, modesty. 😃 Suffice to say, I only wear _those_ skirts now with bare legs. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/31 "2006-04-30T07:35:10Z")
[QUOTE=MissMossie] What she said. I’m tall (5’11) and slim and it is suprisingly hard to find clothes that fit me well. In order to buy reasonably priced (less than $40, preferably way less) pants that come down past my ankles, I have to either spend ages sifting through clothing racks hoping to find my size in a long or buy them a size large and let them hang down low around my hips ( **Johanna** , don’t worry, I don’t show off my panties). As far as shirts are concerned, the ones that fit me without being excessively baggy are made for people significantly shorter than myself. Often times, these factors combine into bared mid-drift that I’m not totally comfortable with or that is inappropriate for the situation. [/QUOTE] I’ve taken to just biting the bullet and paying more for pants that are long enough (I recently bought a pair of jeans made by [these people](http://www.dishjeans.com/) which are too long for once, rather than too short). In the past I have done the ‘buy a size too big’ also. Shirts, I just try to buy when I have the time to shop and try things on. Dress shirts are the worst though, I can deal with tee’s that are a little shorter as it only shows a little bit of skin but trying to find something to accommodate the breasts and the length of my torso can be a job and a half. When I find ones that fit, I snap them up. (I’m only a couple inches taller than you 🙂 I’m 6’1). ---
**Author:** ![Amaranta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Amaranta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amaranta)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/32 "2006-04-30T07:39:59Z")
[QUOTE=DiosaBellissima] Well, I’m 20 and I defy you to find “young” clothes that are of any decent length. First, most shits for my age range are made for completely flat chested girls. In fact, I think most of the shirts are made for girls whose titties somehow magically invert. See, I can put on a shirt that is more than long enough, but throughout the day as I carry stuff, move, and bend- that shirt rides up. As someone mentioned, my hips are slopey, so the shirt creeps up to my waist. Then, my boobies are big, so they pull the shirt up further. No one wants to see my gut of flabness, so I pull down. Don’t even get me started on trying to find a pair of tight jeans that AREN’T super duper pube baring low. Sigh. [/QUOTE] I’m \*really \*starting to wonder if Vancouver has become some ultra-fashion forward part of the globe (which seems unlikely). It’s the comments about guys wearing jeans slung ultra-low so their asses are hanging out, and complaints about only finding “pube baring” cut jeans and belly shirts. I mean, those were my exact complaints when trying to shop - four years ago. Now, I only see belly shirts and t-bones (thongs hanging out of jeans) on trailer trash-types hanging out at the mall. “Young” fashion to me is stuff like [this](http://www.garage.ca/products.aspx?section=1&page_id=1&department_code=01&caching=7441) , cute and cheap clothing. As you can see, almost all the shirts are hip-grazing, and most of the pants are medium-rise. Sorry to hijack, I just find this whole fashion time warp thing really weird. Is it just me? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/33 "2006-04-30T07:50:01Z")
No, you are right. The clothes aren’t nearly as bad as they were a few years back. That said, the pants are still pretty short and most “young” shirts are made for the titless. A shirt that hits the hip on the model isn’t going to fit quite the same on someone with a pair of Ds. My friends and I will surf the web to pick out stuff we like before actually hitting the mall. I’ve noticed that something that looks wonderfully long on the model or manni, barely will hit the top of my hips. And then, of course, the stupid shirt wiggles up. Curse the world. Actually, I don’t mind the tugging. I’m fine with tugging, really. I’m just explaining why we tug. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/34 "2006-04-30T07:59:14Z")
The fashion for the 14-20 female age group here seems to have suddenly gone VERY '80s Punk Rock, with the tight-legged jeans, hairbands, massive hoop earrings, studded belts, and jandals(flip-flops)/sandals. And I think it’s much better- it’s not skanky, it’s not slutty, and I don’t get made to feel like a filthy pervert every time I’m out shopping and have to walk anywhere near a group of teenage girls. Let me second the confusion over women revealing clothes obviously designed to attract attention and then getting mad when people look, too… ---
**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/35 "2006-04-30T08:02:42Z")
[QUOTE=DiosaBellissima] No, you are right. The clothes aren’t nearly as bad as they were a few years back. That said, the pants are still pretty short and most “young” shirts are made for the titless. A shirt that hits the hip on the model isn’t going to fit quite the same on someone with a pair of Ds. [/QUOTE] I am going to have to agree with **Diosa** here. Frosted sister is endowed with Ds and I definitely spend most of the time, on our way out the door to parties and such, flipping out about how revealing certain shirts are. To be fair, I have been shopping with her enough to know that there are zero options. If she wants to secure the girls then she better browse through the spinster section or the pregnant lady mumus. I cannot even liken this problem to menswear because no matter what the current “trend” is, it is not very difficult to find pants that fit without paying $100. I have my own pants issues but I am definitely in the minority. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/36 "2006-04-30T08:03:19Z")
[QUOTE=DiosaBellissima] Don’t even get me started on trying to find a pair of tight jeans that AREN’T super duper pube baring low. Sigh. [/QUOTE] Thats too bad. Inigo Montoya says you looked smoking hot in those jeans. Too bad hes gay. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/37 "2006-04-30T08:26:59Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] Did you miss the part where I said I probably wouldn’t see anything anyway? I’m talking about the sort of clothes an average 40 year-old might wear to work. They’re not revealing, so I don’t understand this urge to be so coy and modest when I’m not interested in looking, and when I would be lucky to see more than maybe an extra half inch of skin if I did. It makes me feel guilty and sleazy when I’ve done nothing wrong. [/QUOTE] ’ Sorry, I’m a little sensitve. It drives me nuts when men assume that women plan their wardrobe carefully to send an array of precise messeges to men- especially when it’s claimed that those messages are purposefully malevolent. In fact, if a woman dresses for anyone it’s going to be for other women, and most women are just buying clothes from stores, putting them on, and trying to get through their day without trying to send a messege- mixed or not- to anyone. ---
**Author:** ![rinni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f6c823/32.png) [@rinni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rinni)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/38 "2006-04-30T09:13:24Z")
I’m in the ride-up camp. A shirt will fit fine when I put it on and when I walk around the house, but once I get outside and I’m moving, up it goes! Lately I’ve gained a little weight… maybe 10 lbs, and it’s all gone into the bottom part of my stomach, my butt, and my boobs. My clothes are behaving differently now. They want to escape this foreign, unfamiliar body. I’ve also got a longer torso and shorter legs, so even a shirt that would be fine on others my height is wrong on me. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Amaranta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Amaranta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amaranta)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/39 "2006-04-30T18:34:49Z")
[QUOTE=DiosaBellissima] No, you are right. The clothes aren’t nearly as bad as they were a few years back. That said, the pants are still pretty short and most “young” shirts are made for the titless. A shirt that hits the hip on the model isn’t going to fit quite the same on someone with a pair of Ds. [/QUOTE] Really? It’s not that I doubt you, it’s just that I’m 34D and a size small shirt like the ones on the page I linked to still fits really long - almost covering the pockets on my pants. If I really pull it up so my boobs are totally covered, it still hits well below my pants waistband. ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796/40 "2006-04-30T19:06:36Z")
[QUOTE=Wesley Clark] Nobody in particular, when I was writing that there were no replies to the thread. I figured people would run with the ‘then pull them down’ part of the title. [/QUOTE] For the record, I originally read the title as “Why do women wear **skirts** that don’t cover their stomach, then pull them down” … yeah, I know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-shirts-that-dont-cover-their-stomach-then-pull-them-down/354796.md?page=3)