If being a Black woman wasn’t already hard enough, imagine being body shamed at the workplace.
Canadian TikTok creator, @Caribbeeann, shared a video to her account revealing to her followers that her employers had deemed her choice of attire “inappropriate” for the workplace. In the video, she wore a swirl patterned skirt that fell just at the knees, a black v-neck top, and a denim jacket.
The TikToker captioned the video, “I don’t know how to feel about this, honestly.” The voiceover explains the creator’s confusion.
“They told me my outfit is inappropriate at work today. They said my skirt is too short, and my boobs are not covered enough.”
She continued, “I work at a call center, and I only see my co-workers. Apparently many co-workers complained about my outfit today.”
While nothing is abnormal about the outfit, the video provides context that the issue wasn’t about the clothes on the body, but more about the body in the clothes.
@caribbeeann I don’t know how to feel about this honestly 😭😭😭 #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #job #outfit #inappropiate #blackwomen #callcenter #magiefondvert #greenscreenvideo
Needing clarity, @Caribbeeann asked her followers, “What do you guys think about this situation?”
Commenters felt pretty clear about what was happening. The video made users feel as though the creator was being discriminated against because she was plus size. The 80+ comments all agreed she should not be penalized for her curvaceous body shape.
A few commenters offered some sound advice to the TikTok creator.
“Black women will be sexualized for no reason especially in school/work environments, so I say call them out for being discriminatory and file a complaint,” she said.
“I think you should start to track all outfits that resemble yours. Then time for a lawsuit,” added another user.
Another commenter, also a Black woman, shared a similar experience in the workspace.
“I got fired from a call center when I was younger, 20 years old, for wearing leggings because of my shape,” she said. “Skinny girls were allowed to wear leggings though.”
Fortunately, most comments were uplifting and reminded @Caribbeeann that she was beautiful despite her employer’s unjust actions.
