- #1
- 5,199
- 38
I hope that my thread title does not sound too risqué. I have noticed in my city, now that it is summer, that many women are wearing tops that are completely open at the back, exposing the undergarments. This got me thinking (always a dangerous thing)...why are so many women wearing these tops? It seems to me to be not very classy to have one's bra strap showing.
Don't get me wrong: I think I know why they are being widely worn. It's because somebody decided that this should be the latest fashion, therefore that is what is sold in stores, therefore that is what young women are buying. I guess my question is more along the lines of this: why has this trend been so readily adopted? It seems disconcerting to me that so many women would seemingly allow fashion to redefine their sense of what is acceptable dress so easily. That is discussion point #1 that I would like people to weigh in on, if they could.
I know that some women here might accuse me of being old-fashioned and even chauvinist. They might say that it is unfair for me to infer anything about the quality of a woman's character or about her intentions to attract males simply from the way that she dresses. I don't want to be perceived that way. But I just couldn't help feeling that these tops looked kind of trashy. I know the argument goes that just because a woman wears revealing clothes certainly doesn't mean that she is promiscuous, and it may not even mean that she wants any sort of attention from men. Supposedly she wants to look attractive for herself and not for the benefit of men. But that last argument has always seemed kind of weak to me. I mean, at the end of the day, why does it make one feel good to be attractive? Isn't it because one knows that one is desired (or at least admired) by others? I guess I'm sort of claiming that although vanity might be an excessive pre-occupation with one's self and one's own looks, there really wouldn't be any vanity in the absence of others to judge those looks. It's the perception of others that seems to be the primary motivating factor. This is discussion point #2 that I'd like people to weigh in on if they could.
I'm only in my twenties, and you might wonder, now that we're several decades firmly entrenched into the era of mini-skirts, really short shorts, tube tops, sleeve-less tops with spaghetti straps, bikini tops, and any number of other revealing female garments, why am I making a such a big deal about these open-back tops? I don't know, to be honest. All I can say is that something about them struck me as being in especially poor taste, and it bothered me.
Don't get me wrong: I think I know why they are being widely worn. It's because somebody decided that this should be the latest fashion, therefore that is what is sold in stores, therefore that is what young women are buying. I guess my question is more along the lines of this: why has this trend been so readily adopted? It seems disconcerting to me that so many women would seemingly allow fashion to redefine their sense of what is acceptable dress so easily. That is discussion point #1 that I would like people to weigh in on, if they could.
I know that some women here might accuse me of being old-fashioned and even chauvinist. They might say that it is unfair for me to infer anything about the quality of a woman's character or about her intentions to attract males simply from the way that she dresses. I don't want to be perceived that way. But I just couldn't help feeling that these tops looked kind of trashy. I know the argument goes that just because a woman wears revealing clothes certainly doesn't mean that she is promiscuous, and it may not even mean that she wants any sort of attention from men. Supposedly she wants to look attractive for herself and not for the benefit of men. But that last argument has always seemed kind of weak to me. I mean, at the end of the day, why does it make one feel good to be attractive? Isn't it because one knows that one is desired (or at least admired) by others? I guess I'm sort of claiming that although vanity might be an excessive pre-occupation with one's self and one's own looks, there really wouldn't be any vanity in the absence of others to judge those looks. It's the perception of others that seems to be the primary motivating factor. This is discussion point #2 that I'd like people to weigh in on if they could.
I'm only in my twenties, and you might wonder, now that we're several decades firmly entrenched into the era of mini-skirts, really short shorts, tube tops, sleeve-less tops with spaghetti straps, bikini tops, and any number of other revealing female garments, why am I making a such a big deal about these open-back tops? I don't know, to be honest. All I can say is that something about them struck me as being in especially poor taste, and it bothered me.