Sorry for the weird question, don’t know how else to word it. Basically I’m job hunting and I’m realizing the dress code is gonna be an obstacle.
I exclusively wear skirts and dresses. Not for a religion – I’m agnostic – but for sensory reasons. I hate pants. I hate how they feel on my legs and I haven’t worn them in almost 10 years now. I understand the need to wear pants for some jobs because they’re ultimately safer than a flowy skirt, but one of the jobs I’ve applied to is a bank. I doubt the building is a skirt deathtrap behind the scenes.
Honestly the idea of having to wear pants is so upsetting I’m breaking down over it. It’s so stupid but after I finally found a way to feel comfortable when I started wearing skirts, I don’t think I can go back even if the job is better than my current one.
My only idea is to get some kind of doctors note but even that seems unlikely. Hoping for other ideas here.
Are you a lady? I work in an office at a sports company (so sporty casual is common) and there are several women here who wear dresses and skirts not pants, several more who switch back & forth. Not me - pants feel much more secure to me - but it’s nothing anyone really notices.
A man wearing skirts we would notice for awhile, not care but notice; if you are customer facing then you might encounter that surprise over and over, if not, I don’t think it will be a big deal.
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Say you are religious. Who cares. This lie doesn’t hurt anyone.Have you tried explaining to your boss the issues that pants bring you? You could word it in a way that allows you to bring up the American Disabilities Act (or whatever your country’s corresponding law is, should one exist). If they still say no, ask for it in writing and tell them you’ll have a lawyer look it over
Skirts are fairly common formalwear, at least for women. Are you a man? If not, I think any office job, receptionist job, etc, would be fine with you wearing a skirt. I imagine it’d only be some forms of manual labour where a skirt would get in the way.
Why would a bank make you not wear a skirt?
I wondered that too. I don’t even think I saw a female banker in anything BUT a skirt.
And even if male…who cares. Skirts rock! Fuck the rigid jobworld
I don’t think I have seen someone in a skirt in a customer facing role in awhile. In office not to uncommon but dresses seem more common or at least longish skirts.
But in those places you saw long skirts or dresses, everything but mini-skirts (I just assumed that) is probably fine too.
honestly if the skirt goes below the knee it kinda gets filed under dress in my brain.
Makes sense to me, but wifey would probably roll her eyes hard to this male ignorance 😁
What kind of skirts are we talking about? Because “business formal” for women typically includes skirts.
Likely, since you didn’t mention it, you don’t want your gender to be an issue. That’s not the world we live in. If you present as male and want to wear a skirt, the only possible option at bigger corporations is a kilt, but then you’ll need to lean into being “Scottish”. You might find more acceptance at a small business, even a smaller bank, perhaps, depending on where you are.
If you present as female, then I don’t know what to say, I’ve never heard of a job that requires trousers for women apart from for safety reasons.
I present male and I wear skirts to work. The boss said the dress code was black trousers and I said I don’t wear pants. Never been an issue
That said, it’s totally nerve-wracking to make that stand. If an employer refuses on anything other than a safety concern then it’s just bigotry, straight up.
Don’t work for bigots - which can be a difficult stance to take when you don’t know how you’re going to make rent. People don’t deserve to be put in this position, but as you say it’s the world we live in
I salute you o7, the era of men in skirts is long overdue for a comeback.
There is no technical reason a man can’t wear a skirt. The society you live in may “frown” upon it. But that’s a different issue to address entirely
Don’t forget the sarong as another male alternative. Flipping great in the weather it developed in.
if a job requires pants, it’s not a suitable job for you.
have you tried different fabrics or fineness? some of them don’t feel like you’re wearing anything at all.
someone gifted me silk pants a while ago and that’s when i finally understood flanders. lol
Women wear skirts all the time where I work. No one really cares.
If it’s an office job i doubt there will be a pants requirement. Just having clothes on …
I don’t quite get how religion plays into this but I assume you are a man and are afraid of what others might think of you if you wear a skirt instead of pants.
How about a kilt? They are somewhat accepted as male skirts.
Even a toga is an option. It’s not “normal” most places, but if you wear reasonably covering clothing and get your work done anyone worth working for won’t really care.
