The Automatik

Today’s Yahoo! Canada headline:

Dos and Don’ts of Summer Office Wardrobe

If your boss gazes at your cleavage, it’s a problem with your boss, NOT your cleavage. Once again, it’s OUR fault for having breasts which tempt men into sin.

And lest you think I’m overreacting, the opening paragraph of this article is directed solely at women and their clothing.

As the temperature rises each spring, so do hemlines. And as they rise, necklines plunge. Many uncomfortable conversations can be avoided by asking a simple question: Do I want my boss gazing at my cleavage? Even worse, do you want a view of your boss’ upper thigh?

The article is written by a woman and quotes women throughout. But it’s still offensive.

Men’s attire is only addressed in this one sentence: “Men shouldn’t wear sandals and T-shirts, and women should never wear flip-flops.”

Nothing is mentioned about men wearing too-tight pants, thrusting their crotches in your face, leering at you, making inappropriate comments about your clothing/physique/weight, or “accidentally” touching your body and/or clothing. Even though these things happen ALL THE TIME.

The article goes on to blame on the younger generations.

Each generation makes this common mistake, but the youngest employees tend to be the worst offenders. “It’s comfort at all costs, especially with the new hires,” says Gretchen Neels, owner of the Boston-based etiquette and communication consulting firm Neels & Company. “The mentality is, ‘I’m comfortable and doing my work, so leave me alone. What does what I wear have to do with the work I produce?’ ”

A lot, actually. Clients don’t take them seriously and managers question their judgment–a substantial factor in gaining responsibility at the office.

And this is why I do not and will not work at an office. What I wear has nothing to do with the quality of my work, just as a woman’s looks have nothing to do with her intelligence.

I realize this is a Yahoo! Article and thusly, more of a fluff piece than anything else, but dress code freak outs have plagued every office where I have ever worked, to the point that serious, ongoing problems—the ones threatening productivity and finances—were virtually ignored in favor of “fashion shows” during staff meetings which indicated appropriate and inappropriate outfits.

From the article’s slideshow (which also suggests holding “fashion shows” at work):

The difference is that breasts are part of the anatomy and a slip is not. Slips are removable; breasts are not.

Clearly, the problem is not that people, er, women dress inappropriately. It’s the mentality that the flash of a breast or a thigh will cause immediate, uncontrollable urges in men because after all, naked body parts are only there for sexual purposes.