Who Wears Crop Tops to the Office? Article by MSN/ NYTimesarticle

MrL

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/bring-your-bellybutton-to-work-day-the-crop-top-comes-to-the-office/ar-AA13E6d1?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=7ae95454cab74dbab67780da02ec152c

Backup:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/style/crop-tops-office.html

What say you all?

QBG

Would I like seeing it? Yes, obviously.

Would it distract me from my work? Yes, absolutely.

Call me old-fashioned, but I don't think anyone, men and women alike, should be going to work or school wearing the same sexy outfits they put on to attract attention in the club.

Unless you work at a nightclub/trendy bar/fashion magazine/etc., save the crop tops for when it's appropriate to look hot, and just wear the same boring, conformist costumes the rest of us have been forced to wear forever at work.

Safebox

It's interesting how the article approached the issue.

Because on one hand you have people who want to respect others in the office but on the other you have people who see it as on them to take responsibility for their feelings towards it.

I already avoid the office as much as I can now because of coworkers stretching during the summer months, I can't control the anxiety it causes me.

So it is a fairly mixed bag with no obvious "right answer".

Admin

Interesting read, great find @Mr. L

Witchery

This article is hilariously worded. Bring your belly button to work day? Do they think people are unscrewing theirs and leaving them at home?

Crop tops in the office are not a new thing. They've been a part of corporate attire for the last decade or so. That sliver of midriff paired with high rise pants is a classy look on people of all shapes and sizes.

It's frustrating that there are still attempts to regulate how people (mainly women) dress. A lot of it continues to be grounded in that high-school dress code attitude of don't show your belly button or midriff, you'll district the lads. It also seems from the article that a lot of the most vocal opinions against crop tops with businesswear are women. And this is for for reasons I don't quite understand. No one is forcing the uniform of a crop top with your suit - but it is going to look stunning when the two things are paired.

Perhaps this is the real reason HR & management aren't keen. They don't see it as just a fashionable or a practical choice. They see the women in the article as competition and they're scared of being upstaged. They need to subordinate them. Maybe there is something deeper and more radical here to do with power and conformity. But I can't imagine seeing a crop top at work and thinking of it as anything but a non-issue.

But yeah. It's funny trying to watch the moral elite trying to police belly buttons again. Next they'll be trying to break out the tape measures and enforce an appropriate skirt length. Give it up guys. Your battle against the bare belly button was lost in the 1960s.

Admin

Witchery Do they think people are unscrewing theirs and leaving them at home?

😆 jokes. It was a fun little read. I didn't expect MSN of all places would publish that on their own platform.

Sodo

Witchery
Honestly, I agree with you a great deal on your points. And it's an unfortunate reality in today's age that women have to put up, which sucks.

I find it so bizarre how, even in the year 2022, a woman showing her belly button in any setting outside of, say, the beach, is still seen as taboo or oversexualized, and these kinds of 'scandalous' takes aren't doing that any help. Now, I do agree that there are certain events/locations wherein showing off skin in general could be fairly rude regardless of one's gender/identity, like a funeral, for example, or a super serious kind of event, but a regular office job? I feel if a woman wants to show her navel, let her, provided it doesn't go against an established dress code. If there's no dress code, then it's her body, so she can choose how to dress provided it isn't hurting herself or anyone else. Same goes for men and non-binary folks, but then, when it comes to men, there's usually a double standard of much laxer dress code enforcements.

It also seems from the article that a lot of the most vocal opinions against crop tops with businesswear are women. And this is for for reasons I don't quite understand.

It could be because there's such a societal stigma against women exposing skin like that for the very reasons you mentioned. Many women are raised to believe that doing that is bad because it draws in unwanted male attention, and it's true that there are plenty of creeps out there who see this in such a way. Men like THAT, the pigs that look at women as objects for their own viewing pleasure, are a detriment to society in general, and even today, that mentality is still rampant. It's being worked on, sure, yet it's going to take a long, long time for that attitude to be demolished and burned like the misogynistic past views society once held, at least in some parts of the world.

Mind you, I'm not speaking for them. Nor am I speaking for every woman in the world, either.

I hope that some day the general attitude of a woman showing her belly button is seen less as taboo or oversexual or anything negative and more as just... well, it's what she wants to do. Maybe she's comfortable showing her navel off. Maybe it's hot that day. Maybe there's some other reason. Ultimately, it's her choice to do, and she's not doing it for attention, she's doing it because it's her body and her freedom to dress that way. That's just how I see it, and hopefully I've been able to get my view across correctly.

Safebox

Sodo I think it goes back to the contrasting cultures around the world of individualism vs collectivism; do people do what's best for them or what's best for the majority of people.

Well, I say "best" but you know what I mean. Should identity win out over rules and regulations. It's why I kinda side with dress codes when there's outrage about students wearing casual stuff; it's there to emulate a workplace environment, if you can't abide by it then you're not likely to do well in a professional setting.

Exceptions exist obviously, but I've heard of extremes to the opposite degree as well where "unusual" clothing was also reprimanded for making people uncomfortable. Such as in the case of turbans in the UK police force despite being the appropriate colour scheme and French beaches banning the burkini even when it's the woman's choice.

I do feel like there should be an equal level of give and take somewhere.
As I said previously, it makes me physically uncomfortable when I'm trying to concentrate. While it's not anyone's fault, it is a very minor ask to conceal surely...

Think of it another way; if someone has a phobia, do you avoid exposing them to that phobia if you have that control or do you persist in that exposure in spite of how they feel?
Something similar happened at work regarding a food phobia I had and they rearranged some stuff without my asking so I was kinda shocked / surprised.

MrL

I shared this because it's pretty rare for a mainstream article that isn't about bikinis to mention navels or midriff.

Me personally, I think midriff is fine in the office for the most part. Now law offices and just about any business professional area I think it's inappropriate. But for business casual or casual offices, I think it is more than fine.

Admin

It's an interesting thread, most work-places have strict rules against such dress codes and standards of behaviour. Especially in the U.K where you can end up being sent back home if you're not dressed appropriately for work.
With that said, I work for a company where we have to dress smart.

However, recently my female colleague wore high-waisted trousers along with a crop top. Her upper midsection was on display (no belly-button). It was not overly belly-baring but you could see maybe an inch or two of her upper stomach. She still looked classy & professional. She pulled off our dress code as she still looked really smart.
I respect her greatly but found I became distracted at work on the day. I have a strict 'code of conduct' (no distractions) at work. This helps me maintain my composure so that I can meet my work expectations. Especially when you're affected by partialism.

To my surprise, upper management did not say anything.

It's not just me but actor Idris Elba (who has a feet partialism) was doing a scene in a film (he was at work) and the director of the film told one of the actresses to wear socks. When the actress questioned this insane decision, the director told her why and she happily complied.

In short, I prefer not having to battle with such thoughts, even though I've become 'really' good at suppressing them.