“(Cleavage) undeniably empowers a woman, gives her a great sense of self-esteem, a colossal confidence boost and often gets her ahead of the men she’s long been trying to compete with.”
That’s a real quote, people.
It comes via Fairfax’s dating blogger Samantha Brett and her piece, ‘The Great Cleavage Conundrum: should men look if it’s on display?’, published on Fairfax websites a few days ago.
Brett wrote this piece in response to Bettina Ardnt’s column about women getting their boobs out and the effect it has on men (last week we discussed that on Mamamia – comments were fascinating). In Bettina’s original column, she asked whether women who dressed sexily at work were encouraging ogling from men and called the flaunting of cleavage an “up yours gesture of the most provocative kind”.
Brett takes the debate one step further by suggesting women should use their cleavage – whether real or fake – as a tool of empowerment.
Yep. Time to check the calendar to make sure it’s 2012 and then get your tits out for the boys. Who knows what it could do for your career!
We’ve highlighted some of the most interesting bits.
She writes:
Samantha Brett
Many women have cottoned on to the innate power of the simple act of showing a bit of chest flesh. And, while the fairer sex aren’t exactly sure what chemical reactions are sparked in the minds of blokes at the mere sight of a little décolletage, nevertheless over time they’ve learnt one vital life lesson: a little cleavage goes a long way.
A bit of bosom on show does something more powerful and more intoxicating to a bloke than any conversation, expensive gift or home-cooked meal.
And when it comes to the workplace, despite the fight for equal pay and equal rights, some women (many women) know that a good push-up bra is a better investment than any PhD. Besides, it sure as hell is something no man can ever attempt to compete with, no matter how many golf games or strip-club outings they organise for prospective clients. Women simply whip on a low-cut dress, some spindly stilettos and, voila! They’re ahead of the game by a long shot.
I only wish someone would have told me before I went to uni that all I really needed to do to be successful in life was nick down to Myer and pick me up a wonderbra. Hey Presto! A job! Empowerment!
Brett goes on to cite comments to Bettina’s piece from male friends, readers and colleagues. “Breasts are like jewellery, besides their natural function, they are there to attract attention & a possible mate,” was the response from one commenter. “Women know exactly what they are doing when they dress this way,” from another.
She goes on:
Many of the women I polled for this story say they are extremely self-conscious when it comes to cleavage of their own. Flat-chested women, (especially in a sun-drenched country like ours), know all too well about the pains of having to go to the beach and compete with the ample-breasted women flouncing their double Ds as the men gawk, ogle and stare, ignoring the fact that the flat-chested femmes even exist.
“It’s the absolute worst being flat,” a friend said to me before she decided to opt for breast augmentation surgery. “You feel as though everyone is staring at your chest for all the wrong reasons. No men call you sexy, and you definitely don’t get any wolf whistles. It brings down your entire self-esteem.”
Wait, really? Damn! I’ve been going about this beach business all wrong. I didn’t realise I was supposed to be competing with my larger-breasted sister girlfriends for male gawks and stares. I’ve been there just swimming this whole time. Silly me.
And finally, there’s this:
Let’s get back to the politics of cleavage.
Whether fake or real, it undeniably empowers a woman, gives her a great sense of self-esteem, a colossal confidence boost and often gets her ahead of the men she’s long been trying to compete with.
Twitter erupted over the weekend when word of Brett’s article spread. It was “one of the most offensive pretensions to journalism I’ve ever read” according to writer Clementine Ford. She tweeted:
What do you think?
Comments
154 Comments so far
Pingback: Columnist who said push-up bra was a better investment than a PHD ditches blogging to be TV reporter where she ‘won’t be judged’ - mUmBRELLA
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Cleavage can help jug-gle deadlines.
I wouldn’t rack yourself with anxiety.
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While I don’t agree with what SB is suggesting unfortunately in my experience in a highly reputable law firm it has turned out to be true. I saw many learned friends that were not booby shy get promoted or be given great opportunities. I constantly here similar stories from friends also working in a ‘professional’ environment. I recently heard about a girl who was hired in a ‘professional’ because she was good looking and had a ‘good set’.
I detest hearing such things but the reality is that in some circumstances she who reveals more flesh may be thanked in exchange with a job, promotion or even more. I like up call it the Erin Brockovich factor. Julia’s a prime example – she got an oscar, golden globe, SAG & BAFTA for her performance!
Nothing SB or anyone says on this blog is going to change the way some men think and the world is. What are we going to do – stp blokes from noticing women’s boobs? I suggest we just move onwards ‘ upwards to more important things (please no more about air brushing, editing photos or the size of models… I’m a little over those topics too!).
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Sue barrett I concur with your statement, now that is an intelligent response, Samantha Brett can take her ridiculous post and hopefully not lead any self respecting professional entering the workforce that this is the key to promotion or professional credibility. Also do not insult men in the workplace and assume that this outdated method would actually automatically lead to promotion or success ( if the boss was a male ). Would not be tolerated in my workplace and have never seen this tacky and common tactic used by any female employees.
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I write regularly on business, selling, leadership and sales performance. Women are some of the best sales people going around today. Many of them usually have the right demeanor and emotional intelligence to do well. Using women to sell is a great idea, using women for their “womanhood”, I believe leads to the trivalisation of good business practices and of women as legitimate business professionals. This type of sales tactic reduces customers to the lowest common denominator and leads us down the slippery slope of the sexual discrimination of women in the workplace. If you want to read my full article on ‘Breast Ain’t Best: Why sex and selling don’t mix’ go here: http://www.barrett.com.au/blogs/SalesBlog/2011/1489/relationships/breast-ain%E2%80%99t-best-why-sex-selling-don%E2%80%99t-mix/
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In my experience women usually make better salespeople because they communicate better and can take a genuine interest in the person they’re selling too easier. Yes, there are no doubt occasions when the vendour might be thinking other things but that can’t always be controlled.
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Did she step into a reality warp and end up in the Real Housewives of Beverley Hills?
… Because in my office, cleavage = career death.
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Ha! Love it. Well said.
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It appears that she is tryjng to convince the world of what she wishes were reality – that looks are the end state, that no one will get pissed off if you produce a truly craptaular piece of writing as long as you are hot, and smart people aren’t all that.. no… please… look at my boobs, I’m undereducated and insecure….
My workplace derides people (not just women) who flaunt their appearance over their competence. And it’s a male dominated workplace. Give the guys some credit!
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F**k. Seven years at uni, all the fees, all the lost income …. and all I needed was a product placement bra? No wonder girls schools didn’t bother with full time careers advisors. Failure ….
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Currently reading Caitlin Moran’s book (How To Be a Woman) and came across a brilliant, and quite relevant quote: ‘Women who, in a sexist world, pander to sexism to make their fortune are Vichy France with tits.’
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Well, I’ve got neither boobs nor PhD.
I’m screwed.
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Oh. Dear. God
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Is this woman speaking from experience? Did she get her boobs out to get paid for this article? Was it worth it? Did she write an article to be proud of? Will I be reading her work again? Uh, go burn your push up bra and and get a PhD.
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Disappointing and worrying as it is to read an article that might have been written in the 50s written in 2012 (by a woman no less) – it’s really just one piece in what seems to be a rapidly growing sea of such writing – Just open up this week’s issue of Grazia to read about how your makeup can be the key to getting a payrise (funnily enough I can’t imagine GQ publishing an article about picking the right aftershave to earn a promotion).
The message that no matter how clever, charismatic or capable a woman is (qualities valued in men) her appearance is still the quality by which she is ultimately judged is not only out there, but flourishing and won’t go away until drivel like this stops being published. Sexism is just another prejudice and as such reduces a human being to one facet of themselves – in this case her breasts.
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Haha your comment made me think of a similar article if it were written by a male for males “gents– in order to get the support of the administration team forget manners and pleasantries… Just wear tighter pants!! Preferably ones which give a snug outline of your ‘god given gifts’ .. “. Seriously if men spoke like this there would be an uproar. Oh wait … Men wouldn’t speak like this because it’s bananas!
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Not only do boobs get you ahead at work, it turns out that very large breasts are also a safety device pmsl
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-02-10/news/31048181_1_implants-sheyla-hershey-car-crash
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Are you kidding me? Have I just been transported back to the 1950s? Well, I don’t like it.
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All these clever people in here with PhDs are making me feel all inadequate. I’d better invest in a super dooper booper push-up bra ASAP… that’ll show them for thinking they can just use their brains to get ahead…
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By the way, does any of the PhD holders here also have enormous breasts? If so, it looks like you’ve hit the jackpot haha
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PhD with an A cup here. Guess that’s karma.
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In the process of a PhD and with DDs. Maybe I should just drop out now?
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I work with teenagers and can’t help but wonder if my Working with Children’s card will get revoked if I take Sam’s advice? Oh well, I’m off to drop out of my Master’s degree Nd go to Bras N Things.
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Jeezes! I feel so sorry for that Brett woman.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but cleavage (or any sort of inappropriate dress sense) is not tolerated in my work place. I would certainly be let go if I got my girls out, NOT promoted! It makes 99% of people uncomfortable in a work environment. The other 1%? Creeps.
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Who is Samantha Brett and why does some Mad Men-inspired article she wrote make a mention? Its either poor comedy or poor taste, which should get the same lack of attention from clued in Mammamia readers
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*sigh* This is actually depressing! “Breasts are like jewellery”…well call me old fashioned but let’s just say I’d prefer a nice necklace for my birthday than a shiny set of boobs..
I have large breasts and do all I can to disguise their size whilst at work. This is not because I’m ashamed of them but feel quite uncomfortable having them “out there” in a professional setting. There are some women I work with who do dress more provocatively and I genuinely believe that this does nothing for their reputation or success at work, actually quite the opposite.
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Well said! My significant other bought me a lovely gold dress watch for Christmas, and I love it. Needless to say, I wouldn’t have reacted the same way if I’d received a pair of implants.
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“A good push-up bra is a better investment than any PhD”?
Damn. I wish I’d known that before I wasted 5 years on my doctorate.
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For the record Iv’e never been comfortable with low cut tops. In a work environment even less so. I don’t see the point. (pun not intended
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To be fair, Sam works in an industry where whipping your chestcicles out makes you a marketable commodity. Not so much the rest of us who work outside the media bubble. Or who work inside it and prefer to write and think for a living. As opposed to milking being blonde and pretty with a very tired Sex in the City wannabe column.
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While I fully realise what a load of crapola this piece of writing is, is it perhaps a bit tongue-in-cheek? I haven’t read any of her pieces before. (am now waiting for the firing squad!)
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You might be kind of right. It could be kind of tongue in cheek…but she does write bollocks most of the time…that Sydney Eastern suburbs princessy thing where they believe everyone leads or wants to lead their lifestyle.
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I stopped reading her column two years ago. I’m not even sure why we devote gigabytes and/or oxygen to discussing anything she writes. Don’t be fooled into thinking Bettina and Samantha are on opposing sides here either — they’re not, they’re just different faces to same coin and they’d both do well to move on from the 1950s.
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I have worked in senior positions in female dominated work places for years, and I’ll admit I like boobs, but at the end of the day when I select staff or make judgements on the ability of the females I work with their boobs and looks matter little, I like to have women with brains around me as this is makes my work life easier, I have worked with many air heads or those that pretended to be air heads (because they thought that their looks were more important) and give me an intelligent women any day.
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I am a buxom lass. I tend to wear V necked clothing (sometimes lower cut V’s) in an effort to reduce the feeling and appearance that I have a wine barrell strapped to my chest. Never have I considered flashing my girls to climb any workplace tree. Big boobs arent all that great at all, trust me! They impose much more limitations in so many ways than any benefits they could ever offer!
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RE the original topic of cleavage (or sexuality) in the workplace…
You know who doesn’t like your boobs? Other women in your workplace.
While working for an industrial company, my breasts were used by 2 catty female colleagues as a way of trying to discredit my achievements and positive working relationships with male staff members. While I don’t consider myself ‘large breasted’, I have a small frame so at times they can look so in comparison. I always dressed appropriately for work and as I progressed in my career at that business I often would ‘dress down’ or in pant-suits to be taken seriously in a role where I mostly dealt with men – it’s hard to talk to them about appropriate industrial workwear if you show up rocking a pencil skirt that you can’t bend over in.
Overheard comments included ‘maybe if I got my tits out’ and ‘at least mine are real’ (ahem so are mine!). They just used my breasts as an excuse as to how I had progressed above them in a relatively short time despite the fact I am educated, have excellent communication skills and was a hard worker – the fact I was nice/polite to everyone at my workplace is probably a reason that escaped them too!
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Dearie, dearie me.
I’m sure Brett has a modicum of intelligence and yet here she is playing up to her image of a blonde ‘I’m no bimbo, I’m intelligent and feminine’ , 21st century anti feminist.
I have E cup boobs and I’m quite short. I do everything BUT draw attention to them. They haven’t helped me get on in life, on the contrary, the reactions I’ve had from inconsiderate and thoughtless men who have stared openly at my chest region has probably made me hide away on more occasions than I should have. I’ve never gone topless and when I’ve been on topless beaches men still stare, even though I’ve had the girls covered. Seems that some men think that womens breasts are fair game, just not the ones that are being used to feed babies.
I also agree with Kathy W’s comment. How dumb do we think that men are, that they can be hypnotised by a good cleavage? That they will lose all power of rational thought for longer than Bettina’s ’3 second glance’? Are they that stupid? No, they’re not.
I doubt very much that Brett will be in the least bit bothered by the criticism. She’ll be pissing herself laughing. She got our attention, she earned money for writing the piece and her profile is that little bit higher than it was yesterday. There will be women who agree with her and that saddens me more than anything else.
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This is also so disrespectful to men.
I am offended on behalf of my dad, my sons, my colleagues and other men in my life that they are painted as salivating, ogling dumb-heads who are blind-sided by boobs.
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Samantha Brett just put the feminist movement back about 50 years.
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How exactly?
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FG, for all the reasons every single other person commenting has listed. Maybe go read them.
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to be a tad controversial here…..I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that with certain clients I use a bit of flirtation and make sure I look nice for meetings with them. These clients are old school males who wouldn’t deal with me or take me seriously if I didn’t know what I was doing. I know my business well, work hard and do a good job. It took me years to get respected for knowing what I do given that I was a young female and it used to offend me but now I just put my ego away, pile on the mascara and get on with it.
Blokes use the golf course as an advantage to get ahead in my male dominated industry, so I don’t see a problem with using my femininty to help get a deal across the line. HOWEVER, if I didn’t know my job then I could be Miranda Kerr and still not get the deal across the line.
Oh but boobs out is something I wouldn’t do, not that i”v got much anyway haha.
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In my last job with a PR company, one of the managers gave our group a talk about how she actually lost out on a pitch because of her cleavage.
She said it was a huge lesson in learning what was appropriate workwear and what wasn’t (she asked for feedback and she got it!), and went on to talk to us about the importance of grooming (nice hair, nicely done and not over-the-top make-up) as well.
That office was about a 50:50 split of men and women, and I know quite a few of the younger girls were spoken to about their outfits and told that they should dress for work, not a nightclub. The management was mostly men and it was just automatic knowledge that you moved up the ladder based on your work or the rapport you had with them, not your cleavage.
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I think it is true that your appearance DOES make a difference, whether you are male or female. And it’s not ground breaking news to state that women showing more cleavage get different results from women who don’t, ask any waitress or barmaid who works for tips. Also, it’s not just about cleavage- I once got told by a sales boss I had that I would sell more pots and pans if I had nicely done nails like my work mate because it made the products look better. Sigh.
But seriously, all appearances make a difference or we wouldn’t spend so much time, effort and money on manipulating them. Whether we dress up for a night out or conservatively for a work setting, how we look sends a message to others, whether we mean it too or not. Samantha Brett’s comments sound deliberately provocative but touch on a worthwhile point- being confident will get you further in your career. Whether or not ample cleavage can get you that confience though is a whole other question.
One last point- I’m disappointed that we see a woman with a different point of view and all we can do is shout her down in flames. Not exactly feeling the sisterly love here. Maybe we could have allowed this article to spark a discussion about how different women achieve their self confidence and self esteem and how telling it is that some women DO feel that they are still most valued for their physical assests rather than their mental ones.
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I’m not sure how much sisterly love I have for a sister who suggests that there’s nothing wrong with getting your norks out to get ahead.
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Thats my point. Shouldn’t we be asking WHY any woman feels as if thats a path to success? No one would think to ask if a man feels he should have a six pack to be successful and considered for promotion but that ANY woman feels the need to bring up cleavage says something about where we are at.
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We’ve got a generation of girls who think feminism is a swearword. I’ve given up trying to work them out.
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Maybe because all they see of feminism is women ripping into other women for having a different opinion. It would be nice if we could change that.
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For me, feminism is about me not being worth less because I’m female. Pure and simple. Anything else is embellishment and bullshit. I don’t know what other definitions people are using out there but for any woman to say she’s against feminism then she doesn’t know what she’s actually against.
My feminism isn’t about ripping into other women, it’s about picking everyone up and putting them on an equal footing. Sure, they can make their choices, once they’re up there on that level playing field, and if they’re ones where they think they need to use their breasts to get ahead then I’m going to shake my head and think they’re stupid. If that’s ripping into them then I’m guilty as charged.
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“all they see of feminism is women ripping into other women for having a different opinion. It would be nice if we could change that”
So if a woman says it’s a totally! awesome! idea to use tits to gain an advantage over other women, and we call bullshit on it – WE are the bad guys??? Logic fail. Feminism doesn’t mean unconditional support for bullshit.
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Hey guys, let’s remember to avoid the personal attacks and focus on politics of cleavage. K, thanks
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I have an hourglass figure with naturally large breasts. I go out of my way to cover them up most of the time because even I – a red-blooded heterosexual woman – find cleavage distracting. I don’t want to be ‘that girl with the massive cleavage’ in any setting, least of all work…
Having said that, I’d be lying if I said female attractiveness doesn’t make a difference in the workplace (not necessarily cleavage, but attractiveness in general). I have a tendency to be lazy with my appearance, so I notice a huge difference in the way people see me and treat me when I make a bit of an effort (I work for myself but interact with clients and work colleagues on a regular basis). It disappoints me that so many men are so fickle, but the reality is that they are. If I were clawing my way up the corporate ladder, I’d be making an effort to look nice/a little sexy/feminine every day – but I’d do it without cleavage. The cleavage thing is just not me.
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I find it offensive that Brett’s article suggests that my DDs have been the reason for my success in my professional life and not the two undergrad degrees, a masters degree and 20 years of hard work.
A woman who dresses with her boobs on display in a corporate sitation is generally NOT taken seriously unless she is incredibly smart to make up for it. There is a difference between being on display and being well groomed. Being well groomed, absolutely contributes to your success. Relying solely on the size of your breasts is a very risky tactic.
Brett obviously has never worked in a professional environment, or the Newspaper game is very different to the rest of corporate Australia.
It is dangerous taking advice from an online sex & dating columnist.
Unless you are a stripper wanting to get tips, I would suggest that you put your boobs away and rely on your brains, hard work and determination if you want to get ahead in the corporate world.
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All I can say is…
I’m a teacher. Getting your boobs out at work is probably going to get you fired. Or at least, hauled into your principal’s office.
In other fields, it may not get you further ahead in the long run, but unfortunately, it may get you there with less effort.
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I totally agree. I work at a school and I am very conscious (and staff are constantly reminded) about what is appropriate. On windy days I always have to be careful wearing particular dresses or skirts (that they don’t go flying up if I’m outside and it’s windy) and if I’m wearing a v-neck top, that it doesn’t show anything when I lean forward.
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If you’ve got nothing else to offer go for it! Trading on your looks has an expiry date.
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Looks fade, work experience and degrees don’t. I do see women flaunt their tits in the office over the years, but not one of them ever got ahead. Management are not dummies. I do see men and women use their looks to get ahead – I guess it also depends on which industry you work in. I would never take a woman seriously if she resorted to tits on show in the office. I can’t believe she gets paid to blog about this crap.
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I have worked in several industries where women who ‘get their tits out’ benefit from it professionally (and they’re not necessarily male dominated industries either – online retail, the arts, government) It’s depressing. And until women stop doing it and it will continue to be so I think.
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On a side note –
My husband was waiting at a cash register on Sunday to pay for our goods. I was backing up our car to make it easier to get everything in. The two 18 or so year olds were talking about work. They had this to say.
“I hate feminists. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have to be working today. We could be relaxing at home having everything paid for us”
Right…
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oh boy….
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Classic!
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What a load of Sh*t.
I am in a professional job in a male dominated arena. I had breast implants for a while and felt the complete opposite of empowered by them in the work place. It you get any sort of attention over your breasts just because they are big then it is from the men that are dumb idiots in the workplace and wouldn’t even have the power to pay you more even if they could!
The payrises and promotions I have got are for being an enthusiasic person who was engaged in what I was doing who did my job well not because of my boobs!
I think the way you present yourself generally, by being classy and making an effort will help you gain respect and help you be taken seriously not by having clevage on show.
I have had them out for medical reasons and now feel that I am the same person, hopefully no one at work even notices and if they do I am still treated exactly the same way and still getting payrises!
The only type of woman who really thinks this is true would be the type with no brian.
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Wow. How effing offensive to compare a push-up bra to a PhD. That genuinely makes me angry.
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Agreed. I have a PhD – silly me to have worked my butt off for a few years when a trip to the lingerie store would have sufficed. Pumping up my B’s to D’s better for my career than a PhD?! I’m sure those research dollars and papers would have just appeared out of thin air….sigh…
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I suppose it would be nice to get to a point where flashing cleavage was empowering to women in the workplace…massive, leaky, sore breastfeeding cleavage.
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Carrie Bradshaw wannabe. She should take a leaf out of Sam De Brito’s stuff. Now HE’s a great writer.
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He his. I do like Sam dB more than Sam B. But he, too, has some very silly things to say sometimes.
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Yeah…but she makes him look like Freud.
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True that!
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Hmm, Legally Blonde was on tv the other night, wonder if perhaps that inspired her post?!
Not to mention that if you look at the most successful business and career women in Australia, they certainly didn’t get where they are by flashing their boobs! It’s one thing to wear a low cut top or show a bit of leg when you’re trying to get a cheap deal off the middle-aged guy charging entrance to the tip, but entirely another if you want to be taken seriously and have a career!!
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I’d love to hear from somebody who feels empowered at work (or anywhere) by their cleavage. Is there a secret I don’t know about? Does it help you read, write, analyze, communicate, decide, relate in the workplace? Or would that be your brain? Mabye I should get my brain a push-up bra.
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Oh yes. Half the time I don’t even bother going in to work, I just send in my cleavage. They’re clearly the brains in this outfit.
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I read The Age online everyday, and I always skip her blog. Never read it, never would give her my reading time.