[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMxyZQfMmM4&feature=player_embedded]
With the controversy over the Lane Bryant ad shown above, people are again talking about what’s appropriate and what’s not when it comes to cleavage. I once asked a wise woman if cleavage is appropriate in the workplace and her response was, “Well, it depends on your definition of cleavage.” Touché. There are certainly different kinds of cleavage, and in the workplace, all of them are pretty much a “No”– except for when it comes to the toes! Here are some other quick cleavage do’s and don’ts:
- Boob cleavage at work: For work, unless cleavage is part of your job description (e.g., you’re a bartender!), I say go for décolleté — a ‘shadow’ of boobage, rather than even one inch of crack. It’s simply too distracting otherwise. Also, as the warm weather approaches, avoid flimsy camisoles or shells, even underneath a suit. Anything that looks too much like lingerie is better left to the bedroom, not the boardroom.
- Cleavage at the beach: There’s a new trend of “tush cleavage” in which you show the top part of your rear a la Kim Kardashian in this photo. I witnessed a bit of this a few months ago when I was in Rio — where the bathing suits are famously itty bitty– and even then, most of the time, the tops were small, whereas the bottoms gave complete coverage. Bottom line (sorry, couldn’t resist!): only the very bold should try it! And up top, you want a bathing suit that covers 75 percent of your “girls.”
- Toe cleavage: This refers to when you can see the little crack where your toe joins your foot in certain shoes. It used to be you shouldn’t show toe cleavage in office shoes, but that’s outdated– not to mention virtually impossible with most low-vamp, fashion-forward pumps!
Tags: Etiquette, Fashion, News, Underthings
in reply to the piece above about cleavage the problem is most women dont realize how distracting their revealing clothing is for men- their desire to feel sexy and attract male attention perhaps is stronger then their worry about distracting men- many especially younger ladies probably are not bothered too much about the fact that their provocative clothing turns men on sexually- the messages todays women are getting from the media etc is that its okay and actually good to look very sexy anywhere todays fashion is for skimpy sexy tops, cleavage and low necklines and breast enhancement -theres nothing to feel guilty about -the message is flaunt your assets- at work, on the street, in church etc.and the affect on men is not such a big concern for these women – men seem to have less say in the matter of how women should dress than before.