Employee has a brilliant response to assistant manager asking her to 'look less homeless'

Dress codes can serve a practical purpose in the workplace, enhancing professionalism and contributing to a unified company culture. However, some employers can go too far in enforcing dress codes, leading to unnecessary and meaningless restrictions on employees. Many avoid speaking up against it, but there are a few who decide to make a bold statement about their employer's unrealistic demands. Reddit user u/Dragonfly-69420 was one such woman who decided not to give in to her employer's wishes when they began to criticize her dress.

Her story has become quite popular on the platform, with 3K upvotes and 202 comments. The 24-year-old started by sharing how she worked at a high-end store and how she had a "very specific dress code." She wrote, "No jeans, unless it's black, no leggings, no skirts above the knee, no spaghetti straps, no low cut shirts, etc." The woman's usual outfit was a black tank top paired with a brown knitted turtle neck, black jeans, black shoes and black socks.

The woman also tied her hair in a bun to complete the look. She stuck to this outfit and did not face any issues from her employer until recently. She revealed: "I got pulled to the back by the ASM (assistant manager) and she told me that I need to 'dress better' and 'look less homeless.'" The manager of the store was listening to this conversation and did not step up for the employee.

When she asked the manager what the assistant manager meant, the boss did not provide any explanation and only insisted that she listen to ASM. The woman was naturally frustrated with this demand from her senior and decided to creatively comply. She went shopping online to put together an outfit that would precisely fit into the ASM's conception of a work dress. She wrote, "I got a blue dress ($20), white gloves ($5), fake pearl necklace and bracelet ($15) and I went to the drug store to get bobby pins."

She did not stop there and spent the night getting her hair done until it was perfect, ironing her dress, and cleaning up the pearl necklace. The woman practiced a few light makeup techniques and went to sleep. "I woke up at 5:30 am to be at work by 9. I did my hair, my makeup, my nails and I got dressed. I took one final look in the mirror and I was smiling like no tomorrow!" she revealed.

As soon as she entered the store, the manager and the ASM glared at her, pulling her aside to yell at her. She casually remarked, "I don't look homeless now, do I?" Neither of them had a response and the woman walked out to do her job. The rest of the day was also good because customers wanted to talk to her due to her fancy look. She concluded the post by stating how she tried to emulate Audrey Hepburn's iconic look - the little black dress. In the comments section, the employee revealed that she even "listened to 40s-60s music to get in the right mindset."

This article originally appeared 7 months ago.