Last week, I came across an article on the UK Telegraph’s website about a woman’s work wear fiasco. Receptionist, Nicola Thorp was sent home unpaid from her job on her first day, for refusing to wear high heels. She had argued that it was discriminatory and asked her employer to give a reason why wearing flats would impair her productivity. No reason was given, but she was sent home anyhow.
While Nicola’s case attracted international media coverage and many of us would agree with her, in all honesty many women still voluntarily submit to wearing clothing and footwear that are truly inappropriate and sometimes even unproductive. I have done it. Some of us feel it is mandatory to dress a certain way, if we have a certain job, in order to be taken more seriously. Perhaps this is why these ancient expectations still linger with those in charge.
My personal experience included me feeling pressured to wear pointed-tip heels to work despite my huge bunions, as I felt they made me look smarter and more presentable. In addition to that, I even wore blazers on a few occasions, although I knew in
