I found this disgusting article through the Feministing Weekly Feminist Reader: a set of “guidelines” for how women should properly keep their breasts in check while at work. And no, it’s not from Cosmo– it’s from fucking ABC.
The very premise is insulting enough: don’t show too much cleavage, your mammaries are insulting everyone, don’t you professional women know how to dress yourselves? But sure, whatever. It probably is a good idea to dress on the conservative side when you’re at work. Yes, there should be a matching set of instruction to men on how to dress appropriately, but hey, I’m used to seeing this kind of bullshit on a daily basis. What make this story so special?
According to Squires, the appearance of breasts can help women in the workplace.
“A recent study showed men photos of women in a workplace with large breasts showing cleavage, medium breasts and small breasts. When asked about who looked most professional and personable, the men chose the women with medium-sized breasts,” she said.
“You don’t have to be flat-chested to be taken seriously,” she added. “You just have to be proportionate. For women who are small busted, that may mean a little padding. For well-endowed women, that may mean a minimizer.”
That’s right, ladies! Not only do you have make sure that you don’t have boobs in order to be taken seriously in the workplace (boobs imply a vagina, and we know how vaginas bleed and make women all hormonal and unworthy of the same pay as men). Now, if you’re going to be so bold as to have boobs, you have to have the right boobs. Not too big, and no too small! If you fall into one of those categories, you better fix it! Otherwise, The Men won’t take you seriously.
Yeah, let’s not talk about the fact that your boobs should have nothing to do with whether or not your colleagues take you seriously. Let’s also not talk about how this article places the responsibility on women’s shoulders to adapt to these misogynist views, instead of asking men to judge women on more than just their bodies. Instead of asking what the fuck is wrong with this world, and fighting for the right to be taken seriously as human being instead of pieces of meat, let’s just give the men what they want: “properly”-sized, “properly”-shaped tits, no matter what your actual proportions are, and then just giggle of the completely unpredictable phenomenon of them paying more attention to your chest than to you.
If you’d like to tell ABC what douchebags they are, you can do so here.
{ 11 comments }
I love that they don’t even pretend to care about being fair minded or intelligent about this, and just went straight to showing men photographs of women and asking them who looks “most professional and personable.”
Also: Shouldn’t it be noted that “professional” and “personable” aren’t the same and, in fact, aren’t even related?
So, that’s right: If you’re small busted, padding is your friend. If you’re bigger, minimize, minimize, minimize!
Medium sized? Just right.
(of course, it won’t matter, you’re still a woman, and ABC is still going to defer to men to judge you).
Oh, I do indeed want to tell off ABC,thanks.
Nice how they didn’t even show any WOMEN the boobs. I mean, who cares what WOMEN think looks more professional.
Oh, Roy said that.
I chose “suggestions for new content” and wrote this:
My suggestion for new content is ANYTHING THAT IS NOT SEXIST BULLSHIT. Are you serious? “How to show off breasts best in the office?” I’m going to show off my skill and expertise in the office, thanks.
Who cares what size breasts are “best perceived by men in the office?” Don’t we have enough sexual harrassment already? Men in my office who want to perceive my breasts can just take themselves straight to court. I’ll meet them there.
Haha! Rock on, Dew.
Seriously, ABC is officially On Notice.
that’s great, dewey! my comment was a bit more tame, but:
“What kind of message are you sending with your article on women’s breasts in the workplace? The suggestion that women should pad or minimize their breasts in order to achieve a “professional” appearance as judged by the corporate world sends entirely the WRONG message: that it is women’s bodies, and not the sexist values of the work world, that are in need of reform.”
I didn’t save my message. It was longer, and maybe ranting. I managed to not curse them out, though.
I find myself distressed by the idea that because men find women sexually attractive in the workplace that women ought to be the ones to solve that problem. No, a man who finds himself going beyond the bounds of professionalism should stop acting like its somehow not his problem and exercise a little fucking self control.
“I love that they don’t even pretend to care about being fair minded or intelligent about this,”
I think it’s much much worse than that. I think they fully believed they were being fair minded and intelligent. They’re to oblivious to know how sexist and idiotic this article is. For ABC, it’s simple – everyone know’s this is a man’s world and so women wishing to succeed in it must be informed as to what pleases their masters.
Gods… I bet you’re right Lya Kahlo. I hadn’t even considered that option. The idiocy involved in the article seemed so obvious to me, that I didn’t even consider that they might think it was intelligent and reasonable.
Ugh.
“The idiocy involved in the article seemed so obvious to me, that I didn’t even consider that they might think it was intelligent and reasonable. “
It’s a scary thought. Imo, it’s like being the one-eyed person in the land of the blind. I can see, and therefore it’s easy to forget that not everyone can. Worse – most people can’t, I think.
I’d be willing to bet that whoever wrote the piece thought it was a totally reasonable and logical article to write because everyone just accepts that it’s a man’s world, men are the standard and therefore everyone must do whatever men find acceptable if they are to be taken seriously.
The message is clear – It’s not the patriarchical bullshit aatmosphere that needs to change (it is, in fact, never even acknowledged) – it’s women. It’s always women’s responsibility to make life comfy for men.
I suffered much anger and embarassment the other day when two female co-workers came to me and told me that my cleavage was highly inappropriate and I needed to pull up my shirt immediately. I have recently gained about a cup size due to birth control pills, and I am getting used to this development, as are my clothes. However, my shirt barely showed any cleavage at all. Furthurmore, the next day (while wearing a very, very modest shirt in embarassment) one of the same co-workers came to me and tried to give me tips on bending in front of a mirror to be absolutely sure that I am not showing any cleavage. First, so what? I am not being unprofessional in the least and this has never been an issue before. Second, I am 20! Do not come to me thinking you can lecture me about my body.
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