My friend brought this article to my attention about a month ago and I’ve been meaning to write a post on it for a while. But with Christmas and all, I’ve been a bit of a busy bee. But his constant nagging has lead me to cave in 
. I admit it’s a bit of difficult post to write as it’s something, in my opinion, is a bit sensitive and controversial. But I want to get people’s opinions on the subject and also see if my readers that aren’t from the UK have similar experiences.
In summary, the article interviewed and followed a number of young women from different major cities across the UK on a night out. Now these women were from a variety of different backgrounds; they followed trainee accountants, social workers, students, nurses, and mothers. They coined the term ‘stripper-chic‘ to refer to the attire that these young women wore on their evenings out. Fake tans, lashes, low cut tops and tiny hem lines are the ‘mask’ they put on before going out in the freezing cold.
When asked why they dress like they do almost all the women answered ‘confidence‘. You see dressing in this way attracts male attention and in turn that makes them feel good about themselves.
So how do they pluck up the courage to go out dressed like that in the first place?
After all, you’d think one would require the body confidence of a goddess before stepping out in something so revealing? But that’s not always the case here, with some of the girls loathing various parts of their bodies and citing alcohol as the lubricant to get them out of the house.
But this is not one little ‘tribe’ that’s the focus here. This is the evening ‘look’ for young women all across the country. If the UK’s night life had a catwalk, then this would be the pret-a-porter collection.
My own opinions on the article are mixed. I don’t agree with the term ‘hooker heels’ to refer to the shoes that the girls wore. Anybody with an ounce of fashion knowledge knows ’5 inch and up’ has been the standard heel height for the last few years. Regardless of whether you cover up or not chances are your heel height is going to fall into the ‘hooker heel’ category. It is sad that these young women feel that dressing this way is the only way to give them confidence and it’s even sadder that they think it makes them desirable. Especially considering the guys that they interviewed in the article didn’t have much respect for the girls that dressed like this.
You see this ‘look’ is ubiquitous so the woman that breaks the rule and stands out amongst the sea of hot pants and micro hem lines are those that are actually covered up. As a guy, they would certainly be more likely to get my attention.
The thing I wasn’t sure about was where are the clothes coming from? I guess there is always trends and looks on the catwalk that range from the revealing to the absurd. The high street will toy with a number of pieces that fit into each trend then run with whatever sells the most. If the demand is there, they’ll keep supplying it. So if young women are continuing to choose to buy into that particular look they’ll be variants of it about regardless of whether it fits the season or not.
I’d love to know your opinions especially those outside of the UK.
all photos taken from the original article
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{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Such an interesting article. I, myself during clubbing days wore something similar but not that revealing. Whenever I wore a strapless vest my bottom half has to be a pair of jeans or if I wore a mini skirt then I would wear a short sleeved T-shirt. I tried to balance it out a bit more. But each to their own. As long as a girl feels comfortable in it and it helps to boost their confidence then why not.
Yeah I guess I think it’s mainly the issue that they’re seeking gaining confidence from validation from others. Which, in my opinion, isn’t particularly healthy. Thanks for commenting!
LOL! Arash, this is how young women dress DURING THE DAY in Los Angeles. Short-shorts, 5″ heels, and a low cut top are normal, everyday clothes. I think young women, and some women my age too, dress like this because its what all the girls are wearing at the moment. And yes, they might get a little attention, though not as much as you’d think. In my experience Angelenos are pretty blasé. To me the girls in the article looked pretty tame. I’ve seen much skimpier in terms of evening looks.
Heatherfonseca recently posted..In 2013 I resolve to wear more Chanel!
LOL! Arash, this is how young women dress DURING THE DAY in Los Angeles. Short-shorts, 5″ heels, and a low cut top are normal, everyday clothes. I think young women, and some women my age too, dress like this because its what all the girls are wearing at the moment. And yes, they might get a little attention, though not as much as you’d think. In my experience Angelenos are pretty blasé. To me the girls in the article looked pretty tame. I’ve seen skimpier evening looks.
Personally I think if most women knew how men’s minds worked, they’d realize it might be better to cover up just a bit. Men appreciate a little mystery, don’t you think?
Heather Fonseca recently posted..In 2013 I resolve to wear more Chanel!
Ha ha yeah I can imagine that to be true in LA I imagine ‘anything goes’ which is also quite liberating because you can truly wear what you want.
Yeah I agree, I don’t think it’s even about mystery. Just like if everyone is ‘covered up’ and someone wore something revealing they would stand out. Likewise if everyone is wearing revealing clothes trying something different like a boyfriend blazer or maybe a jumpsuit would make you stand out and achieve the desired effect far greater. Because everyone is wearing what you’re wearing you no longer stand out and actually blend in.
I got a bit of a bashing on Twitter about this post because some people found it sexist and claimed I was ‘slut-shaming’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slut-shaming.
I know I probably generalised a bit by saying ‘ALL’ young women dressed like this on nights out. But from my own experiences of cities I’ve visited in the UK a lot do.
The issue is not with the attire it’s self but the reason behind wearing it for the women in the article. If you’re wearing this because you’re comfortable in it and you enjoy wearing it and your confidence stems from you who you are, not the validation you get from external sources then yeah go for it.
But some of the quotes in the article suggested, if their peers weren’t wearing similar clothes, neither would they. One girl was quoted as feeling ‘upset’ when looking in the mirror. That to me suggest that those individuals don’t really WANT to wear those clothes but their is some reason that drives them to do so. Which I don’t think we should really be encouraging.
Thanks for the insightful comment though Heather! And if I’m ever in LA I’d shop for you any day!
Sorry you got hell on Twitter! So many people are intolerant of opinions that they don’t like. Like you I think women, and men, should wear clothes that look good, flatter their figures and most importantly make them feel great!
Heather Fonseca recently posted..Color and Print Overload
Yeah it is, after all my opinion, it’s also interesting to see how other women who have read the post have varying opinions. Which I didn’t expect.
Interesting post Arash. I agree with Heather that this ‘trend’ comes from peers, so-called celebrities and reality TV rather than the catwalk. Women of a certain age (late teens/early 20s) have in my experience been dressing this way for ages. Thankfully they’ll grow out of it!
Yeah I think that has an impact, certainly. Yeah I don’t find the attire in particular an issue, after all I encourage people to wear what they want. But the reasons behind them wearing them is a bit off to me. Take the male attention and the peer pressure out of the equation and if they were to wear really whatever they wanted would they still pick the same outfits…? I mean one of the girls was quoted as saying…
‘We looked in the mirror before we left the house and were so upset that we necked half a bottle of vodka each.’
‘I wish girls wore a bigger variety of clothes going out,’ she says. ‘That’s why I wear dresses — everyone else does, so I would look stupid if I wore a longer skirt or trousers. I do wish it was easier and that I could go out in less revealing clothes.’
Suggests they don’t actually want to dress that way but feel like they have to?
Wow, just finished the original article. according to comments some photos were taken down because of the backlash.
Well, there’s nothing worse than having all of your bits hanging out. haha. But, the girl in the second shot with the leopard bustier dress is what I’ve seen some ladies wear now, and she looks like she’s just wearing a normal dress, as her’s seems the longest length! I think it definitely depends on locale. Although, these above are not particularly my style, all you really need to do is goto Vegas you can see most of these looks within moments at times. I go out at night sometimes in different cities on both sides of the pond and sure some girls, (certainly not all women) may dress like this. I prefer sexy, yet modest. As for your question on reason? I don’t know, perhaps being in a group with friends dressed like this gives them the confidence to go out with revealing clothing. It’s likely a different story if they were to go about on their own, no?
Have a great week!
FASHION TALES recently posted..Style Rambling: Lady In Grey
Yeah potentially it maybe a different story, I think the issue the author was raising as well was the fact that even when it was freezing outside they still dressed like this. I suspect Vegas is similar to LA but at least you guys have a bit of heat lol!
Young ladies are rocking the same “stripper chic” here in the States, and it is just appalling. Unfortunately, it goes hand-in-hand with the demise of social graces and general civility in the modern world—which go hand-in-hand with prolific divorce rates and the demise of the family unit. Not even an illegitimate pregnancy carries any stigma today, and mobile phones make it possible for young women (who lack the maturity and foresight to understand the repercussions of their actions), to succumb to the call of hormones, boys, and sexual predators, completely unbeknownst to their parents. I know we’re talking clothing here, but having gone through my teens and 20s, I know exactly why these girls dress like this.
Which leads me to the source of this issue: the parents. Parents these days are so incredibly self-absorbed! They can’t be bothered to do the hard work of parenting! It is the mother’s responsibility, in particular, to instill in her daughter that less is more, and dressing like a hooker is not acceptable or permitted. I know teens and young women can do what they want, but if their parents spent more time being invested in their children’s lives instead of their own, these girls would feel like they are letting both their parents and themselves down by dressing (and acting) like this. I do think a lot of our issues today are the result of divorces. When a child is shuffled back and forth between parents and the parents are focused on their own romantic conquests, a lot of discipline and cognizance about what the child is doing and thinking is lost. They end up spoiling or neglecting the child, and just trusting them to do the right thing. Trust is important in rearing children to be confident, capable adults—but you have to lay a very solid foundation to ensure that your teen does the right thing at least nine times out of ten.
And this is why I do not want to have children. I just don’t like the world they have to grow up in.
GREAT topic!
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I have to agree and disagree here. There are sooo many women/girls in the states wearing these types of outfits to go to clubs and bars focused on hooking up men and women.
I do think most of these outfits are tacky, but I actually like a few of those outfits above (see: red dress in photo one and lace top in the last photo – although she could use a tank top!).
I’ll be the first to admit I don’t pick out most of my outfits because my husband finds me ‘hot’ in them (in fact, many of my outfits make him raise an eyebrow), but if an outfit makes a gal feel confident, more power to her! I don’t want women to go around dressing to make guys turn their heads but I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with wearing something a little provocative if it makes you strut your stuff a little more.
What these women need to learn is the power of proportions. Showing a ton of skin doesn’t make you necessarily look sexy. Sexy come from well fitting clothes. A mini skirt can look amazing with a flowy top. A backless top looks fabulous with the perfect pair of pants.
Finally, I would argue that most of these girls will eventually outgrow this fad. Right now they are young 20-somethings focused on going out and having a good time. I’m not going to judge them for that but one day they will settle down and prefer pubs to clubs and board games to shots. Or maybe that’s just me…
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Yeah definitely, the clothes aren’t necessarily the issue because if the fashion trend is mini-skirts and all the shops are filled with, what are you going to buy when you want a skirt…a mini right? But like you said it’s a) working the proportions and b) in my opinion wearing it for the right reasons rather than wearing it because you think that’s what you should be wearing. I mean take a look at Tom Ford’s designs they are the epitome of sexy but nothing like the clothes on display here.
Great comment! I think you’re the first person to mention parenting in all of this. In the original article when the girls were quizzed about what their parents think of their outfits, a lot of them said they thought they were ‘nice’. I remember back in 2005 when I was working at a camp in Massachusetts the guy that owned the camp explained to us that the average american parents only spend 15minutes a day with their children. I was really shocked when I heard this as 15 minutes is practically nothing.
First off, I would just like to say that this is not a problem exclusive to the UK, but one that seems to encompass the US, Canada and the UK. I think it’s way too easy to simply blame “stripper-chic” on the media: it’s a much more encompassing problem that has resulted from feminism (which I wholeheartedly support), increase in fast-fashion stores that carry loads of this stuff (I’m looking at you, Forever 21), Hollywood fixation on celebrities, and a growing, or at least more open discussion about the insecurities and pressures women face today (marriage, career, children, etc.). With so much pressure to maintain various roles in society, insecurity develops, which can lead to low self-confidence and the feeling that one needs to dress in “stripper-chic” ways in order to attract men.
I’m a psychology major at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, a really popular “party city”. Naturally, most nights even when it’s -20 Celsius on a January night, I’ll see lots of girls wearing pieces you featured in the pictures above without coats. But what scares me is that I remember my friends in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Grade 7-8, age 12-13) dressing awfully close to what appears in these photos. Keep in mind I’m now 21 years old, so I would hardly say the occurrence is anything especially new, just more publicized now.
So what’s the solution to the problem? We need to find a way to restore confidence in young girls that they don’t need to constantly attract attention from men in order to feel successful or complete. I’m not a militant feminist or anything – men are not the devil incarnate and can definitely be great partners in life, but I still think women should preserve some autonomy and not completely merge with anyone else.
That’s my take on this issue, but I know many will probably disagree or have one of their own. Great discussion.
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I think you really hit the nail on the head with this comment. I agree that it’s probably a melting pot of influence from various sources that are the cause of the look. Hollywood, celebrities, fast fashion chains all have their part to play. It’s also interesting that you mentioned feminism too, I don’t know if you read any of the earlier comments, but if you did you’ll see I got a lot of flak for this posts by some women online claiming my negative reactions towards their attire was only putting women back. I wholeheartedly disagreed.
I think the key, like you mentioned, is instilling confidence in young girls so they don’t need the external validation of men or even their peers to give them confidence and they can feel successful and confident from their own actions. Great comment! I’ll be visiting your blog soon!
DAMN, this is so good. Great commentary. Girl’s are dressing in the same way over here in Southern Cali! My friends and I describe it as “Vegas Gear”…except it’s everywhere! I mean, we’ll be going to a trendy little wine bar and without fail a group of women will show up in this “uniform” of nightlife dressing. Body cons, mini skirt, halters, sheer, and then the hiiiiiiighest heels ever that they end up ditching in the middle of the night and prancing around the joint barefoot! GREAT BLOG!
xoxo Britt
Thanks for the compliment Brittany, yeah it seems ‘Vegas gear’ is also apparent in California!
I live in Hawaii, and we generally dress in short shorts and tank tops and such. Why? Because it’s generally quite warm, and of course, we want to wear things that are cute. Personally, I don’t mind the general aesthetic, although I think it IS rather impractical for someone in such cold weather to be dressed like that–it’s not necessarily how they look (although some of these outfits I personally find unattractive because of the combination of items), but rather because it’s unhealthy because it isn’t suitable for the weather and I worry about them catching cold.
I agree that to wear such clothes just to get male attention to gain confidence makes me a little sad. Wear them because you think you look good and you’re happy in them, not just to attract attention D:.
Yeah definitely, that’s the thing in hot weather which you’d find in Hawaii it is more understandable but the UK in winter is a far cry from the temperatures you’d get in Hawaii or even parts of California or Vegas. It was interesting to hear girls in Montreal, Canada, where it is probably a lot colder than the UK in winter, still dress this way as well!
holy crap! i love the dialogue that’s been going on here. i’ve actually never been the one to be super revealing, but if i had to guess why this kind of dressing exists i think it has a lot to do with confidence and also i think archetypes of what attracts a man and attention and what having fun looks like in the media. celebrities are photographed wearing tighter, shorter, more transparent things into clubs and i think this generally bleeds into what young women, even professional young women’s perception of what going out and letting loose looks like.
p.s. i love heather’s comment on l.a, too funny.
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Thanks for commenting Jamillah. Yeah Heather’s comments on LA made me laugh too! Do you think this kind of dressing would have happened say 20 years ago?
I do b/c self-esteem issues are sadly timeless, but I don’t think it was in the everyday young woman as much as it is today. We have so much more access to media and the world is just so much smaller so I think the possibility of influence is definitely at least more present today than it was say 20 years ago so this kind of dressing is more prevalent now.
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Yeah great point!
Sadly it’s not just in England, from travelling and personal experience, New Zealand and Australia is very similar.
What beggars belief for me, it that they do it (and without coats) in freezing cold/wet weather, which means they are really really determined to do it…
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Thanks for the input, yeah I mean it does make sense in warm climates. But it seems really odd when it’s freezing outside and the attire doesn’t change to reflect the season.
Just like why do women have to disrespect men who respectfully compliment their big bosoms, deep cleavages and rearends and tattle to the police like four year olds for?