Boss Tells Woman To Change Work Pants, Reason Sparks Fury: ‘Unprofessional’

A female employee received a shocking talking-to by her boss.

In a Reddit post, her frustration has gone viral after she said her boss told her that her pants were “too casual” for the office, sparking a fierce debate about the workplace double standards that women face. Since the post was published, it has received over 11,000 upvotes.

The woman recounted the incident. “My boss just asked me not to wear my normal pants to work and I’ve never been angrier,” she wrote. She added that her attire was simply “just black pants”—not pajamas leggings nor ripped jeans.

The frustration, she said, came from a perceived double standard.

“Meanwhile, John from IT has worn the same cargo shorts three days in a row and nobody bats an eye,” she wrote. “Why is it always women’s clothes that get policed? Nobody cares if a guy wears wrinkled khakis and a polo from 2007, but the second a girl isn’t in full business chic it’s suddenly ‘unprofessional.'”

A Power Play or a Dress Code?

The incident quickly garnered support from other users who saw the boss’s request as a power play rather than a legitimate concern about professionalism.

“Small nitpicking like that is less about the pants and more about control,” one person wrote. “He issued you an order and expects it followed through. Establishing or furthering his position of authority over you. I personally would ignore this.”

Another person was more direct in their interpretation: “Let’s be real … he wants you to wear a dress.”

A different user expressed their frustration with the expectations placed on women’s attire. “Seriously, what are we expected to wear, pencil skirts and high heels?” they wrote. “God forbid woman feels comfortable. Men need to compensate through making women project Ultimate Femininity!”

How To Handle a Complaint

For many, the situation was a clear-cut case of discrimination. One commenter suggested a clear path forward.

“I agree with the other commenter to put in a complaint to HR, feels like boss is discriminating based on your gender,” they said. “What I’m hearing is your pants aren’t feminine enough and that’s not okay, if it meets the dress code there should be no issues. This is definitely not okay!”

Another user provided a ready-made template for a professional complaint: “Message to HR, CC your boss, BCC to your personal email,” they began. “‘Hi HR, I have been informed by my supervisor that my black slacks are too casual for the office. Please help me locate in our employee guide where I can find an official breakdown of what is appropriate for our office. Thank you.'”

Newsweek reached out to u/Nammmieee for comment via Reddit.