Being good at your job isn’t the only thing that helps you flourish at work. Just think about it — you have to know the ins and outs of the business, handle stressful situations, and, most of all, navigate the twists and turns of coworker relationships. But that’s easier said than done, as conflicts between colleagues are inescapable. Even the most patient people get to a boiling point, especially when they’re met with unwanted and unreasonable criticism from the people they work with.

Redditor Longjumping_Draw_864 knows this from personal experience. As the woman explained in her story on the AITA subreddit, she recently had an argument with a colleague, Brian, that made things rather uncomfortable at the office. See, while the dress code at their company is very casual, he felt bothered by her appearance.

“Today I was wearing a top with thin straps with long pants and my shoulders were showing,” the user wrote. To Brian, however, this was equivalent to “barely” having any clothes on at work. Well, this didn’t sit well with the user, so she found a way to put Brian back in his place in the best possible way. Read on to find out how the whole ordeal unfolded, decide for yourself whether the woman was right in this situation, and share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Recently, a woman shared how a coworker felt her clothes were inappropriate and told her to cover up her shoulders

Image credits: Marcus Aurelius (not the actual photo)

But apparently, it was him who looked far from professional at work

Image credits: Polina Tankilevitch (not the actual photo)

After reading the story, the vast majority of Redditors deemed the user was not in the wrong for having *cue gasps and swooning faints* shoulders! Many commenters expressed that Brian’s shaming behaviors (especially when he’s the one walking barefoot in the office) should not be tolerated, and he should learn about healthy boundaries and how to mind his own business.

But while the man’s idea of casual is more laidback than most of us prefer, it looks like pandemic life had an effect on many employees’ wardrobe choices. According to a study conducted by Captivate, North America’s leading location-based digital video network, many professionals said that every day at work now feels like a casual Friday. After surveying 501 white-collar workers, researchers revealed that many respondents started noticing more relaxed clothing as they headed back to work, like jeans, t-shirts, sportswear, and even Crocs! Moreover, executives are no exception since “35% of respondents report seeing senior executives wearing more jeans than before the pandemic.”

“We have all heard about and likely experienced first-hand the casual work-from-home wardrobe that arose during the pandemic,” Scott Marden, Captivate CMO said. “The findings highlight that the pandemic didn’t just change how we work, but what we wear to do that work. Who knows… with offices becoming more casual day-to-day, perhaps we’ll see Formal Fridays arise as the new trend.”

Unfortunately, some coworkers believe they are inclined to dress more casually than others. For example, what perplexed most readers was the double standards the woman was forced to face — her shoulders are inappropriate while Brian can breezily walk barefoot in the office? No wonder she was insulted and felt the need to stand up for herself. After all, dealing with unwanted sexist comments from people you see daily can lead to numerous emotional challenges and low self-esteem.

As Rebekah Kuschmider explained on WebMD, sexist remarks may seem benign and no-big-deal at first, but they can be very hurtful. “Speaking up when you hear something sexist can help to derail sexism. When you voice your opinion, you can help people challenge their own assumptions and biases about sex and gender. Your actions can help teach others how to effectively confront sexism. Standing up against sexism also shows victims of sexism that you will support them,” she wrote. Well, we’re glad to see the author of this story did precisely that. But what do you think about this situation? We’d love to hear your thoughts down below, as well as any similar stories you might want to share from your own experiences.

Redditors overwhelmingly sided with the user, here’s what they had to say

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