Astronomer

I would love to not have to wear a bra every single day, is this another thing that females dislike about their gender just out of curiosity? (I'm directing this question at the girls, here). Because I hate bras so much, they are the most uncomfortable things in the world, I would love be able to just wear a shirt without a bra, and not worry about my boobs jiggling around or nipples showing. I hate bras.

I also would have loved to wear pants during high school, instead of the segregated boys and girls uniforms, which still occur in Australia and many other places in the world. So impractical.

I also agree with Janszoon in that people should just do whatever they want. There seems to be so many guys on here who seem to have ridiculous standards regarding female bodily hair which really disturbs/ perplexes me. I don't have high standards when it comes to male body OR facial hair. I admit that I think some guys look better without or with facial hair or body hair but if they don't want to shave areas of their body then why should I interfere with that? There is more to life than hair.

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jibber

Meh, I don't mind bras so much, it's more uncomfortable for me to NOT wear one, plus in the summer I often just cheat and wear a bikini top I've never worn a school uniform in my life, and I've never had a single job where jeans and a nice looking top weren't appropriate attire, so I can't really sympathize but I do agree, uniforms are ridiculous.

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Janszoon

Well at my high school there was no uniform. Girls could wear pants or skirts or dresses or whatever they wanted, while I'm sure any boy showing up to school in a skirt would've been sent home. We also had a rule against wearing outdoor jackets or hats to class but they only enforced it with the boys.

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FETCHER.

I feel more uncomfortable not wearing a bra, because it's obvious. But nothing beats taking your bra off after a tough day or when you're knackered

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jibber

This is another reason why it's good to be a woman, there isn't a single item of clothing that people would look twice at a woman wearing. Even wearing a tuxedo to a formal event isn't all that uncommon anymore (so long as it's nicely tailored). A man however showing up in a sparkling evening gown...

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What you've done becomes the judge of what you're going to do -- especially in other people's minds. When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.
William Least Heat Moon, Blue Highways

Your toughest competitor lives in your head. Some days his name is fear, or pain, or gravity. Stomp his ass.

HOOKED ON THE WHITE POWDER

VEGANGELICA

Boo boo, I feel your joke at adidasss' expense is sexist, homophobic, and hurtful. I wish you wouldn't have made it.

You are trying to say that adidasss' point isn't valid or important (when in fact it is a good point, and I know that because I agree with him! ). Yet instead of saying your feelings, you try to put him down by claiming he is a woman, so that's sexist AND homophobic. Being gay has nothing to do with someone's gender identity. Also, there is nothing wrong with women menstruating and having mood changes related to hormone fluctuations.

I agree.

I agree that people should be able to do what they want with their bodies and not be disciminated against either socially or in their jobs because of their bodies' physical appearance.

If you weren't getting a job because you are disabled and someone doesn't like how you look, you'd feel that is wrong (right?). So, if you aren't getting a job because you are fat or you have a beard and someone doesn't like how you look, that should also be wrong. Why care? Because someday it might be YOU being discriminated against? I care because people are hurt by discrimination.

Why can't you wear sandals and sleeveless shirts around the office?

I stopped wearing a bra around 10 years ago, for the very reasons you mention...and yes, my breasts jiggle and my nipples show, and sometimes I feel a little uncomfortable about that...exposed, as if I were being lewd by not wearing a bra. But I fight that feeling of fear because I know that's how breasts are and there's nothing wrong with them. It's very liberating! And no one has ever commented on or reacted to my not wearing a bra in public, so that makes it easier.

Girls being forced to wear skirts in school sounds SO archaic, Lateralus! That's one great thing about most U.S. public schools: no uniforms.

If all the girls in an Australian school organized and wore pants on one day, I bet the school district would change its uniform policy quickly. How sad that the *parents* haven't stood up and fought this old-fashioned, sexist uniform policy!

Yep, I argued earlier in the thread that one of the reasons I like being a woman rather than a man is that women in the U.S. have a lot of social freedom regarding dress and physical appearance, just like you say. Where I live, I can wear shirt or pants, have long head hair or short hair, pretty much wear anything I like. The one remaining sexist problem regarding dress here is that I can't expose my breasts in public unless I'm breastfeeding, while men go topless all the time without being arrested.

Another benefit of being a U.S. woman is that no one mutilated my clitoris, while here in the U.S. people cut little baby boys' penises all the time just for looks and tradition.

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TheBig3

To go with this, and the beard issue in the work place (I was asked to shave once if I wanted to promotion they were offering me - then mocked for the baby face I was hiding once I did) I think it highlights a disparity of progress.

Women had suffrage then feminism to highlight what they felt they were lacking in a society of equals. Men haven't really seen the same rebellion come to the forefront. I genuinely feel as if women have been given many more options from the traditional roles of the Patriarchy but the roles men occupied then are still expected to stick.

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VEGANGELICA

Men tried to fight these traditional and limiting expectations and hazing in the 1970s...long hair, and all...but I agree with you that this attempt didn't stick. Men seem very pressured to have short hair...the whole "military, clean-cut" look. I think society tells men that they need to all look the same, while women are "allowed" more individuality and self-expression.

If my office did what yours did, I would be furious. Did you *have* to shave for the promotion, or was it just a request? Would they have not giving you the promotion if you didn't shave? That's awful.

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boo boo

It only keeps you from treating people the same way because you choose to treat them differently based on their physical distinctions and what society might expect you to do, it's your fault if you don't treat people equally, don't blame it on the fact that people are different or have institutions based on these differences, that's pretty much the lamest excuse you can give for being sexist, racist or wishing everybody was the same in general.

Did I forget to mention that I find you pretentious?

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Janszoon

Because I'm male. It's generally considered too casual for a man to wear sandals and sleeveless shirts in a typical office setting but fine for women.

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