KTLA Meteorologist Liberté Chan Told to Cover Up On Air

[shangri__la]

Ummm @KTLA just told this woman to put on a sweater LIVE ON AIR bc they "are getting a lot of emails". 😳😳😳 #icant pic.twitter.com/8YCIu4PFJ7
- Megan McGrath (@meg_mcgrath) May 14, 2016

Meteorologist Liberté Chan did the weather this morning, wearing a cute dress which seemed okay for the broadcast...that is, until the show began to get online

Comments

[sharktoothdecay]

dress codes are bullshit
especially for women

[anderbobo]

I think in terms of the "general office" dress code situations women have the advantage. As a man you pretty much have to wear dress pants or khakis, long-sleeve shirt (maybe a polo if you are lucky), sometimes ties/jackets which get HOT AS FUCK in the summertime, I was always so jealous when I saw female co-workers wearing really floaty, obviously light-weight dresses and skirts when I was sweating my ass off in my long pants and shirt. Don't even get me started on how much I hate going to outdoor Summer weddings. I'm not saying that women have it easier at the workplace by any means but I do think they tend to have more flexibility with what they get to wear.

[anderbobo]

I've mainly worked in more conservative offices (law firms, banks) where leggings, regardless of how they are layered, are absolutely always inappropriate (except if you are an attorney at a law firm where literally anything goes). The fact that a woman could wear what a man is typically expected to wear (shirt & pants) plus a plethora of other possible combinations goes to show there is more flexibility with female wardrobe options. However that flexibility is a double-edged sword because the more options you have the more chances there are you may cross a line or wear something deemed inappropriate. There is very little grey area with "appropriate" male attire in an office, however I could absolutely never get away with something sleeveless and knee-length, however a female co-worker could, is that not a wider margin of wardrobe choices for the women?

[anderbobo]

I don't know where you worked but leggings are typically considered too casual for a more conservative workplace, a lot of work places don't even have casual Fridays anymore. As you've said though every workplace is different and I'm sure there are occasions where different rules apply to different people. I've worked in some pretty conservative work places and have never heard of a "Must wear high heels" or "no button down" policy although I'm sure there are industries where that may apply. I do know of a woman who was told to not wear a shirt again because it was the *exact* color of her skin and if you were to glance at her she looked like she wasn't even wearing a top. My point is strictly literal that women have more choices at the office, I"m not commenting on what the reaction from HR may be about those choices but women do have more choices, :/

[_underwhelmed]

tights =/= leggings =/= pantyhose, the three items are not directly interchangeable.
women that can't wear button ups off the rank because they are busty are not that different than another person who has very broad shoulders or is very short and has to get clothing altered.

[_underwhelmed]

OBVIOUSLY the exchange you described is entirely inappropriate and unprofessional and no one should be spoken to that way at work. but there's more a dress code than just the amount of skin being down.
i do think women have more space within a dress code to make creative and different clothing decisions, and with that territory comes more space to get things wrong.

[onyxobsidian]

I agree with you. With suits, there really is no gray area. A suit can't be too short or too revealing. It's a suit.

As you said, women could accidentally wear something someone would have an issue with, and others wouldn't, but their variety they can choose from in terms of cut, length, etc. are a bit more flexible in the office setting.

Now when it comes to school with dress codes, I think girls often get the shit end of the deal.

[_underwhelmed]

IA with you. women have much more latitude in terms of options, and yes with that territory comes more opportunities to get it wrong. even in a business dress code women's suits and jackets come with more options in terms of colour, texture - if we're talking just in terms of clothing and creative expression, i would feel very stifled getting dressed every day as a man.

[valentineballad]

except offices are kept at like 60 degrees in the summer to accommodate men in suits. i bring blankets and scarves to the office to cover up my neck and legs. i no joke have handwarmers in my desk drawer because my hands are constantly cold.

the men never complain.

[anderbobo]

I mean if you are so cold then wear pants, a long-sleeve shirt and a blazer maybe? or is that obnoxious b/c it is hot as balls outside in the summer

[valentineballad]

so i get where you're going here, but it doesn't really support your earlier point, which is that women have the "advantage." OK so we have it slightly better during the short period of time spent outside commuting where your boss/colleagues/clients don't even see you versus the 8 + hours when we're actually in our office being judged upon our appearance.

and your solution is for us to... dress more like men. revolutionary, thanks.

[anderbobo]

Honestly I meant "advantage" from a very simple perspective of getting to dress in what may be seasonally beneficial to the quality of their life. Everybody gets judged based on how they look. An attorney I work with was literally sent to etiquette school because he was a hot mess slob.

My solution was to not dress more like a man but to perhaps wear more clothing if you find that you are so cold at work. And yes my point was that you may find that solution annoying during the hotter months as do many men.