Low rider pants on nurses

Nurses General Nursing

Published

It's becoming a problem in many workplaces according to yesterday's Wall Street Journal: Low rider pants.

I'm seeing some nurses wearing them, and they're steadily moving south of propriety in my opinion. Latest styles are all flared, too.

It's one thing to stand at a bar wearing them, or accept a Grammy wearing them. But in a nursing setting...?

Specializes in Emergency.

Trends come and go, but the need to be look professional and credible does not. There is always a middle ground which can be found. While it may not be your favorite look, perhaps it is more suitable to the profession you chose.

Yes, I am one of the "older" generation, but not by much!:D I feel there is a time and place for your attire. Work is not the place to be setting the trends. And no, I do not wear elastic waist pants!

The pants displayed in the ad are fine, as long as the shirt is tucked in. While at work, I want to be taken seriously, and yes this is easier done when the outfit chosen displays professionalism and credibiblity. If this makes me "old," so be it! At least I look capable of doing my job.

Just remember, the image you project onto your patients and their families is a lasting one. The majority of the people in this world equate a clean, well dressed image with intelligence. If you are not interested in how you are perceived by doctors, patients, and families, it doesn't really matter what you wear.

I don't think this thread is totally generational or the nurses eat their young crap. It seems to be divided more along the lines of maturity and life experience.

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Originally posted by fab4fan

Totally inappropriate. Dress how you like on your off time. For God's sake, how can we ever get any credibility when nurses insist on dressing like this? I thought we (female nurses) were trying to live down the "sex-kitten" image.:rolleyes:

Well spoken! I've never seen a pair that failed to make the wearer's ass look as wide as a barn. I've seen the same thing at my hospital. Worn with tight t-shirts that aren't quite a midriff, but tend to ride up with any movement.

When you don't look professional at work, it undermines pt's confidence in you. None of the images portrayed in the above posts are appealing and I would not let them take care of me or a family member.

after I posted, I found the link to the picture. Honestly, those pants are not what I consider "low riders" . If you could only see some of the get-ups some of the more immature nurses are trying to pull off where I work, you would understand my sentiment. Hideous!

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I havent seen the low rise pants but just this morning, in the parking lot, I saw a nursing student with the top of her pants rolled down below her belly button, just like how my 16 yr old wears her sweat pants. The students wear short tailed, button-down shirts that are supposed to be tucked into their pants, but this one had her shirt untucked and the last few buttons unbuttoned, showing off her rolled down waistband, silver belly ring and a lot of skin below it. I thought she'd finish dressing while walking to the hospital but no - she walked right into the hospital like that. And we are violating the hospital dress code if we are not wearing scrub tops long enough to cover our butts and hide our panty lines. Id love to know what happened when she arrived on whichever unit she went to dressed like that.

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I personally don't see this as a generaltional type of disagreement. As stated earlier, fashion trends come and go. When I graduated (years ago) we wore the traditional "whites", and everyone was appalled with the one piece jumpsuits. Working in the or for many years, we wore the scrubs with the ties at the waist, and they were more comfortable than those that came later, with elastic waistbands.....Now I'm in psych and wear street clothes.

My 17 year old daughter wears hipsters - the newest catalog shows all of the new styles of jeans as revision of old classics - when I was her age, I too wore tight, "hiphuggers" - (laid down on the bed to zip them up too!)

As long as the body is appropriately covered, what difence does it make where the "waist band" is?

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Originally posted by stldmbfan

Well to answer you, yes people were implying that the type of women who wear these pants, are the loud makeup wearing, gum popping type.

And if it does KILL you to work with these women you need to learn to mind your own buisiness and do YOUR job and not worry about other people.

If you looked at the picture that someone posted earlier, do you think if she bent over you could in any way see her crack? That is honestly the dumbest thing I have ver heard. I don't think anyone intentionally wants to show off their crack. That is disgusting. If someone is, attack them specifically, not everyone wearing these pants.

And last I am 5'2, so I somtimes have the problem with any pants that they are too long, but I don't let mine drag on the floor.

Please point out specifically where people implyed that those that wear the low-rise pants are the loud makeup, gum popping type.

As for MIND MY OWN BUSINESS, when a pt. comments to another nurse about it, it is no longer just the pants-wearing nurse's business when the pt gets a view of way more than they cared to see. Paying attention to the pt's likes and dislikes IS part of the job, if that is something that makes them uncomfortable, then that IS a problem that needs addressed, but not something that everyone will wind up getting blasted for. AND that's a part OF ,my job, making sure the pt. is comfortable, I never need to be told to do it. Not everyone has that problem with showing more than appropriate, I am well aware of that, and i was not attacking an entire group of people that wears them because that would be hippocritical of me to do that when i wear them myself

As for the picture you are referring to, i saw it. I was NOT gerneralizing about the pants, I said SOME are too low, not ALL. As for you think that what i've said the dumbest thing you have ever heard, well you know what they say about opinions.......

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Specializes in oncology.
Originally posted by crissyb

I personally don't see this as a generaltional type of disagreement. As stated earlier, fashion trends come and go. When I graduated (years ago) we wore the traditional "whites", and everyone was appalled with the one piece jumpsuits. Working in the or for many years, we wore the scrubs with the ties at the waist, and they were more comfortable than those that came later, with elastic waistbands.....Now I'm in psych and wear street clothes.

My 17 year old daughter wears hipsters - the newest catalog shows all of the new styles of jeans as revision of old classics - when I was her age, I too wore tight, "hiphuggers" - (laid down on the bed to zip them up too!)

As long as the body is appropriately covered, what difence does it make where the "waist band" is?

THANK YOU!!!!!:)

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Originally posted by crissyb

As long as the body is appropriately covered, what difence does it make where the "waist band" is?

exactly

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Specializes in oncology.
Originally posted by LPN2Be2004

Please point out specifically where people implyed that those that wear the low-rise pants are the loud makeup, gum popping type.

As for MIND MY OWN BUSINESS, when a pt. comments to another nurse about it, it is no longer just the pants-wearing nurse's business when the pt gets a view of way more than they cared to see. Paying attention to the pt's likes and dislikes IS part of the job, if that is something that makes them uncomfortable, then that IS a problem that needs addressed, but not something that everyone will wind up getting blasted for. AND that's a part OF ,my job, making sure the pt. is comfortable, I never need to be told to do it. Not everyone has that problem with showing more than appropriate, I am well aware of that, and i was not attacking an entire group of people that wears them because that would be hippocritical of me to do that when i wear them myself

As for the picture you are referring to, i saw it. I was NOT gerneralizing about the pants, I said SOME are too low, not ALL. As for you think that what i've said the dumbest thing you have ever heard, well you know what they say about opinions.......

This is not an arguing contest. You first attacked at what I posted so I was answering you back. I wasn't even entirely directing that to you. I was talking to evryone who has posted negative things about the pants.

And as for minding your own business, I was defintely talking about everyone because that just really makes me mad that some women and one women even said that they hope they get banned! Just because it is somthing they don't like, it should be banned?

and in my first post I WAS talking about the pants in the picture!

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Specializes in CCU (Coronary Care); Clinical Research.

Low Riders all the way. It drives me crazy to wear my pants up around my waist. Do I wear shirts that show my belly? No. Do my pants look unprofessional? No. Drawstring vs elastic, it doesn't matter, they are below the waist. Can anyone even tell that my pants are well below my waist? No, not even when I bend over. Low waisted pants are not a problem if worn with the traditional scrub top. They still look professional, neat, clean, etc. How one chooses to accessorize their low pants is the issue. My workplace would have some words to employees that where wearing short shirts and low pants. Hats are not allowed. As crissyb stated, as long as the body is appropriately covered, what difference does it make where the waistband is.

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Susy K, and everyone else, for what it is worth :)

What I would like to see are nurses, young and old, presenting themselves in a professional manner in dress, behavior, and speech. The details of the styles (flared legs, low riding pants, piercings whatever) are irrelevant to me. I was a teenager in the 70's, many of the styles then are back in style now. My wife is 16 years younger than me, she wears "all the latest" and it looks really good, so do our children.

Working in the hospital is a place to focus on patient care. I am also surprised (well not really based on my experiences) that this thread has generated this much activity. I only wish we had this much enthusiasm about uniting and doing the things it will take to ensure survival and advance our profession.

Younger nurses: you will be the ones taking care of the baby boomers and leading us in the future. Please take the time to learn what the issues are, learn about the environment you are working in, learn about the people who make the decisions that govern how you practice, and learn how to effectively communicate your ideas to these people. I have high hopes and high confidence that you will generate new ideas and new ways of doing things that will improve patient care and advance the profession of nursing.

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Could you be more specific about which hospitals are doing this so I can check it out for myself just soley for research purposes you understand. If it seems like I am making fun of this issue its because I AM there are plenty of other things to worry about in nursing than the type of pants someone is wearing.

Mito RN

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quote:

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Originally posted by stldmbfan

Well to answer you, yes people were implying that the type of women who wear these pants, are the loud makeup wearing, gum popping type.

And if it does KILL you to work with these women you need to learn to mind your own buisiness and do YOUR job and not worry about other people.

If you looked at the picture that someone posted earlier, do you think if she bent over you could in any way see her crack? That is honestly the dumbest thing I have ver heard. I don't think anyone intentionally wants to show off their crack. That is disgusting. If someone is, attack them specifically, not everyone wearing these pants.

And last I am 5'2, so I somtimes have the problem with any pants that they are too long, but I don't let mine drag on the floor.

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I actually work with a young nurse who fits this discription to a T!

I want to scream, "Hey, Anna Nicole wants her clothes and make-up back!" For real, she is an Anna Nicole look-alike, ppl have mentioned this to her and she is insulted.

And it reflects poorly on our hospital, our unit, our nurses and the nursing profession, AND that makes it my buisness.

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