Letters to the Editor
AKA Smith
Published Letters: 4574 Editor's Choice: 83
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"Has it occurred to anyone else that this woman might have been mocking the LW when she made the crack about him being sexy when he spoke French?"
[Read the article: Her sexy T-shirt says "Kitty Not Happy" -- is that OK at work?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Absolutely. I thought this immediately. I think she has his number. Since she couldn't actually flip him off, she made the remark instead.
Moreover, I think he now knows exactly what she thinks of him and that's why he went running first to the supervisor and then to Cary. He wants someone to tell him that he isn't as sleazy as she thinks he is.
There is a bit about this letter I don't buy. First, that whole family and choir build-up seems a bogus. It means the writer wants to pique some salonistas hate of the religious conservatives so we maybe won't like this gal in the first place. It means the writer wants us to focus on the tshirt and not go off on some other tangent. Then, the sudden promotion to a senior position really amused me. I suspect that LW is just your usual loser.
You know there is a contingent of antifeminist guys that are always baiting the writers of Broadsheet and the women who post there. They bring up this poor guys aren't treated equally to women in the workplace stuff and clothing and harassment issues all the time. They are trying to make a case that women harrass men by their clothing.
I suspect the LW is one of them, trying to make some sort of "test" case here. However, the whole thing fell apart when many (mostly) women in this thread pointed out that sometimes a cat is just a cat to women. We just don't think in those terms and the Kitty stuff is often not even meant to be provocative.
Women, of yesterday and today, have long followed fashion, sometimes slavishly or foolishly, into territory that men think is all about them. Well, it just isn't. It is more about street cool and Vogue magazine and what other women are wearing. The absolute proof is how many women ended up wearing those very lowrise jeans that are only flattering on one woman out of a hundred who is over 25.
A previous writer pointed out the foolishiness of women with age-spotted chests and low cut tops. If you ever watch tyrannical shows like "What Not to Wear" they put all the women in the same sorts of trendy clothes whether they feel comfortable or not, such as these really miserable pointy-toed high heels. All of this stuff is only tangentially about men.
It is all really more about women's relationships to each other and to cultural constructs of femininity. To really understand this stuff, look at Camille's writings and how she drools over icons of style and her recent column with the pinup pictures. The truth is, that despite all the worry about weight and body dysmorphia, women think women are pretty. Sometimes we like to dress ourselves up like dolls. Sometimes we just want to wear a t-shirt and jeans.
You know, no one ever mentioned one of the most likely reasons that girl may have been wearing the Kitty shirt. She's going through tough marital times. She's probably depressed and not keeping up with stuff. Maybe that t-shirt was simply the only thing clean.
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To Anonymous who says, "I feel kind of cheap and dirty afterwards."
[Read the article: Her sexy T-shirt says "Kitty Not Happy" -- is that OK at work?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This woman is behaving inappropriately, but if you haven't told her to cut it out and if you have in anyway encouraged her, you cannot really claim to be very harrassed. My advice is think of your wife and tell the tattooed one to stop her behavior immediately. Don't worry about hurting her feelings. If she keeps it up after you have made your disinterest clear, it's sexual harrassment. You can certainly take action if you choose. It is your mixed feelings that are tripping you up.