Can a platoon sgt tell a female soldier that she is required to wear a bra when in civilians?

Opinion yes maybe sexual harrassement? Check the regulations. Also check out the duty station rules and regulations.

Never be so sure what people can and cannot see. I was in Target about a month ago when a tall hispanic woman passed me as I was going to checkout. She wore a thick white sweater with a collar and full sleeves but when the light hit her I could see through the yarn EVERYTHING. The shape of her breasts, her black nipples, her flat stomach, I could see it all.

I have not seen a specific reg on this. However, Uncle Sugar is--conservative. Living on a military post is pretty much considered like living in a big conservative family. Clothes are expected to be appropriate for the beach, your private PT, and for shopping. Being able to do these things on post is considered a privilege. You are expected to look good and professional as you represent our country.

So, actually, I can't answer this. I would find out what your post commander wants and expects. Best I can do.

I think he better have documentation to back it up and not single out one female but make it a company wide announcement! Just to be fair and impartial!

Of all the possible questions you could ask on this forum; of all the professional advice and guidance you could receive from a multitude of professional military leaders; and of all the peer experiences, opinions, and advice available to a young military member, you want to know if you should wear a bra when dressed in civilian attire.

After reading many articles presented on this forum, it's getting very difficult for me to understand if a lot of these questions and responses are serious or not.

If I, as your supervisor, were presented with this question, I would most likely tell you to call your mother and ask her if you should wear a bra with your civilian clothing or not.

You might be serious with this issue or you might be fishing for an opportunity for someone to disrespect you or give you an inappropriate response so that you can report that someone, on a public forum, sexually harassed you by telling you that you need to wear a bra, insinuating that they were staring at your chest in an inappropriate manner.

If you are seriously seeking a valid response for this issue, I will point you in the direction of your unit Equal Opportunity Representative(EOR) or whatever they are called these days (I've been out of the loop for a while now, retired in 2011).

Also, military members are required to be familiar with local unit policies on wear of clothing and appearance of its members when off-duty. This is great reading when on CQ or staff duty. These policies take into consideration traditional military values along with local customs and courtesies of where you are presently stationed. Also, as a member of the US military, you should always reflect a positive image of the United States and our military.

Often, local citizens do not see military members in uniform; their opinions and first impressions are based entirely on how you dress and conduct yourself while off-duty and in civilian attire.

I really hope that this forum were used in a professional manner. This site is a great tool to find advice, answers, and mentorship if used properly.

Good luck to you in your quest for knowledge or your practice for a future career as a comedian.

I speak as a civilian. My son is retired Air Force ( 4 yrs active, the remainder Air National Guard AGR) and my daughter is a major i the Army National Guard. Regardless of my opinions on the subject, I have no standing experientially. It is, however, amazing the level to which women in our society come under fire from other women in things like this. In the civilian world, the harshest criticism I hear of a female invariably comes from another female. Apparently, this operated in the uniformed service world as well. At the same time, I hear in news accounts (and from my daughter) of the ongoing battle women, in uniform and civilian have for simple human respect. The sooner they star working together instead of as enemies. the sooner conversations like this go away.

SPC, the key words in your question are "on rotation overseas". My question would be where you are overseas; for many cultures, especially in the Middle East, where a lot of units rotate through, find it offensive. You have to remember, you are a representative of the USA when you go overseas...you can either be a good ambassador or a bad one, the choice is yours. The stereotype of "the ugly American" sadly has too much truth behind it, as too many of our fellow military, and civilians, tend to act like uncultured boors when abroad.

Finally, as others have said, is this the hill you want to "die" on? Do you want to sacrifice your career prospects over something this trivial? Think about it.

No.... and if any man platoon sergeant or not would tell me to... I’ll tell him in a subtle manner to stfu and move to draw fire lol his chauvinistic self

I spent twenty years in the military and the only time I wore a bra was when I worn whites.
Still don’t wear that torture

Is it something required by the country you are stationed in?