‘I was told that unless I wore makeup, I wouldn’t be taken seriously.’ Photograph: Simion Marian/Alamy
‘When we arrive, we are inspected and told off for not wearing enough makeup’
Every morning employees are inspected and people are told off for not wearing enough makeup or having messy hair. I’m a toy salesperson but at my workplace women are expected to wear heels, skirt, shirt, full makeup, and have tidy hair and nails. Our shift is typically eight hours long, entertaining children, on your feet, having to smile and be energetic. Of course, everyone changes their shoes on their breaks.
Anna, 25, toy salesperson
‘People cried after trying on clothes and having to show the manager what they wanted to buy’
I worked as a sales assistant for a designer brand and as our uniform we had to wear the clothes they sold. While we did get a clothing discount, the items had to be approved by the manager and if he didn’t think you looked good you couldn’t buy them. Some people cried because they felt so uncomfortable being made to come out and show the manager what they looked like in a tight dress, only to be told: “You don’t look OK”. Heels had to be worn all day, no matter what. I was regularly told to put my heels back on, even if I was in agony.
Anonymous, 29, sales assistant for a designer brand
‘After a week of illness, my boss asked: “Why do you look so awful?”’
I worked in a shoe shop and the company had a simple dress code for all employees, requiring black clothes and minimal makeup. After a week of illness, the manager called me into her office and asked me why I looked so awful. I explained that I was ill but had continued to come in as we were short staffed. She said that as a member of the management team I should always wear makeup and by not wearing it I was drawing negative attention to myself. She then said I would have to wear makeup to work from now on or she would give me a uniform violation disciplinary. After this, I took all my accrued holiday and handed in my notice. Never would a company expect male staff to wear makeup so I cannot understand why women have to.
Ella, 23, shoe shop team leader
‘They said my shoes were not sexy enough’
In 2015, I lost a receptionist job because they asked me to wear high heels and I couldn’t as I was suffering terribly from back pain. After complaining about the back pain, they kept making me buy new shoes because the ones I had bought “were not sexy enough”. They then fired me while I was on probation, without being paid.
Angelique, 31, receptionist
‘A client complained I didn’t wear enough makeup’
Last year one of the UK’s biggest hotel chains complained to my manager after a meeting because I wasn’t wearing enough makeup. But because they were a client, paying us for our services, no action was taken. I had spent days preparing for that meeting, but none of my hard work mattered because I wasn’t wearing lipstick.
Anonymous, 28, marketing agency
‘I was told that unless I wore makeup, I wouldn’t be taken seriously’
I was told in a meeting by an American consultant that if I wanted to be taken seriously, then I needed to wear makeup. I told him that since he was not wearing makeup, I presume I shouldn’t take him seriously. At the time I was the team leader in charge of designing a £40m database.
Jenny, 59, former computer systems analyst
‘If companies want people to wear nice clothes, why not pay for them?’
I once had a direct report [worker] who was straight out of school and obviously did not own a nice suit. As part of his formal evaluation, I had to tell him to dress more professionally. However, the company was very fair about it: he received a voucher for £3,500 to make the purchase. I got the voucher for another of my direct reports, this time a woman straight out of school. If nice clothes are required, compensate people to get them.
Anonymous, pharmaceutical market research
‘If female staff wore the same top as the men, they were disciplined’
Until recently, our department dress code stated that women should wear a full uniform (tunic and trousers) while men could wear trousers and a shirt of their choice. This meant that frequently when a male and female radiographer worked together, the patient would be led to believe that the male was a physician and the female was his assistant. It didn’t do much to break the gender assumptions that a lot of people have about jobs. If female staff wore trousers that weren’t issued by the uniform department we would be disciplined, while the men could wear comfortable clothes.
Xanthe, 28, radiographer
Readers share their experiences of sexist dress codes at work. Read more of their stories on GuardianWitness
source~http://www.theguardian.com/careers/2016/jun/07/dress-code-discrimination-stories-workplace?CMP=fb_gu
