Last year, I said to a client ( a female) who brought her assistant (also a female) to a meeting with a potential: Does your assistant have a blazer or anything to wear on top of her inappropriately low cut blouse?
The client told me she didnt’ know what to do and couldn’t directly say anything. She specifically told me this assistant was given to her as she to gone HR and complained about two male superiors commenting on her dress style as not being business like.
Honestly, over the decades I’ve been involved in various businesses, I have always noticed that the women who dress provocatively do so with purpose.
Men wear a uniform, it’s called a suit. It can’t be sexualized, beyond its inference as a symbol of power.
At least in the 80’s women were on board for this and the female power suit was born. Today, women come to meetings in dresses more appropriate to a cocktail party... and yet the wonder why people don’t take them seriously?
A young receptionist was hired and I had to send her home 3 times because of her dress. I heard one weekend she wore a see through blouse (she was wearing a black bra) and a few other employees told her how inappropriate it was. She never had a clue. Thank goodness she finally was let go.
"Not being able to say anything (without risk of legal issues)" is exactly the problem. An employer SHOULD be able to issue guidelines as to appropriate dress, and tell people that violations are grounds for termination.
The assistant in question is obviously on the prowl for a high-status/high-income executive to "notice" her. But even if noticed, no executive with any sense is going to ask her out.
Yep, when I was a consultant, back when we had to wear suits, the girls in our group were not allowed to wear dresses - made them look like secretaries.