That's right, guys! No matter what your age or profession, your contribution to this discussion is very valuable. I want to hear your specific opinion about what you think appropriate attire is for women to wear to the workplace. I want to know the truth about what you find attractive and in good taste versus distracting and inappropriate. You know, when you can't keep your mind on your work!
Thanks to the CatholicMatch platform, the issue of modesty gets some great attention by our bloggers. But it all seems to be from a woman's point of view and I believe the issue needs help from the male perspective. How low is too low? How high is too high?
To be quite fair, fashion trends and celebrity chic these days don't really help us ladies out much at all. The low-rise waist on pants, shorts and jeans create a host of obstacles to dressing modestly, for example. But no one in charge is willing or interested in bringing back high-rise waists, so we've got to deal with it.
However, I believe that as women, we should find a way to transcend the dictates of the fashion gurus and represent ourselves in the workplace with grace and dignity.
Unfortunately, I still run into women who think some level of cleavage is okay and even "classy," bra straps in plain sight are sexy and form-fitting clothing is a must. And I am constantly appalled by what passes for work-appropriate outfits and fashions that women get away with while at their places of business, whether they work in retail stores, attorney's offices, banks, etc.
Even female news broadcasters push the envelope too far in my opinion. Is it the presidential election race that has you glued to the tube, or is it those long legs and the short skirt?
I'm trying to raise my own daughters (who are alarmingly creative and competitive fashionistas) with a true sense of modesty and teach them what's appropriate for playing around and what's appropriate for school & going to mass. My own mother was very good about this and helped me to be fashionable, yet modest, but my father always had the last say. Whenever I got new shorts or a bathing suit I had to model it for my father and if the shorts were too short or the swim suit too revealing I was not allowed to wear it.
I went to a Sunday mass once during the summer at a neighboring parish in an affluent area and I gotta tell ya... I saw more cleavage there at that mass than I've seen at a pool party. I wish more women would understand how important it is to take men into consideration when they select an outfit to wear, especially in the workplace and especially on dates. So, let's hear it, guys! Please, let us know what you think!
