Women showing cleavage at work

In My Humble Opinion
1

I know that some women have been showing cleavage for a long time. (And some people have been criticizing them for it for a long time.) But in my experience, it’s been getting more common in the last five years or so, and it’s showing up in work environments where you wouldn’t expect it.

I recently meet a woman who is an insurance agent–traditionally considered a white-collar, “professional” job. She was wearing something that showed a little cleavage. But what inspired this thread was something I, at least, have never seen before – her picture that is on her business card shows her in a very low-cut top that shows a LOT of cleavage.

I also met a real estate agent who was wearing a tank top that not only showed cleavage, but also showed a significant portion of her bra.

I know that there are some people who would be less likely to patronize those business people based on that. What I don’t know is how wide-spread such an attitude is.

2

I’m a man, and I feel it’s generally okay. It feels a bit sexist to me to say otherwise.

3

A person can be professional in his/her job even when naked. However, a woman in a very low-cut top or a man wearing revealingly tight pants is probably not a professional image that most companies want projected to clients.

4

I’m a man–a woman can be appropriate/professional no matter how much she shows.
And frankly, it’s none of my damned business.

5

If it’s a distraction, it’s inappropriate. Of course, for some men, any female is a distraction…

Some years back, I was working at an aircraft rework facility. One day, a woman was walking thru the hangar wearing a very short skirt, a deep V-neck top, stiletto heels, and lots of jangly jewelry. I was watching the men working on the airplanes, and it was like a wave as they turned and followed her progress until she was gone. I found it funny on one level, but if someone had fallen off a wing or tripped over the cables on the deck, it wouldn’t have been so funny. Granted, she was showing a bit more than just cleavage. And if I recall, she was one of the office workers - I have no idea what brought her to the hangar, so it’s not like she was one of the techs or mechanics.

6

It definitely depends. If I’ve chosen to work with a particular professional they can dress however they want and I can decide to continue working with them or not based on any number of factors. Ultimately my rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t be mistaken for my client, whether by your clothing or demeanor or competence.

Showing up to a parent-teacher conference and being greeted by huge fake sweater puppies escaping from a very deficient shirt is shocking and distasteful, especially when coupled with a shitty “you’re such a pig, my eyes are up here!” attitude. I’m not lusting after you, I’m just processing whether it’s more shocking that you’d ever dream of wearing that to this job or that you weren’t called to the office and given an unattractive oversized t-shirt to wear over it and sent home with a note explaining dress code like you would do if my daughter hit a growth spurt and showed a sliver of midriff under her otherwise modest top.

7

I’m a man, it depends on the circumstances/industry, just like all other dress requirements.

8

I guess, yeah, it’s sexist to have any attitude at all about female co-workers (could put a period right there, but) clothing and appearance.

But having worked with receptionists who dressed like nuns and engineers who dressed like hungry streetwalkers, I’d say a little sexy is okay but more is somewhere between inappropriate and fishing for trouble of one kind or another - and it will the the “other,” the guy who slips and makes an inappropriate comment about The Girls, that takes the heat.

Men really shouldn’t show up in body shirts, either. Or jeans that show their religion.

I’ve told the story of the temp receptionist who showed up dressed to kill quickly, through exposure to skin, set out her candy jar, and was obviously trolling the mostly male staff. The office manager, a statuesque former swimwear model who dressed somewhere between professional and nun, sent her home to change. She showed up on casual Friday, though, in what can only be described as a denim teddy with a huge lace heart cutout on the back, showing a total lack of strappage.

There was another temp on Monday.

9

Why is that sexist? I have opinions about men’s dress also. Men shouldn’t show any more bare chest than women in an office work place, and unfortunately they have to show much less. Men shouldn’t wear sandals when women can’t. And there are business reasons for holding gender specific dress codes even if they seem unfair and arbitrary because their are societal standards that have an impact on businesses. In that last case I believe those standards should change, but a particular business shouldn’t be held responsible for what they are.

10

From an historical or sociological viewpoint, this is pretty complicated. And interesting.

I grew up during a time of more conservative hegemony. Everyone back then, seemed to agree that it was just wrong to dress in certain ways, but even then, there was a fair amount of difference of opinion about where to draw the lines, as well as why.

And historically, dress codes have been sourced in a number of different issues. Class warfare, cultural segregation or competition, even political affiliation and loyalty can be measured by dress.

In business situations, I’ve directly witnessed TONS of customer interactions, of all sorts, where how employees were dressed, became a big problem. And it was far from the same concern in all situations. I saw instances where customers would come in wearing flip flops and shorts themselves, but because they had certain associations about what they were buying and how the sales people were dressed, they would complain if the company rep wasn’t wearing a tie. Or the other end of the spectrum, I’ve seen cases where the fact that the employee wore a three piece suit, was taken as an indication that he didn’t know anything about what he was selling, and couldn’t be trusted, or was even purposely trying to insult the customer.

The thing about cleavage seems to be related to more than one concern, by the people who are bothered by it. The most common thing I’ve heard complainers talk about, is that the person showing the cleavage wasn’t taking their job seriously. That might be linked to cultural or class-snobbery assumptions.

There is still a lot of anti-sexual thinking in the United States, even amongst people who think they are “liberated” or otherwise open-minded. That sexuality should be removed from all business situations (except the obvious ones where sexuality IS the business, of course), especially.

11

In a world where Dick Van Dyke had to change his name to Penis von Lesbian… :smiley:

12

I am a small waisted larged chest woman. There are three types of shirts available.

  1. sloppy shirts - they don’t show off my chest, but the look pretty sloppy. These are non fitted t-shirts, blousey blouses, sweatshits…

  2. Flattering shirts with no cleavage, but which hug the chest - turtleneck sweaters, fitted Ts with higher necklines, fitted blouses (beware the fitted blouse when you are a chestly woman - anything that buttons in front will gap). Sometimes these are “sexier” than a shirt with cleavage (there is a reason Jane Russell was known as the sweater girl).

  3. Shirts with cleavage.

Take your pick - someone will criticize it as inappropriate.

13

That’s called advertising.

14

I’ve always maintained that if I owned a business that required sales, all of my salesforce would be women, especially if they showed cleavage. Every saleswoman I know here you’re required to visit customers, unless totally incompetent, is near the top of the sales numbers. What man wouldn’t want buy from a good-looking woman who gave him a small taste of the goods?

15

I draw the line at under boob at work.

Tacky. :wink:

16

My problem with cleavage is not that it makes you look unprofessional or not (there may be some cases where it’s a no-no). At some point there is no way at looking at you without looking at your cleavage.
I’m a tall guy and if you’re 1.55m and show lots of cleavage (like a colleague at work) then, sorry, however pure my intentions might be (and they are) I have to look at your breasts because I have fully working eyes and I don’t want get into trouble. I know that your eyes are “up here”, but Field of View makes it impossible, unless I stare at the top of your head.

My other problem (I’m a teacher) is mothers coming to talk to me about their kids and showing more than they should in such a circumstance. We’re sitting across a table and they bend over the test, or notebook, or whatever. Averting your eyes is impossible, you have to continue explaining how the answer was wrong or whatever.

17

I’m a woman and didn’t find a poll option that suits me…

Look, I show cleavage all the time because I have a short torso and everything is lowcut on me, including the camisoles and tank tops I wear under every single shirt and dress I own. I do my due diligence to keep myself from looking provocative in the workplace, but if I haven’t been duly diligent in tugging my camisole up every time it slips down, I’m sorry but you might see some cleavage when I bend over. Just pretend you didn’t see anything and let’s move on.

So my general philosophy concerning cleavage is that it is inappropriate in an office and classroom setting to wear clothing that is designed to deliberately show cleavage; if you are dressed appropriately and still show cleavage unintentionally, it’s no big deal, let’s ignore it and move on.

18

With all due respect, I have a hard time believing that this. . .
http://www.overstock.com/Clothing-Shoes/MOA-Collection-Plus-Size-Womens-Multicolor-Polyester-and-Spandex-Floral-Medallion-Sleeveless-Top/12091603/product.html?refccid=6DDM2XMDUXPYYN2AIVPQ5XHSMM&searchidx=34

. . .or this. . .
http://www.overstock.com/Clothing-Shoes/MOA-Collection-Womens-Solid-Collared-neck-Top/12021634/product.html?refccid=6DDM2XMDUXPYYN2AIVPQ5XHSMM&searchidx=55

. . .or this. . .
http://www.overstock.com/Clothing-Shoes/Harriton-Womens-Easy-Blend-Short-Sleeve-Twill-Shirt-with-Stain-Release/9049072/product.html?refccid=GH6FP5YIQSGKRE2OHDDCBXZP4Y&searchidx=2

would show cleavage on you, regardless of how short your torso is.

For everybody except a few outliers, it is reasonably easy to find outfits that cover up skin, if you really want to. In some cases, you may have to pay more, but the outfits exist.

19

For you and all the other women, I understand how this is difficult. Men started the dress code concept based on what they considered flattering for themselves and all sorts of stupid reasons for women. It’s a real mess, and I’ve never seen reasonable men or women have much of a difference about this issue, but there are way too many unreasonable people out there and women are usually their targets.

20

For me

  1. Unflattering cut. Might as well wear a mumu. Can’t wear a jacket over that cut either.

  2. Sweater girl! The lack of cleavage suddenly makes my breasts look HUUUUGE. But that is where I usually go, with a jacket over the top.

  3. Gap in buttons. That is the one that is least appropriate for me to wear to work.