Office dress codes can be quite restrictive during summer. One survey shows that 64% of employees feel too hot in the office, and 57% struggle to find something appropriate to wear during heatwaves. Men usually bear the brunt of the restrictions, as many view shorts as inappropriate attire for the office.
One man, however, said, “Enough of this sexist nonsense.” When his workplace banned shorts, he decided to maliciously comply. Women can wear dresses and skirts, so why can’t men? That’s why he put on a fabulous skirt and went off to work.
Bored Panda got in touch with the person who posted this story, u/GeckokidThePaladin. They kindly agreed to tell us more about how he felt wearing a skirt in the office and if he would ever do it again. Read our conversation below!
Skirts can be a practical wardrobe choice for a hot summer day at the office
Image credits:GeckokidThePaladin
When his office banned shorts, one employee decided to maliciously comply with the dress code and came in to work wearing a skirt
Image credits:Polina Tankilevitch (Not the actual photo)
Image credits:GeckokidThePaladin
The author told Bold Panda more about what it was like coming into the office wearing a skirt
u/GeckokidThePaladin is a pretty active Redditor, and when an opportunity to share a satisfying malicious compliance story arose, he couldn’t miss the opportunity. “I didn’t expect it to blow up, though!” he told us in a message via Reddit.
“I just felt like sharing it, and I was feeling a bit adventurous with my wardrobe lately. My boyfriend marched at Pride wearing a really frilly rainbow skirt, and he looked really [masculine] doing it! Not that being [masculine] or [feminine] means anything to me,” the queer Redditor adds for clarity.
u/GeckokidThePaladin said he got a few odd looks from coworkers the first day he wore a skirt to the office. Yet no one from HR approached him either. However, most reactions from other colleagues were only positive.
“My team loved it, and one of them mentioned he’d like to borrow his wife’s pencil skirt next time it gets hot,” he adds. “And another colleague from a different building came up to me and high-fived me.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t have any more opportunities to wear the skirt. “Sadly, it hasn’t been very warm the last few weeks. So I’m back in my jeans,” the netizen told us.
He’s also trying to be bolder with his fashion choices. “I’m mostly just in my gaming-themed T-shirts, but I’m more open to wearing more skirts and kilts in public!” Of course, that optimism often gets dampened by the harsh reality. “Sadly, homophobic attacks, in general, [are] on the rise, and one still needs to be careful,” the Redditor says.
“But all the more reason to make ourselves stand out and show that it’s okay to wear whatever we want! I see quite a few people on my commute who are transitioning, and they all look so lovely, and I just wanna support them in a London way, which is [to] leave them alone but support them in silence.”
Image credits:Marc Mueller (Not the actual photo)
The Redditor says workplaces shouldn’t restrict men to wearing only trousers
After two days of wearing a skirt in hot weather, u/GeckokidThePaladin says skirts are definitely more comfortable. “However, I’m still trying to get used to climbing stairs and sitting down with them. Social comfort-wise, I definitely prefer jeans. I don’t even like trousers.
He also agrees that men have fewer options on what to wear to the office during hot summer days. “I do feel that men’s attire [can] be a bit more restrictive than women’s. But I think it’s a little more nuanced than that. Women do get away with wearing clothing that shows their shoulders and legs without issue.”
“I think we are all adults in a professional setting, and we should be trusted on what is appropriate to wear given the weather!” the Redditor claims. He does enjoy the fact that he doesn’t work in a suit-and-tie office; that would make wearing a skirt more problematic.
Some commenters suggested that men should be able to wear kilts to the office. u/GeckokidThePaladin agrees: “Kilts would be a good idea to start with. Or go with long skirts like mine. It has pockets! But anyone, regardless of gender, should be able to wear what is appropriate for the occasion. I just think decently looking shorts should be part of it,” he explains his stance.
He also admits that the courage to try out wearing a skirt didn’t come overnight. “It took me a couple of years of talking myself into it to finally leave home with a skirt on. I had been chatting about it for a while with my team whenever it was hot and finally decided to do it this year.”
“[In] the end, it’s not a big deal, but it felt like a big step for myself. Maybe some analogy of coming out is in there,” the Redditor muses. “But I suppose both could blow up in your face! Most importantly — be comfortable, be it in your own skin or clothing.”
Image credits:GaudiLab (Not the actual photo)
In the comments, the author explained his reasoning further
People congratulated the employee for the genius move and shared the ridiculous dress code rules at their workplaces
