HBO manager allegedly told woman employee to ‘cover up.’ She refused and ended up landing a dream job at Vogue

Dressing up for your workplace is an important trait. It boosts one's confidence in their workplace and creates a lasting first impression. When a former HBO employee, Krystal (@kollective_krys), was preparing to make a presentation, her boss pulled her aside to school her about her dress code, allegedly asking her to 'cover up.' However, she wasn't going to stand for it. After she refused to bend to his rules, she left the organization and landed her dream job at Vogue. Life came full circle for this woman when the very thing she was supposed to be ashamed of — "fashion" — landed her exactly where she needed to be. Sharing her story on January 12, Krystal's post received appreciation from online users. 

Krystal had majored in biology and had plans to go to med school when she received her first job opportunity at HBO. However, what was supposed to be a dream job quickly turned out to be a nightmare. Describing the job as an "intense experience," Krystal revealed that her manager required her to clock in more than 60-70 hours per week, equating it to a corporate job. She shared that some of the managers, including her own, displayed a certain "power dynamic" and went ahead to share one incident that changed her life. Krystal's job was to create the visual identity of a show. She was required to present her ideas to the showrunners and directors to get their approval. During one of her very first presentations at the job, she was looking forward to it, as she had been working tirelessly for months alongside her manager.

Although she noticed microaggressions from her manager in the days leading up to her presentation, she did not pay much attention to them due to the pressure of her work. On the day of the presentation, the manager pulled her aside and informed her that he was unhappy with her choice of dress code. "He was like, 'I know you like to dress up and whatever and you like to walk around like you own the place, but you don't.' Y'all, I was like excuse me? He was like, 'We're gonna have to keep you in the background, and you must keep yourself small in front of everyone,'" she shared. Although Krystal liked to dress up, she never thought her clothes were inappropriate. After her manager left the room, she missed her presentation as she collapsed on the floor, breaking down in tears. Eventually, sometime later, another manager found her weeping and inquired about it. 

When she learned the truth, the female manager was infuriated and reassured Krystal that dressing up at the workplace is a great skill. She took the manager's advice, and recently, when she was at a corporate event, she noticed a woman wearing a vintage Issey Miyake top. When she complimented and identified the outfit, the woman appreciated her eye for good fashion, which led to them striking up a conversation. As it turned out, the woman was a senior executive at Vogue magazine. A few months later, Kyrstal received an email from the same senior executive, inviting her to Dubai for Vogue Business, where she was offered the opportunity to meet like-minded executives and talk about the future of fashion and more. 

In hindsight, Krystal is grateful for not listening to her HBO manager's criticism over her choice of fashion and emphasizes the importance of dressing up for work, which may change your life in unimaginable ways, just like it did for Krystal. A 2017 report by Stormline noted that 61% cnadidates applying for new jobs are disappointed when a company enforced dress code. The survey revealed that 78% of respondents make an effort to dress up even when there is no dress code. Interestingly, 68% respondents shared that they'd trust a well-dressed employee over someone who'd only be good at their job. By staying true to herself, Krystal was able to find a fruitful opportunity that aligned with her true self.

Krystal's video gained many positive comments from online users. @beauty_is.a_virtue wrote, "Dressing up is definitely a game changer! I only dressed up on #workingwednesday. When I was in college, it landed me a $5,000 scholarship because I was constantly catching their eye!!" @mslelarie commented, "Biologist Barbie lands HBO due to her vision for design and recognizes vintage Issey Miyake worn by the senior executive at Vogue." @toisweeney shared, "Dressing up is a game changer! I wish more people understood this."

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