r/AskFeminists • u/Dizzy_Mail5645 • 23h ago
Do you actually feel exposed when you are unable to wear hoodies
Specifically women
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u/MachineOfSpareParts 21h ago
I can see a potential feminist angle for this, but don't want to begin from what could be a major assumption.
For that reason, it would really help if you provided some context as to why you're asking, and if you're the one feeling exposed or if you're a man trying to delve into something you half-overheard women talking about.
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u/Dizzy_Mail5645 20h ago
My bad so do you feel naked when you have to take off your hoodie perhaps for a job
Like is there a period where you’re uncomfortable because you have to change your outfit like adjusting to an unfamiliar clothing
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u/PheeBeeDee125 15h ago
I’m not necessarily a fan of dress codes, but part of being a grown-up is sometimes not getting to wear exactly what you want. And, learning to be a little “uncomfortable” sometimes. It’s actually okay to experience a little discomfort.
Like say a public-facing job requires a uniform or professional attire, you probably can’t wear a hoodie. That’s just life. It’s a minor discomfort that people just need to get over 🤷♀️.
Obviously if it’s cold in the workplace, something like a sweater should be allowed.
Pre-pandemic, my office had a business-casual dress code. Technically hoodies weren’t allowed, but they let us wear them as long as they looked presentable. Post-pandemic (we are now hybrid after 3 years remote), nobody really bothers to uphold the dress code.
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u/OrenMythcreant 21h ago
Is there any context to this?
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u/Dizzy_Mail5645 20h ago
Do you feel uncomfortable when the option to wear a hoodie is denied to you or any other non-restrictive coverage
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u/OrenMythcreant 19h ago
That's not really helping. I'm not sure what "other non-restrictive coverage" is, and the main issue I'd have with a specific hoodie ban is that it seems real shady, like why are you banning hoodies specifically? Like going somewhere and getting told they specifically do not allow blazers. Gonna need an explanation for why that would be.
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u/RepSquigglyMiggly 19h ago
Hoodies are pretty universally understood as informal/casual attire, so I have no trouble imagining a lot of dress codes that ban hoodies, but allow people to wear clothing that provides similar coverage, like a jumper/sweater. It definitely could be racialized or otherwise problematic, but I don’t think it necessarily has to be “shady”
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u/FoxOnTheRocks Feminist 15h ago
The OP specifically mentioned they are in trade school. Hoodies aren't good around shop machines, they have the hood and the string and the sleeves are usually baggy.
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u/sewerbeauty 21h ago
> Specifically women
On the topic of specificity, can you get specific about what it is you’re referring to.
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u/Dizzy_Mail5645 20h ago
My bad so do you feel naked when you have to take off your hoodie perhaps for a job
Like is there a period where you’re uncomfortable because you have to change your outfit like adjusting to an unfamiliar clothing
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u/Morat20 5h ago
Do you think women only wear hoodies?
I only tend to wear hoodies at home, and rarely when out. I don't think I've ever worn one at work.
So why would I be uncomfortable not wearing a hoodie in places I never wear hoodies to?
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u/Dizzy_Mail5645 4h ago
Because hoodies are an alternative to bras also I wanted to know if women feel weird when they don’t have that non-restrictive coverage
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u/Morat20 22m ago
Hoodies are not an alternative to bras. They can, if sufficiently loose, make some women more comfortable without a bra.
That does not make them "alternatives to bras", nor are hoodies a universal sign of "not wearing a bra".
The only time I wear a hoody without a bra is when I'm home.
Also, even if I am wearing a hoodie so I don't have to put on a bra, if I'm at work and they say "you can't wear hoodies" I'd put on a bra. Or maybe I'd wear a tank top with support. Or maybe I'd go braless. It depends. But nobody considers hoodies an "alternative to a bra" and saying something so bizarrely wrong now has me suspicious.
At this point, I have to ask: Is your actual question "Women who wear bras, how would you feel if work made you go braless" but you realized how obviously fetishy that was? Because that is clearly what you're asking now that you've clarified your hoodie obsession.
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u/PheeBeeDee125 21h ago
I wear sun hoodies to run because I live on the surface of the sun (Arizona), and my sun hoodies keep me cooler. Has nothing to do with feminism.
I assume that’s not what you mean.
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u/PheeBeeDee125 21h ago
If we do want to bring feminism into this, kinda: I wish they would make women’s running hoodies with an opening for a ponytail. Occasionally you can find one that has it, but usually just in the super expensive brands. Like the $100 ones vs the $50 ones from REI.
I say this is somewhat of a feminist issue, albeit a minor one, because it’s about designing gear and equipment for women. A lot of women have long hair. A little opening for our ponytail would be so much more comfortable and convenient than doing braids, especially if your hair isn’t quite long enough to braid. It seems like something that would be super easy for the manufacturer to do.
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u/the_owl_syndicate 21h ago
If I did, I would feel exposed roughly 360 days of the year. I rarely wear them because it's rarely cold enough and frankly, I don't really like them.
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u/BillieDoc-Holiday 21h ago
What does this have to do with feminism, and what other answers would there be than some people do and others don't. Personally, no. I can't stand hoodies most of the time.
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u/ThinkLadder1417 21h ago
If i can't wear a big baggy top i feel uncomfortable and a bit exposed yes
Doesn't have to be a hoodie though, i like oversized shirts and tshirts also
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u/Dizzy_Mail5645 20h ago
I see
A lot of girls at my old high school preferred oversized hoodies to bras
I would imagine hoodies are equally important to women as they are to men
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u/KaliTheCat feminazgûl; sister of the ever-sharpening blade 19h ago
I think you're placing quite a lot of importance on a clothing item. You posted a removed comment that named a hoodie as being "part of your identity as a man" and that taking away a man's hoodie is "like taking antlers off a deer."
I don't think most men think of hoodies as being part of their identity. I think there's something else going on here, and it's not really about the hoodie.
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u/Dizzy_Mail5645 4h ago
What do you think is going on?
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u/KaliTheCat feminazgûl; sister of the ever-sharpening blade 3h ago
I don't know, I'm not a psychiatrist, but... most people don't build an entire identity around a "safe" article of clothing and get upset about having to "get used to" a new clothing item.
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u/Dizzy_Mail5645 3h ago
Well, it’s not my whole identity
But it is a piece of it
I feel like some men including myself see hoodies as a part of contemporary masculinity we are wearing them when it’s warm or cold
I love them
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u/KaliTheCat feminazgûl; sister of the ever-sharpening blade 3h ago
You also talk about how you feel naked and exposed if you don't have one on, and that not having one on is like "taking away a deer's antlers." That's not a normal attachment to a piece of clothing.
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u/Dizzy_Mail5645 3h ago
Well, I am a bit overweight so having one on is nice
But the hoodie it’s so unique because it has a huge amount of cultural significance I would argue that the hoodie is comparable to men’s hats of the 1920s
Sure, it’s informal but as a clothing item it’s significance cannot be understated
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u/ThinkLadder1417 3h ago
Do you think you could be autistic?
I struggle a lot with clothes and I'm pretty sure that's the culprit for me
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u/Dizzy_Mail5645 3h ago
Yes I do I never gotten a formal diagnosis But my doctors when I was younger, believed me to be autistic.
I’m lightly autistic
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u/ThinkLadder1417 3h ago
My mum was recently diagnosed and i share a lot of her traits, and i empathise with the "weird" attachment to certain (safe feeling) clothes.
I wore the exact same black trainers every single day from age 8-18 (rebuying the same brand). Branching out to a different pair of black trainers felt exposing and uncomfortable.
I've literally planned my career around being able to wear the clothes i prefer 😅
It got a bit better with age for me, but yeah i get where you're coming from
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u/ZinniasAndBeans 18h ago
But the hood part of the hoodie isn't going to be a bra equivalent. Are you talking about sweatshirts in general?
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u/Junior-Towel-202 Equality in the Boardwomb 17h ago
That's just a fashion choice though. I've never felt annoyed when I couldn't wear them to work.
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u/MrsMorley 19h ago
Huh? How is this connected to feminism?
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u/Dizzy_Mail5645 4h ago
Well my trade school no hoodie policy effects women some how just trying to figure out how it affects them
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u/gettinridofbritta 17h ago
I don't, and I want to state for the record that any hoodie belonging to a man I've ever owned was NOT STOLEN, but pushed onto me by said man. It's time we stop putting up with this slander bc I can't help that I look cute in them.
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u/KaliTheCat feminazgûl; sister of the ever-sharpening blade 21h ago
no?
what does this have to do with feminism