Woman Sacked For Not Wearing Bra At Work, So Now She's Fighting Back

Sep 12, 2018 by apost team

In today's society, the clothes a person wears can commonly tell a lot about them. Clothes are a way for people to express themselves creatively. However, certain social settings might cause limitations to that freedom.

Think about it. As a person leaves their home, they need to take into account what they're wearing or failing to wear. The type of clothes you wear will vary depending on your destination. Appropriate dress is important for any setting, but particularly professional and academic settings.

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People who don't follow certain pre-established social dress codes might find themselves punished or singled out for their choices.

It seems like there's a new news story every day about the students who are getting sent to the principal's office because of their disregard for the school's dress code. But students rarely get expelled for such dress. Most of the time, they merely have to wait until they get a change of clothes.

But if the same type of situation happened in the workplace, more serious consequences might occur.

Right now, a woman is involved in a lawsuit against her employer. Said employer made changes to the workplace dress code that forced her to wear a bra when she went to work.

When the dress code was updated, it said that women were required to wear a bra or tank top beneath the shirt they use for their uniform. Said undergarment must be worn for the entire shift while the waitresses served tables at Osoyoos Golf Club, located in British Columbia.

Christine Schell is a 25-year-old Canadian waitress who ceased to wear a bra three years ago for both comfort and health reasons.

She told CBC that the dress code policy change was absurd, and that her employer had no right to make dictations about what she had on under her clothes.

She believes so strongly in this that she filed an official complaint against her employer for abuse of human rights. This was after she was fired for her refusal to comply with the dress code.

Schell says that the dress code is based on gender, which makes it a human rights issue. Her nipples are exactly the same as the men's nipples, but men don't need to wear an undershirt.

Schell also says that when she had a confrontation with the general manager of the club, he informed her that they'd put the rule in place to protect her. He said that she would be sexually assaulted if she didn't wear a bra.

This isn't the first of these stories to reach the news. A cook named Kate Gosek was harassed by her McDonald's managers due to her lack of bra during work. Her manager told her that she should be wearing a bra because it was a "polite restaurant."

UK resident Kate Hannah also reports embarrassment after she was told to wear a bra during her pub job. She says that she felt as though she had been objectified, and that she was deeply uncomfortable and shocked by the incident. Her manager told her that she couldn't work unless she was wearing a bra.

Schell might have a strong case against the golf club based on gender discrimination. The fact that females are required to have an undergarment but males aren't is an indication of unequal gender policing.

Do you think it was right for Schell's manager to fire her? Let us know!