They say that during bad economic times, women begin to wear skimpy clothes.
That could be because we want to make a statement that we’re in control of our bodies during turbulent times, a theory behind the rise of the bikini, or maybe because it’s cheaper for manufacturers to use less material. Whatever the reason, it seems we’re now back in the thick of the “less is more” craze.
A college professor friend of mine, someone who is much more avant-garde than I am, recently wrote to me: “I feel like an old lady, but I’m not sure how much more naked these kids could be without actually being naked.”
And some recent articles suggest that he is not exaggerating. Last week, The Wall Street Journal asked, “Is a bra a shirt?”
The writer explained: “In fact, the piece has become essential as a t-shirt for some; Celebrities like Zoë Kravitz, Kaia Gerber, Gwyneth Paltrow and Florence Pugh, as well as regular women like a Brooklyn barista I met this year, are using bras as building blocks in their wardrobe for both day and night.”
Yes, to be clear. The Bra it is a building block, the kind that sits underground where you can’t see it.
And then there was this from The New York Times a few days ago: “She’s Come Undone (on Purpose), which explores why “young, stylish jeans are unbuttoned, unbuttoned, unbuttoned.”
A model whom the author interviewed was walking around New York wearing a “black lace lingerie top paired with a pair of oversized Levi’s High Loose jeans unbuttoned and turned down.”
The model explained: “It looked a bit baggy and oversized but I didn’t have to worry about a little mishap. … The zipper fell down a little bit, but my pants didn’t fall down.”
Well, I guess we can count that as a win.
A New York University film student who also had her pants unbuttoned told the reporter, “You don’t have to feel bad if your pants don’t fit. Wear them unbuttoned and you’ll be sexy and cool.”
There is nothing like the optimism of the young.
Two University of Utah students recently showed up at a football game wearing body paint instead of jerseys. The school released a statement saying anyone who violates the Utah state statute on lewdness involving a child will not be allowed to attend the games. One might have thought this would be self-evident.
The truth is, if you’re a model, film student, or even a barista in a big city, you can get away with these looks. On the streets of New York, no one will bat an eyelid, and maybe not even in the cafeteria or the classroom. But I’m confused about which female subscribers to The Wall Street Journal will suddenly decide they’re going to wear bras in the city.
And that’s what my friend was also wondering. “So if the bra top is the new favorite t-shirt, that’s fine. But I am lecturing future financial planners at an accredited degree-granting institution. And these women are older people. Now I’m going to have to talk to them about how to dress appropriately for their interviews.”
I warned him that doing so could be a violation of Title IX.
It is certainly not easy for young women to go out into the business world today. For decades, there has been little guidance from schools and workplaces about what is acceptable attire. Dress codes are considered sexist. After a couple of years of working from home, many adults have also lost track of how to dress. They have forgotten that most women at work and at school want to be taken seriously. They want to be respected and rewarded for their talent, not the number of inches of stomach we can see.
Many young women have been taught that dressing sexy will make people sit up and take notice. As one of the other “unbuttoned” women noted: “If you wear something with confidence, people who see you will absorb your energy of confidence and I can assure you that they will think: ‘Damn… they look amazing!'”
No one over the age of 25 believes this to be true. As my friend pointed out, “Girls feel self-conscious in those tops and then slouch and look awkward, which makes the whole outfit a lot more sad than sexy.”
In fact, most of the women who wear these outfits do not look confident at all. Looks like they’ve been caught wandering around in their underwear. that have.
Naomi Schaefer Riley is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a senior fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum, and a contributor to the Deseret News. She is the author of “There’s No Way to Treat a Child: How the Foster Care System, Family Courts, and Racial Activists Are Ruining Young Livesamong other books.
Source: news.google.com