‘You’re begging for attention’: Woman admonished by HR after wearing ‘inappropriate’ outfit to work, and everyone has thoughts

Appropriate work attire has long been a contentious topic in the world of business, as fashion, expectations, and society shift, and standards shift with them.

These days, dress codes in general feel a bit outdated, but they do exist for a reason. The nebulous state of when and where attire is policed recently became a viral online debate, after a young professional brought her company’s dress policy to the web. Her TikTok highlighting what is and isn’t considered work appropriate prompted an instant conversation, but not everyone is on her side.

It all started with a little black dress, donned by a young TikToker for a day of work. Her subsequent battle with HR was shared by the @ultimatebykomi account, but its the discussion the video sparked that’s really dividing viewers.

Our occasionally inappropriate protagonist outlines, at the outset of the video, that she’s received an email from HR regarding her attire for work. The email labeled her outfits of choice as “inappropriate,” and the TikToker quickly proves Ms. HR correct when she steps away from the camera. I am absolutely among the crowd that believes dress codes are, as a rule, entirely outdated, and I firmly believe that people should be allowed to wear what they feel comfortable in, but there is also no denying that our girl is wearing a mid-2000s clubbing dress to work.

The bottom hem ceases to exist at the upper thigh, the fabric clings to every curve — it’s a lovely dress, truly, and it looks spectacular on her, but it’s most certainly not something most people would wear into work. That being said, is it really an employee’s responsibility to ensure that her co-workers aren’t “distracted” by something as simple as a bit too-little fabric?

Because that’s what HR goes on to accuse her of. In a meeting later on — which she makes the interesting decision to attend in a low-cut outfit — HR informs our daring heroine that they’ve been “getting comments from other members of staff.” Those vocal staffers apparently think a small black dress is “begging for attention” and find our TikToker’s attire “distracting.”

It’s honestly a hard line to toe. While the TikToker’s attire is definitely daring, and those short dresses wouldn’t have been allowed at even the most flexible of school dances, it’s also not her responsibility to keep her co-workers’ eyes where they belong. But if you work in an office that has even a basic dress code, you’re also required to follow it. And it seems she’s been doing her best to ignore the office standards for long enough.

That was a sentiment shared by a bulk of viewers, who littered the comment section with takeaways about appropriate work attire and little black dresses. The top comment goes about it gently: “Honey, imma hold your hand when I say this. That is a clubbing dress,” — but other commenters were less kind as they unflinchingly informed the racy professional that “HR is saying it’s inappropriate…because, for work, it’s inappropriate.”

Dress codes in various forms have been around forever, and they are absolutely going out of style. But there will always be outfits that suit one situation more than another, and our TikToker just learned a valuable lesson about when and where those little black dresses are best worn. Those skin-baring outfits simply aren’t appropriate for the office, but there’s still a bright light in the TikToker’s future — maybe she’ll get the chance to work from home, where she can rock pajamas, form fitting dresses, or nothing at all, and no one can say a thing.