# Women showing cleavage at work **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 17, 2016, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155 "2016-09-17T13:58:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/61 "2016-09-19T17:49:05Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It seems to me that defining what the subject is about is a rather important issue. For that, there’s no need for pictures of female business executives specifically, and that seemed to me to be an attempt to prove that whatever those people were wearing was appropriate business attire. Which may or may not be the case, and is irrelevant to the discussion. I’ve already defined showing cleavage in a prior post, and don’t see any need to rate specific pictures. Obviously there’s more cleavage and less cleavage, and this is reflected in the options in the OP’s poll. ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/62 "2016-09-19T17:51:28Z")
Like absolutely everything else in workplace attire for any gender, what counts as appropriate and professional depends on the circumstances/industry. No, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible for guys to keep their eyes off a woman’s tits if she’s not wearing a burqa. It just means that if all the other guys are in suits and ties and all the other women are in business suits with high-buttoned blouses, and one guy shows up in Lycra and one woman shows up in a tank top that shows half her bra, those two are going to come across as taking the job less seriously. On the other hand, if all the guys are in Lycra and all the women are in tank tops and one guy and one woman show up in business suits, they’re going to come across as totally clueless about their workplace. ‘Appropriate’ and ‘professional’ are constructs of the specific workplace. Of course their definition is going to depend on the circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/63 "2016-09-19T18:36:02Z")
Slightly related - Mythbusters episode of “[Do Larger Breasts Lead to Bigger Tips](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YJ91FKZHI0)?” where the host worked at a coffee shop and wore a padded vs. unpadded bra and checked out the tips. Sure enough, larger boobs equal larger tips even from women customers! ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/64 "2016-09-19T18:39:54Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I don’t want to get into a nitty-gritty analysis of whether this or that photo is “showing cleavage”. I don’t see how the answer to that question would change anything as to this thread. > > That said, I would note in general that ISTM that female executives who get highlighted in various magazines tend to dress less conservatively in such photos than ordinary business attire. But regardless, that’s neither here nor there. Plus as noted above, their is a cost issue so whereas one woman has to shop at Thrift stores for whatever fits, the richer executive woman can buy her stuff at high end shops with sales staff waiting on her and even get fittings and adjustments if need be. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/65 "2016-09-19T18:44:10Z")
All those pictures are not female executives by the way. They show women in various cleavage states - none of which are this…[http://www.tvguide.com/galleries/celebrity-cleavage-1056725/photo/f0a30f70-2801-449f-95e8-a9d76bc6be0c/](http://www.tvguide.com/galleries/celebrity-cleavage-1056725/photo/f0a30f70-2801-449f-95e8-a9d76bc6be0c/) (All safe for work). (The blonde in the last picture has more cleavage than I’d show at work, the rest are what I think are work appropriate). ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/66 "2016-09-19T18:45:32Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > 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. Yep, my wife also. She’s a school teacher so option 3 is out. She complains about #2 as showing nothing but her boobs coming at you. So that leaves frumpy #3. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/67 "2016-09-19T18:54:29Z")
I voted that showing a little cleavage is okay. It depends very much on the work circumstance and the woman herself. I am very large busted and have a very hard time finding summer tops that don’t run the risk of showing cleavage. However, I don’t wear clingy or deliberately sexy tops. Whenever possible, I will wear a cami, but on me, camis often reveal a little something as well. What I don’t do is wear skintight or clothing that reveal or emphasize a body part if I can help it. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/68 "2016-09-19T19:06:44Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It seems to me that defining what the subject is about is a rather important issue. If it needs to be defined, I’d suggest this definition: if you touch all the skin exposed by an outfit, does the woman run to HR and complain that you touched her breasts? If she would say you only touched her shoulder/neck/chest, then there wasn’t cleavage. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/69 "2016-09-19T19:23:18Z")
I’d think it really depends on the position; if she’s doing something where her appearance/sex appeal are important, or where she needs to be memorable (both probably true for the insurance agent), then it’s probably fine to show a bit of tasteful cleavage. But if we’re talking about some woman who sits in her cubicle and processes AP receipts all day, then the line of what’s professional is probably a bit higher. Hell, I’d argue that an attractive female lawyer might have cause to doll herself up a bit more and dress a hair more provocatively (like say… more fitted suit pants or something) if she’s actually trying a case in front of a jury, versus taking a deposition in their office. It probably pays to be perceived as more attractive than your adversary in the courtroom, but doesn’t really matter in the deposition. ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/70 "2016-09-19T20:28:44Z")
I’m a dude, and it depends. You can wear whatever you want, I don’t care, but there’s a certain boob to not boob ratio where you start to look like you’re advertising and/or desperate for attention. That works in some environments and not others. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/71 "2016-09-19T20:59:11Z")
I’m male and I do not concern myself with what my colleagues - male or female - wear to work. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/72 "2016-09-19T21:39:13Z")
In an office setting, never appropriate. In like a bar setting, probably more appropriate than not. ---
**Author:** ![Periwinkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Periwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Periwinkle)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/73 "2016-09-19T22:01:35Z")
In my experience, executive level women don’t typically show cleavage at work. My favorite thing is a short sleeved lightweight sweater with a round neckline that falls slightly below the collarbones, with a jacket or sweater jacket or cardigan over it. Nice quality tees work fine for this too. This is a “work uniform” that looks professional and is very comfortable because you can adjust easily for temperature variations and don’t have to ever worry about tugging at necklines or viewing angles. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/74 "2016-09-19T22:25:29Z")
Nor are pictures of CEO’s particularly germane to the discussion. There won’t be too many people telling someone in charge of a company what to wear. In the second link above, though, I’d take issue with the bare-midriff halter being business attire (worn by Leila Janah). Maybe at Google, but not at IBM. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/75 "2016-09-20T02:02:12Z")
> [@amijane](#): > > I hope you take your objection to the forklift driver rather than the object of distraction. Both probably. 😉 Actually a couple of the ladies have had reduction surgery; assuming what I heard is right the one went from a J to a C. She actually looks a lot sharper and more shapely now than she did before the operation ---- not that an old married man like me would notice; of course. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/76 "2016-09-20T16:00:10Z")
I voted “a little is ok.” As a busty gal whose cleavage starts about an inch below my clavicles, unless it’s January, you’re probably going to see a bit at some point. 🙂 Good thing I’m not a guy, too, because I cannot stand shirts buttoned up around my neck. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155/77 "2016-09-20T17:03:38Z")
What is the workplace? What is being sold? The question can’t be answered at all without that information. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-showing-cleavage-at-work/766155.md?page=3)