Every organization has its own code of conduct and set of rules that its workers should follow if they want to remain employed there. It only becomes a problem if the higher-ups begin adding random things to the rules that they feel are right.
This is what happened to a young woman in her company when her boss randomly called her out for having unshaven legs, which led to Human Resources also being involved. She never thought it’d be an issue and was shocked when he brought it up to her as a “hygiene” problem.
More info: Reddit
When a person is called out by their superiors for not following an unwritten dress code at work, it can end up making things uncomfortable
Image credits: Bizon / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster shared that she had no problem with having unshaven leg hair, and since she had been dating her boyfriend for three years, he didn’t mind either
Image credits: grgapitich88 / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The problems began when one day her boss told her that a few people had complained about her not shaving her legs, and that it went against company policy
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The woman called out her supervisor for acting like her body hair was a hygiene issue when he didn’t shave his legs either, and she threatened to go to Human Resources
Image credits: BlinderDisco
Later on, the woman got an email from Human Resources stating that they wanted to set up a meeting to discuss the matter further, which made her feel anxious
The poster shared how she didn’t feel the need to shave her legs that often and that she actually found it a waste of money. It didn’t seem to bother her that much, and she only did it more often when dating someone new, but since she had been with her boyfriend for a while, it didn’t seem like an issue.
More and more women are embracing their natural body hair just like this, and studies have found that only 26% of ladies between the ages of 16-24 feel they should shave. In fact, the idea of being completely hairless is more common among older women over the age of 60, probably since it was done more by their generation.
In this case, the woman didn’t feel the need to shave off her leg hair for work, and in the eight months that she had been at the company, she faced no problem at all. Unfortunately, this all changed when her boss randomly told her that people had complained about her leg hair and that it violated their organization’s hygiene policy.
According to experts, all hair on people’s bodies serves the purpose of keeping them healthy and safe by protecting them from dirt and bacteria. Unfortunately, women’s hair is often called unhygienic because of patriarchal beauty standards, and that’s why they are so often urged to shave it all off.
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The woman was shocked that her body hair was such a big deal, and she confronted her boss about it by asking him if he shaved his leg hair at all. She also told him that if he wanted to take the matter any further, then they would have to involve Human Resources in the conversation.
Some netizens told the woman that her boss had legitimate reasons to call her out because of her body hair, since she was working in a promotion company, and that her image meant everything. They felt that, in terms of presentation, she had to groom well so that she’d be able to excel at her job.
According to lawyers, since attractiveness is usually what sells in customer-facing roles, supervisors might have the right to set appearance or dress-code-related rules in the workplace. It’s important for both the company and the employee to be clear on their discrimination laws and to see where their specific issue falls.
The woman definitely felt like her company was in the wrong for making her leg hair an issue, but she felt concerned after Human Resources scheduled a meeting with her. She also clarified that her boss was usually quite a chill guy who didn’t enforce dress codes, so she felt that someone else had pressured him to have the conversation with her.
What do you think the woman should do in this complicated situation? Do share your honest thoughts down below, and tell us if you’ve ever faced a dress code issue at work.
Folks were slightly divided on the issue, with some thinking the poster was right, and others thinking she should abide by their rules
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