Dress Like You Deserve Respect – Not a Spot at a Bar!

Over the weekend, I read in the news that Obama’s teenage girls were on the receiving end of some Twitter abuse for not being dressed ‘respectfully’ enough.

Elizabeth Lauten, Communications Director for Republican Stephen Fincher, criticised the girls’ characters, based on their attire:

‘Dress like you deserve respect – not a spot at a bar’.

Interesting, I thought. If that were two teenage boys standings there, would they have been been accused of wearing something ‘disrespectful’? I highly doubt it.

This news particularly angered me because it was a woman dictating what was and was not ‘acceptable’ for two young women to wear.

It is women and young girls who have to be wary of being dressed appropriately. We’re still not in a time when we can walk around wearing whatever we like. In fact, we’re an incredibly long way off. A woman can still be accused of leading a man on because of how she is dressed.

Men have it incredibly simple. Here is an example of a man’s typical work wardrobe:

(The majority of my future brother-in-law’s wardrobe).

Yes ladies, this is how easy it should be. One shirt, 7 different shades. That is what a man’s wardrobe is: trousers, shirts. No legs or arms or chest on show. And flat shoes, no question. Flat, sensible shoes.

A woman’s work wardrobe is likely to consist of skirts, dresses, trousers – all specifically chosen to look ‘work appropriate’, so that they can be ‘taken seriously’. And in some circumstances, it can be expected that you wear heels or even make up.

I, for one, refuse to wear heels for work. And if I ever work for a company that expects me to, I will tell them right where to shove their sexist ideals.

Heels are the most impractical footwear I can imagine.

I often have to walk to meetings across the city, climb two flights of stairs to get to my work station, run around the different rooms in the building and, on occasion, cycle to different offices. Who in their right mind thinks that doing all of that would be more effective in a pair of heels?

And the make up…? Because of course women shouldn’t accept the face they’re born with – it has to be even better.

It is women’s outfits that come over the most scrutiny.

And, whilst we’re fighting a loosing battle with whoever deems what is acceptable and appropriate, men are laughing at us whilst wearing the shirt-and-trouser combination to work every single day. Oh, and then continuing to wear a similar combination for a night on the town.

It isn’t easy. We are constantly conflicted. Clothes for women are marketed in such a way as to entice us to buy them in order to feel sexy and desirable. Yet, if we actually wear these outfits, we get criticised for being overly sexy or suggestive. Where does it stop?!

Take this advert for example:

(Image via)

I bet that if a woman wore either of those exact outfits in real life, she would be criticised for dressing ‘provocatively’, for the dress being ‘too revealing’.

Can you imagine rocking up to work one day in this? I think my boss would have a heart attack!

(Image via)

Like seriously, this will make me sound super old, but all I could find in Topshop at the weekend were crop tops and mini skirts – that’s never been my style but if that’s what is marketed to young girls, of course they’re going to wear it.

How can we expect to ever be accepted for who we are, in what we want to wear – regardless of whether it’s ‘revealing’ or ‘inappropriate’ – if women are constantly pulling each other part, telling one another what they should or shouldn’t be wearing? I am guilty of doing it – but I think it should stop.

We aren’t doing ourselves any favours by scowling at other women and thinking ‘slut’.

Next time I see someone in a particularly revealing dress, I’ll hold my tongue and think: Well done, you, for rocking that short dress! I commend your bravery for wearing it in December!

Ladies, let’s support and not criticise!

If you enjoyed this article, why not check out ‘That Little Black Dress‘?

Tags: clothing Joy Malia Obama Sasha Obama slut-shaming Women

Categories: Becky Solomon Empowerment: Man! I feel Like a Woman! Fire me up baby! Wise up!