Low rider pants on nurses

JnJTyson · Aug 1, 2003

Wow..everybody has their own thought about this..its great! =0) A few posts brought up "returning to white uniforms" but beware of those as well!! During clinicals one day, a registry nurse showed up in a white scrub top and white pants. Looked nice from far away..that "classic nurse" kinda thing. But once you got a little closer to her....you could see what was REALLY going on. This woman was not wearing an ounce of underwear. No panties, no bra. It was nasty! Call me weird, but I can handle the old men in the gowns who ben over and forget we can see everything when they do.....but a nurse who shows up and knows we can see everything...well...ugh

Be careful..wear what you want...but I personally think they call them uniforms for a reason....didn't that uni mean something?? The hospital down here has a uniform...but we also have choices. There are 4 scrub tops that you choose from. And unlimited pant colors to match. For other departments like food and transport, they have only one color...so we consider ourselves lucky! And the colors for us are nice =0)

Thats my 2 cents...can I have my change please?

Jules

Katnip, RN · Aug 1, 2003

Dressing and behaving proffessionally is critical to improving nurses' images. Look at other industries. Do you see female CEOs with dagger-like fingernails, heavy makeup and lowriders at work? Or for that matter, cutesy print tops with loud hearts and flower or frogs? I doubt it.

What about your bank manager? Would you have second thoughts about handing money over to someone who seemed to care more about fashion that finance?

Like it or not, the public judges a person's ability by their appearance. Nurses already have unfounded reputations to live down.

essarge · Aug 1, 2003

I have read this thread with great interest and have a few questions.

1. If nursing were male dominated would this conversation be happening?

2. Exactly what is "professional dress" and who defines it?

I currently work on a med/surg floor and there have never been any issues of "professional dress". We have all age groups working from early 20s to over 60. Some wear "traditional" whites and others wear scrubs in all different varieties.

The problem that we run into is that, because everyone wears "uniforms", the patients have a problem differentiating between staff. They don't know whether they are addressing a nurse, housekeeping, or assistant.

That being said, perhaps instead of concentrating on whether someone's "crack" is showing the profession as a whole needs to come up with an overall acceptable dress that exemplifies the profession to the standards to be recognized AS A PROFESSION and not the stereotypical "Nurse Nancy"! Perhaps the nursing associations should come up with suggestions for nurses to follow to help with this.

4loveoflife · Aug 1, 2003

Oh brother. What a fuss these hip huggin flare legs have caused. I wear them and love them and would rather eat my shoe than wear those high waisted tappered leg gettups. Like someone else said, ladies, you must try them on! If you have even the slightest hint of a big orifice or saddlebags, you will love the way a good pair will take the emphasis off the orifice, per say, and even out your body weight!! I swear it! Sure the tappered legs make you look like you have freakishly small ankles, but imagine how that orifice looks in contrast. As long as you dont insist on wearing a short shirt (that sounds like a horribly skanky combo to me as well) you will do wonders for your appearance. The dickies brand have a great drawstring that allows one to adjust the pant to fall wherever one chooses. (FYI)

Believe me, I am all about looking professional and done right with a normal scrub top, I look the part. However, I do believe the flares are here to stay, so we should get use to seeing more and more of them. Just try to order a pair on line... they are all sold out...thats saying a lot. All the new and fashion conscience nurses are seeking them out, but they are not just for the young, i tell you. I talked my 50 year old mother into getting a pair and she loves them and looks great! go flare legs, go glare legs..its your birthday!!

salvati08 · Aug 2, 2003

Originally posted by 4loveoflife
Oh brother. What a fuss these hip huggin flare legs have caused. I wear them and love them and would rather eat my shoe than wear those high waisted tappered leg gettups. Like someone else said, ladies, you must try them on! If you have even the slightest hint of a big orifice or saddlebags, you will love the way a good pair will take the emphasis off the orifice, per say, and even out your body weight!! I swear it! Sure the tappered legs make you look like you have freakishly small ankles, but imagine how that orifice looks in contrast. As long as you dont insist on wearing a short shirt (that sounds like a horribly skanky combo to me as well) you will do wonders for your appearance. The dickies brand have a great drawstring that allows one to adjust the pant to fall wherever one chooses. (FYI)
Believe me, I am all about looking professional and done right with a normal scrub top, I look the part. However, I do believe the flares are here to stay, so we should get use to seeing more and more of them. Just try to order a pair on line... they are all sold out...thats saying a lot. All the new and fashion conscience nurses are seeking them out, but they are not just for the young, i tell you. I talked my 50 year old mother into getting a pair and she loves them and looks great! go flare legs, go glare legs..its your birthday!!

AMEN!!!!!!! :)

NurseDixie · Aug 3, 2003

If we showed up w/low rider pants on for clinical, we'd get an unsatisfactory for the day. I think they look trashy, but, I'm one of the older, chubby students. LOL : )

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Aug 3, 2003

Originally posted by DGfuturenurse
If we showed up w/low rider pants on for clinical, we'd get an unsatisfactory for the day. I think they look trashy, but, I'm one of the older, chubby students. LOL : )

Our hospital allows them, our school only allows the tapered (not stretch-cuffed) button-up-at-the-waist pants in white, with an ironed crease on the the front and back of the legs. Show up wearing pants that dip around the sole of your shoe, or not wearing the "uniform issued" pants, no creases, there goes 50% of your grade for that day.

LilStudent · Aug 3, 2003

Low rider pants can be worn tastefully. I think older nurses are going to have to realize that younger nurses aren't into wearing pants that come up over their belly button. It's uncomfortable and old fashioned. I would never wear a peekaboo thong or let my tummy hang out at work, but I do plan on wearing low rise scrubs. My friends in nursing school plan to do the same.

TinyNurse, RN · Aug 3, 2003

Never ever in nursing school, this would happen at the school I just graduated from. ( ex. one girl bought a drawstring waist type and the uniform store notified the instructor and she got called into the office to buy the required pair)

I do have a pair of flare legs that are above the waist type. The photo looked fine to me, as long as when you provide care

nothing is showing to the client.

I am more concerned about the "cutsie" scrub shirts with sponge bob, etc when you are not working in peds. INHO if you are not working in peds or alzheimers, cutsie stuff is not appropriate.

I prefer whites with a solid scrub shirt and white professional cover up.

Jen

Cooker93 · Aug 3, 2003

Well, I've read all the comments. At first, I also thought the low rider scrubs were like the jeans and pants the young kids wear today at the mall and out wherever. I am also OLD, but I think the new low riders like in the picture, look fine as long as you don't wear a skin tight shirt that creeps up while you work or wear one that is too short to stay down. The problem I see with most people who wear the hip hugger type pants, is that they think they have a great figure and they wear a shirt that is a size or 2 too small. They also seem to have enought extra weight around the middle, that it hangs over the waistband. Then you get to see their spare tire. It really doesn't matter what you wear to your place of employment, as long as it is neat, clean and FITS you PROPERLY. That means, not TOO short or TOO long or TOO big or TOO small. If your clothes fit properly, and you are neat (hair combed, etc...) well groomed, etc... you will portray the image of a professional. I work in Psych and we wear street clothes. I always look professional enough that if the President was coming by, I would be dressed appropriately for his visit. (I also wear capri pants to work, and like I said, I'm old.)

bamagirl · Aug 3, 2003

I just have one question. Did anyone tell her that her clothes were inappropriate and send her home to change?

Originally posted by Roozeyk
I don't think low riders have any place in the nursing "uniforms" we've already seen some pretty unprofessional attire with some of the scrubs, and sweatpants I've seen. And I feel that some, not all, of the nursing students are way out of line with their attire to their clinicals....I had one student show up in the clinic for her rotation in white low riding capri jeans, with a leopard print thong that came above her low riders every time she squatted down or bent over, and a midriff t-shirt that of course showed her belly button & clog style tennis shoes....all I know is, if I had shown up dressed like that when I was in nursing school, I would have probably been kicked out of the program. Seems like that's how things get started though, one person wears low riders and has everything covered, and then the next person comes along and "it just ain't right", but they are allowed because the other person got to....and it just goes on and on and on.

glassam · Aug 4, 2003

We have a dress policy that outlines what is acceptable, and more importantly, what isn't. Maybe yours needs to be updated. Um, and then enforced...

I will share with you that a couple of months ago I witnessed two environmental service staff take a new food service aide aside to let him know that his low-rider, underwear & butt-crack showing pants were not acceptable "here at our hospital". I felt really proud of them! :kiss