A young woman has been left outraged after being told to shave her legs and armpits before showing up to a job interview. She explained how her friend encouraged her to try out for a job in sales - but pulled her aside to speak about the "hygiene changes" she needs to make before taking the plunge.
To be in for a chance of securing the job, he told her she'd need to shave her leg and armpit hair because "body hair isn't professional". Taking to Reddit, the 24-year-old said: "My friend was telling me about this sales job and how he wanted me to try it out. I was saying how I don't really have professional wear and how I'd have to go shopping.
"He then told me that I'd have to make some 'hygiene' changes. These changes being shaving my legs and armpits because 'body hair isn't professional' and 'I need to look like a woman if I want to wear a skirt or a tank top'.
"He said I could wear pants if I wanted but shouldn't I be able to wear what I like without being worried about the hair on my body that has taken me so long to love and be OK with? I was floored."
Prior to this conversation, she thought she shared the same views on the "sexist beauty standards" as her friend - but it turns out she was wrong.
"I see that he was probably just trying to tell me right out the gate that you might have to cater to the public because it's sales, she added.
"I thought about it and can't I just wear pantyhose? Is it really that unprofessional to have body hair?
"I shower every day, it's not gross it's literally a human thing - we're animals we grow hair. If I act as a professional is the hair on my legs really going to impact my success?"
Wanting to know others' opinions, she has taken to Reddit to asked women in the working world whether it's acceptable to show up to work with free-growing body hair.
She said: "I'd like to hear from women who are in these kinds of jobs or just in the professional world. To be clear I am a feminine presenting woman - I just am OK with my body hair."
In response, one user said: "Unless his office expects women to wear skirts there is no reason a good pair of professional pants and longer sleeved tops or blazers can’t hide body hair and still be professional.
"You can choose to compromise however you best see fit if you really want the job.
"What he is telling you though, is that he knows the office might be conservative, biased, and possibly toxic towards women, non-binary and gender non-conforming people.
Another user added: "If you're not in a customer facing position, you should be able to wear what you want within reason, such as no pjs, nothing with cuss words or hate speech, no gym clothes.
"I see nothing wrong with jeans without holes and a plain T-shirt or sweater that is 'unprofessional' in a non client/customer facing position.
"Body hair is non issue as long as nobody smells of body odour. If body hair is such an issue, are they forcing the males to shave? Sounds like discrimination to me."
A third user said: "Some places with customer facing position especially in more 'stuck up' environment would absolutely demand that a man be clean shaven and not with long hair - even if said long hair is well taken care of and even tied back.
"I agree the situation she described absolutely sucks, but catering to stupid things in dress codes and overall 'this is how a professional looks' is not limited to women."
One more user added: "Depending on what kind of sales job it is, it might even be a non-issue.
"Any sales floor job I've ever had wouldn't let people wear shorts/skirts and tops, because it seemed less professional, so how 'hairy' you choose to be might never come up, and I wouldn't show up to a job interview in shorts and a tank top, either."
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