Re: 鈥淔orget dress code; find a worthy cause,鈥� letter, April 3.
I am surprised at the female backlash against the protests over the archaic dress code at the B.C. legislature regarding sleeveless dresses. I suppose these critics think that Chrystia Freeland, Canada鈥檚 minister of foreign affairs, looks unprofessional in her sleeveless dress and pearls.
Since when did women鈥檚 arms become such a visually forbidden part of their bodies that they can鈥檛 be displayed in the workplace? Give your head a shake. We鈥檙e not talking about tank tops and spaghetti-strap summer dresses (although the bare shoulders in the photo are going too far).
I see nothing unprofessional about a woman wearing a smartly tailored sleeveless dress or blouse at work.
Unfortunately, what women wear is in the news too often for the wrong reasons. A woman鈥檚 choice of wardrobe has been cited as a reason she was assaulted. When a woman walks the red carpet, the typical accompanying comment is 鈥渨ho鈥� she鈥檚 wearing (who cares?), and now here we go again with this.
Janice Sheldrick
Victoria
