Elise A. Magnuson Mrs. Kabat English 11 February 27th, 2011 Less (Cleavage) is More !

ressing Mo"estly in #o"ay$s %o&iety Everyone has seen her #he girl 'al(ing "o'n the hall'ay in )ain*ully tight, holey +eans, an e,tre-ely lo' &ut shirt, 'ith )erha)s a *e' in&hes o* her overly tanne" sto-a&h e,)ose". An" it$s February. %a"ly, this )i&ture is being re)eate" in s&hools a&ross the &ountry, an" even 'orse, in the 'or()la&e. .o-en shoul" "ress -ore &onservatively to be ta(en -ore seriously in both s&hool an" the )ro*essional 'orl", to (ee) the- sa*e, an" to sho' res)e&t *or the-selves as 'ell as others. /n to"ay$s 'orl", 'o-en are going to be +u"ge" on ho' they loo( base" u)on ho' they "ress the-selves. As 0ill Krieger %'anson 'isely sai", in her &lass Beauty Boot Cam) (0ill Krieger %'anson, 1eauty 1oot Ca-), 2o&hester Co--unity E"u&ation, February 3th, 2011) 4ever bother saying anything 'orth saying in the *irst *ive -inutes o* -eeting a )erson, es)e&ially a 'o-an. #hey are not listening to a 'or" you are saying, but si5ing you u) in ter-s o* ho' you loo( (n. )g.). Many a 'o-an$s -other -ay have tol" her that a))earan&e isn$t everything, that i* a )erson only values the- *or 'hat they 'ear, then the )erson isn$t 'orth it. /t 'oul" be ni&e i* the 'orl" 'or(e" that 'ay, but the reality is that ho' a )erson loo(s )lays a huge role in ho' she is )er&eive" by other )eo)le. A

Kabat 2 'o-an &oul" be -ore intelligent than Marie Curie, or a stronger lea"er than 6ueen Eli5abeth /, but i* the 7)a&(aging8 she &o-es in -a(es her loo( li(e she shoul" be stan"ing on a street &orner, she isn$t going to 7sell8, at least not in the )ro*essional 'orl". A stu"y &arrie" out by stu"ents at La'ren&e 9niversity, title" Sexy Women in Low- and High- Status Jobs , *oun" that Mani)ulations o* se,iness o* sel*:)resentation (as &o-)are" to )hysi&al attra&tiveness) -ay have a larger i-)a&t on )er&eivers (-eaning *uture e-)loyees, &o'or(ers, et&.) )re&isely be&ause su&h sel*:)resentations are &hosen an" there*ore -ay be seen as re*le&ting a 'o-an$s un"erlying )ersonality an" values (;li&(, Larsen, an" 0ohnson n. )g.). /n the stu"y, the stu"ents &reate" vi"eos o* a 'o-an being intervie'e" *or t'o )ositions a -anager, an" a re&e)tionist, *eaturing the sa-e 'o-an, 'earing a -o"est, neutral out*it, then a se,y, -ore revealing out*it. %he 'as rate" by a )anel o* )eo)le on +ob &o-)eten&y an" intelligen&e. #he 'o-an 'ho 'as "resse" &onservatively 'as rate" highly in &o-)eten&e an" intelligen&e *or the -anagerial )ost, 'hile the -ore s&antily &la" 'o-an 'as rate" lo'er. #here 'as not a large "is&re)an&y bet'een &onservative an" se,y *or the se&retary$s )osition, an" the resear&hers &on&lu"e" that this 'as "ue to the *a&t that "es('or( re<uires less brains an" ability than -anaging )eo)le "oes. (;li&(, Larsen, an" 0ohnson n. )g.). A 'o-an &hooses 'hat she )uts on in the -orning. .hile so-e -ight say that a 'o-an shoul" be able to 'ear 'hat she 'ants as a *or- o* sel* e,)ression. =o'ever, i* she sele&ts an out*it that leaves little to the i-agination, a )otential e-)loyer: or her *ello' stu"ents are going to rea" into this that she has lo'er

Kabat @ -orals an" )erha)s sets -ore store in her se,uality than anything else, there*ore leaving the- to &on&lu"e that she is not so-eone to be ta(en seriously, an" -ay not ta(e her +ob seriously as 'ell. Further-ore, the rate o* ra)e an" se,ual assault has in&rease alar-ingly in a short )erio" o* ti-e. >ver the last t'o years, -ore than 7?7,000 'o-en 'ere the vi&ti- o* a ra)e or se,ual assault (2a)e %tatisti&s 200?, 1ureau o* 0usti&e %tatisti&s n. )g.). /t -ight see- li(e a goo" i"ea to 'ear a -ore revealing out*it on your *irst "ate, but it &an give the 'rong i-)ression, es)e&ially i* one "oesn$t (no' the -an *ro- )revious e,)erien&e. Many )eo)le an" Christian 'ebsites say that ra)e is never a 'o-an$s *ault, that -en shoul" be able to &ontrol the-selves. #he &lothing a 'o-an 'ears &an sen" a -essage. /t &an say that she is a res)e&table 'o-an 'ho has boun"aries, or it &an say that she is loo(ing *or se,ual attention. Many 'o-en "on$t reali5e this, or they "o, an" aren$t )re)are" *or the )otential &onse<uen&es. 4atalee =ollo'ay is a )ri-e e,a-)le A s-art, beauti*ul girl 'ith her 'hole li*e ahea" o* her, be*ore she 'ent to a bar in Aruba 'ith *rien"s, "resse" in a "eni- s(irt an" s(i-)y halter to), an" le*t (un"er the in*luen&e o* al&ohol) 'ith -en she "i"n$t (no' (#he Kristen Foun"ation, 2003 n. )g.). %he has been -issing *or si, years no', an" -ost li(ely "ea". #hese things "o ha))en, but they are in -any 'ays )reventable. Finally, 'hen a )erson sees a 'o-an "ress in naught but a -inis(irt an" a tube to), they are not thin(ing that they res)e&t her *or her great -in" or 'holeso-e values. A&&or"ing to Alison %tevens, in Why is Dressing Modestly Important or !oday"

Kabat C Mo"esty in "ress sen"s a -essage o* )urity an" honor. /t )uts an e-)hasis on an" values the inner )erson over out'ar" attra&tivenessA.hen 'e "ress -o"estly, 'e are saying that 'e )osses inner <ualities *or 'hi&h 'e shoul" gain a))ro)riate attention an" value *ro- others (n. )g.). .hen 'o-en &hoose to "ress in a )rovo&ative 'ay, they are sho'ing that they *eel their 'orth is "erive" *ro- their loo(s versus their &hara&ter traits. /na))ro)riate attire tells )eo)le that a 'o-an$s 'orth is in her se, a))eal, 'hi&h is a 'ea( basis to buil" sel* &on*i"en&e or sel*:res)e&t. 7.hat ha))ens 'hen 'e age an" the 'rin(les start sho'ingB .here 'ill the sense o* value an" sel* 'orth &o-e *ro- thenB8 as(s %tevens (n. )g.). For so-e 'o-en, attention *ro- the o))osite gen"er base" on their a))earan&e -ay be a great triu-)h, but in the long run is not going to be the basis o* a strong an" lasting relationshi). /t is )ossible to loo( beauti*ul 'hile still leaving so-ething to the i-agination. For a variety o* reasons, -any 'o-en *eel that their a))eal &o-es *ro- their ability to attra&t attention through ho' they loo( (%tevens, n. )g.). #he -a+ority o* 'o-en "esire to be )eruse" an" &herishe" (in their )ersonal an" )ro*essional lives) be&ause o* their re"ee-ing <ualities or values, not their bo"ies. .earing i--o"est &lothing )uts e-)hasis on a 'o-an$s out'ar" a))earan&e, instea" o* her heart. /n &on&lusion, 'o-en shoul" "ress &onservatively to be ta(en seriously both at s&hool an" in the 'or()la&e, to (ee) the-selves sa*e, an" ulti-ately to sho' res)e&t *or the-selves an" others. /t is very )ossible to "ress -o"estly an" still be a beauti*ul 'o-an. #he ne,t ti-e a *ello' 'o-an is &onsi"ering 'earing a )rovo&ative out*it, she shoul" be as(ing hersel* 'hat she really 'ants to be value"

Kabat 3 *or her e,&ellent &leavage, or her shining )ersonality. =o)e*ully she ans'ere" the *or-er, an" le*t the barely there attire to 1rittany %)ears.

.or(s Cite" ;li&(, Deter, %a"ie Larsen, Cathryn 0ohnson, an" =eather 1ranstiter. EEvaluations o* %e,y .o-en in Lo': An" =igh:%tatus 0obs.E #sy$hology o Women %uarterly 2F.C (2003) @?F:F3. .eb. Krieger %'anson, 0ill. E1eauty 1oot Ca-).E 2o&hester Co--unity E". 1uil"ing, 2o&hester, M4. 3 Feb. 2011. Le&ture. E4atalee =ollo'ay #he Kristen Foun"ation.E !he &risten 'oundation. May 2003. .eb. Ghtt) HH'''.(risten*oun"ation.orgH&gi: binH"ata&giH"atabase.&giB*ileIh'Jre)ortIs)J/!I0@?K. E2a)e an" %e,ual Assault.E Bureau o Justi$e Statisti$s (BJS). 200?. .eb. Ghtt) HHb+s.o+).us"o+.govHin"e,.&*-BtyIt)Jti"I@17K. %tevens, Alison. E.hy /s !ressing Mo"estly /-)ortant *or #o"ayBE *BC Ministries. 2010. .eb. Ghtt) HH'''.rb&.orgH<uestions!etail.as),B i"IC377?K.