Scrubs to tight? How do you tell someone?

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I work with some wonderful people - this is difficult - but a few of my teammates need to go up a size or two in scrub bottoms.

Plumbers crack while checking outputs has even the residents talking.

Do I even breach this topic as a male working with mostly females?

Help!

Where the heck do these people buy their uniforms??? I am long waisted like Natania stated, and even the "low rise" scrubs hit well past my belly button... As for the tight tops and black push-up bras, that is just UNPROFESSIONAL and evidently their mothers never taught them about flesh toned unpadded tee-shirt bras!

In all seriousness though, to the OP, do NOT say anything to the offenders as this could quickly be interpreted as sexual harassment. Instead address it to your direct supervisor and if nothing is done, keep going higher up in management until it is addressed.

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I work in a very small private hospital. When I first was hired I was appalled at the dress code for our nursing administration office. VERY low cut blouses, see through w/ camisoles, LOW cut pants w/ the thong showing...well you get the image. And yes this is the image our administrator wants. Tight scrub pants are the norm. And I can't begin to count how many nurses have had their boobs done by a local plastics guy because a discount is offered to hospital employees! When I first started a nurse joked with me that I "fit" right in because I am quite busty. Makes me wonder if I was hired based on merit alone. A few patients will occasionally make a comment about the amount of skin showing, and I am quick to give them a comment survey to fill out.

But I doubt they go anywhere but the trash! I wish I could complain to someone but when your HR manager is dressed like a Media star it seems kind of pointless:banghead:

Is this one of those plastic surgery hospitals?

Speaking of bras, what about women who wear the wrong size bra - and I'm talking to the point where it's nearly cutting her in two, and her nipples are visible if the shirt is thin enough because the cups don't cover her breasts? A lot of women go with their original bra size from when they're 12 and don't ever get re-measured, or try on new ones.

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Specializes in Everytype of med-surg.

I could write a book on the unprofessional ways I have seen my coworkers dress. However, unless you are some kind of manager, don't say anything! You have nothing to gain and everything to lose.

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Specializes in LTC.

If scrubs are too tight and revealing I would go to the manager and ask them to address it. But when a co-worker is bending over and you get the undies veiw or they have the undies peaking out of the scrubs I've always whispered to a co-worker that they got undies showing. I would want someone to do the same for me.

If you don't look like you could be a Media star don't try to dress like one! :madface:

I hate to break it to you dearie, but Media stars come in all shapes and sizes. Browse through the magazines and videos in a local adult store and you'll see this. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean everyone dislikes it.

And in this situation skinny or large a like should be dressing in a professional manner. The only skin that should be showing should be neck, face, hands, and arms.

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Specializes in PACU, ED.

I think we could be talking about two separate issues. When the OP posted about scrubs being too tight I thought of a size XXXL nurse who squeezed into XL scrubs. They fit her like a camisol and were not really flattering. I didn't worry about that, just considered it a fashion issue.

Our hospital supplied scrubs have tie strings. If they hung too low it would either be that they were intentionally placed there or that the strings had loosened and they were working their way south. If one of my coworkers were flashing flesh, I'd quietly tell her on the assumption she didn't know. That's the same as letting her know about broccoli in her teeth or food residue on her blouse. No reasonable person is going to interpret it as sexual harassment if you just state the facts without trying to make a joke of it.

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No reasonable person is going to interpret it as sexual harassment if you just state the facts without trying to make a joke of it.

Unfortunately, people who think it is reasonable to dress that inappropriately at work, probably are not reasonable enough to discern a polite heads up from something more...

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Specializes in Adult Stem Cell/Oncology.

"The perfect solution probably won't happen. That would be for the loudest, brashest LOL resident in the facility to be right behind Suzy the next time it happens. She would then, in her best voice that can be heard three blocks down, announce:

"Look at that! Her butt's as big as a city bus and she's got on red drawers and I can even see her crack! My God!"

LOL!:lol2: Or how about, "Dear, didn't your mother ever teach you to say no to crack?"

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Specializes in Staff Dev--Critical Care & Trauma.

The hospital just needs to make a uniform policy. Quite frankly if...

I can see your cleavage OR

I can read your tramp stamp

YOU ARE NOT DRESSED PROFESSONALLY.

Don't get me wrong, I love seeing both. Especially if you're a 22-year-old new grad. But there is a time and place for both. That time is not now and the place is not here.

Consider: You may not be getting the respect you deserve, because you don't act like you deserve respect.

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Specializes in PACU, ED.
Unfortunately, people who think it is reasonable to dress that inappropriately at work, probably are not reasonable enough to discern a polite heads up from something more...

Quite true, but "reasonable person" is the standard I need to meet to defend against harassment charges from the hypersensitive and nut cases. :wink2:

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Specializes in Emergency/ Critical Care.
Perhaps others are different, but when I realized I was overweight and folks pointed it out to me it helped me to decide to lose weight. Hopefully this coworker would be given the encouragement that she needs to change her lifestyle, or at least stop wearing revealing and unprofessional clothes.

If the OP were a woman, I would've advised him to speak directly to Ms. Tight Pants and inform her that she was exposing herself and that the residents were talking about it. With him being a man, however, that could open up a can of worms that would be better left unopened.

Some of the nurses that I work with are severely overweight. I would never insult them nor do anything like I advocated above because they haven't done anything to deserve it. I am not recommending that the OP take those measures because the perpetrator is overweight; the offense requiring corrective action is her insistence on wearing excessively tight clothing, which is disgusting whether she's a size 2 or a size 20.

this thread was intended as a discussion about those people who refuse to wear appropriate clothing in the workplace. You obviously have issues stemming from when you were overweight and I am sorry to hear that. While it is true that telling a person they are overweight may lead to some(VERY FEW) people deciding to lose the extra weight, for the most part it will only insult and upset them leaving them feeling bad about themselves. This is a cruel thing to do to a person and frankly it is none of your business whether or not a person is overweight! (yes I am overweight and NO I do not dress inappropriately)

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The OP with some thanks and observations.

My concern was geared toward saving my co-workers from management and the embarrassment. The people I speak of are good, kind and otherwise professional. I regret if I made this a weight issue and could have chosen my words more carefully.

One poster compared this issue to letting someone know when they have spinach in their teeth....EXACTLY!

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Specializes in OB.
The OP with some thanks and observations.

My concern was geared toward saving my co-workers from management and the embarrassment. The people I speak of are good, kind and otherwise professional. I regret if I made this a weight issue and could have chosen my words more carefully.

One poster compared this issue to letting someone know when they have spinach in their teeth....EXACTLY!

If you think that this is "inadvertant exposure" you might want to enlist the aid of an older coworker of the same gender as your coworker. I find that being older than some coworkers mothers means I can make some (gentle) suggestions without coming off as offensive.

On an amusing note - I worked with a physician who was extremely tall and thin. Hospital drawstring waist scrubs were always heading south on him, especially when bending over for a delivery. We finished more than one delivery with me holding a patient's leg up with one hand and the OB doc's pants up with the other! Good thing we were old friends!

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