Woman sparks TikTok debate over ‘inappropriate’ office attire

A woman who shared footage of her office outfits on social media has sparked debate on TikTok about whether her company was right to tell her she dresses inappropriately for work.

In the viral video, which has amassed over 120,000 likes, she explained she had received an email from the human resources department complaining about her attire.

The outfit in question was a plain black bodycon dress with a high neckline, which the woman’s colleague had claimed was “distracting” to other members of staff that day.

“I had an email from Paula this morning basically saying she’s not happy with what I’m wearing to work,” the woman – who has chosen not to share her name – told her male co-worker.

“I think that’s appropriate work attire,” the woman’s colleague replied after looking at her dress. “Okay, well that’s the main issue, I guess,” she replied, considering the matter resolved.

Days later, the woman filmed another clip and revealed that she had been called into a meeting with the human resources representative who had complained about her outfit initially.

She once again shared the outfit she was wearing, which was a long-sleeved V-neck black wrap dress.

“So, today is the day I’ve got my meeting with Paula,” she said. “I am basically in a blazer. So, she can’t be mad. Can she?” she questioned. “Let’s see what she says.”

The meeting with Paula did not go well. “I must admit I’m slightly disappointed seeing how you dressed today following on from the email,” the HR representative said.

In response, the woman clarified she had spoken to the colleague she works alongside who had told her there was “no issue” with her attire.

“I haven’t spoken to Matt,” Paula rebuked. “I really don’t think he’s in a position to say what he did. We do need to address this issue because we are having comments from other members of staff.”

The woman then questioned why she was to blame if other staff members were distracted by her clothes. “That’s not on me, Paula,” she said. “That’s kind of on them.”

Paula then claimed she had received comments from the woman’s colleagues who said she was “begging for attention” with the clothes she wears to work.

“Okay, yikes. Okay,” the woman scoffed in response.

When asked if she would dress differently in the future, the woman replied that she would go shopping at the weekend and thanked Paula for her time. The video has divided the TikTok comment section with some users claiming the woman’s dress was appropriate while others understood her co-workers’ perspective.

“This is a clubbing dress,” one person wrote.

“I was so ready to be on your side! But then you stepped back from the camera,” another commenter added.

“HR is correct,” a third person claimed, while another called the outfit too “short and tight” for the workplace.

“If you dressed it with tights and a long cardigan it would be fine. But on its own, it’s not office wear,” another person said.

Meanwhile, others defended the woman and pointed out it wasn’t her “fault” if her colleagues were distracted. “I think the comments about you begging for attention were completely out of line, but at the same time, brother of these are office appropriate,” one supporter said.

“I’m slightly disappointed by the comments,” another person added, to which another commenter responded: “Same. Others need to mind their own business.

“Says a lot when someone else’s clothes affect your job performance.”

The Independent