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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this uniform policy is a bit sexist and silly? (lighthearted)

37 replies

Topaz25 · 02/05/2014 22:00

I started working for a new company today. The uniform is bright barbie pink, not my colour but fair enough we all have to wear it. Or so I thought. Today a colleague told me the men wear light blue and only the women have to wear pink. I'm not going to say anything but this annoys me. I don't mind wearing a uniform, it's part of the job but I do mind that it's different for men and women. I'd rather wear blue TBH but I'm not allowed to because I'm a woman. I think I'm a bit old to be wearing pink for a girl! AIBU to think all colleagues should be allowed to wear the same colour?

OP posts:
redexpat · 02/05/2014 22:33

YANBU.

Boaty · 02/05/2014 22:35

Weird! Is just the shirt/blouse or whole uniform! Confused

Original poster
Topaz25 · 02/05/2014 23:26

We're allowed to wear our own black trousers so it's just the blouse and jacket. It's really bright pink though.

OP posts:
TucsonGirl · 02/05/2014 23:27

What kind of business is it? It sounds very strange.

AlpacaYourThings · 02/05/2014 23:29

That's very odd, YANBU at all.

tuskg · 03/05/2014 06:57

Well for almost all jobs women have more choice what to wear than men do so I don't see that this is any more sexist than that.

MardyBra · 03/05/2014 06:59

Why lighthearted ffs? You have a genuine point to discuss.

stiffstink · 03/05/2014 07:19

I hate gender being divided by colour. Well, actually just pink. I hate Barbification.

Not being at all Barbie-like I would feel really uncomfortable wearing Barbie pink for a prolonged period.

What is the purpose of the colour split? Why not have a uniform in company colours? Is there any need to differentiate between those employees with testicles and those with varies? using colour?

splendide · 03/05/2014 07:24

Are you a waitress? I know a restaurant where the waiters wear blue and the waitresses pink. It's sort of adorable in context as the place is all camp and retro.

MissDuke · 03/05/2014 08:39

Ahh how annoying, staff should be allowed to choose the colour if the company want a mix of both pink and blue. Is it a large company?

MissDuke · 03/05/2014 08:42

As students, we have to purchase our uniforms for placement, and the assistant told me that the male uniform is slightly more expensive (it is a female dominated profession) - I thought that was very unfair too given that the 'male' version is forced on them with no choice. I don't find the 'female' tunic feminine in anyway to be honest. I think the male one just has a different neckline.

SpeedwellBlue · 03/05/2014 09:05

The men probably feel just as silly in light blue to be fair

EduCated · 03/05/2014 09:31

Well for almost all jobs women have more choice what to wear than men do so I don't see that this is any more sexist than that.

Exactly, both sexist. One doesn't cancel the other out.

I had similar at a place I worked, they moved from plain logoed shirts for all staff to a new style of uniform. So all the women got given a god awful, 70s style 100% polyester garish sack tunic. But the manager didn't like the men's version, so they just kept wearing the old shirts Angry That manager was a sexist twat in many ways though, so I was unsurprised, and left shortly afterwards.

Original poster
Topaz25 · 04/05/2014 09:37

Why lighthearted ffs? You have a genuine point to discuss.

I put lighthearted because I didn't want to be criticised if it wasn't considered serious enough or accused of being ungrateful for my job. It is an issue but not the most serious one. Now I'm being being criticised for putting lighthearted. Can't win.

OP posts:
MrsWinnibago · 04/05/2014 10:05

I am a raving Feminist but I think you're being silly...it's only a colour. Unless it's a short skirt or something?

EEasterChick · 04/05/2014 10:13

I don't think it's silly at all. I am a feminist though not "raving". I object to pinkification of my DDs and would be livid to see it extended to adults. Where do you work, the 1950s?

EverythingsDozy · 04/05/2014 10:28

At the risk of derailing the thread slightly, what is wrong with pink for little girls? I understand if people are literally covering their daughter in nothing but pink, candy floss style, but is pink all that bad? If I see something I like in a shop for DD, I buy it, be it pink, blue, orange, green etc. Do those who object to "pinkification" buy no pink at all?

fatlazymummy · 04/05/2014 10:33

It's a work uniform. When you're at work you wear the clothes that your employer wants you to, simple as that. You don't have to like them.

EduCated · 04/05/2014 10:37

It's not as simple as that if the uniform is discriminatory. If your employer told you they wanted you to wear a gold thong bikini fom now on, you'd just accept that, would you?

There is nothing at all wrong with asking questions and gently or otherwise challenging these seemingly small things.

Topaz I read that comment as more of a FFS at society and AIBU that were made to feel that we shouldn't care about this stuff and that we have to be 'lighthearted' about it, else we're silly and overreacting, rather than a FFS at you for calling it lighthearted.

Original poster
Topaz25 · 04/05/2014 10:43

everythingsdozy
I don't see anything wrong with girls wearing pink if they want to. What I object to is girls being told they have to wear pink because they are girls and they can't wear blue and that message is even worse when it's given to women at work.

OP posts:
EduCated · 04/05/2014 10:43

Dozy No, I don't object to pink. I do object to the automatic assumption that all girls love pink, and to the way companies take products and pinkify them for girls/women, so that we end up in a weird situation where you have a normal version, and a pink for girls version (because women are clearly abnormal). Have you seen the pink monopoly, for example? Because clearly girls can't cope with the concept of buying property unless it's a boutique or a mall Hmm

I also object to it because you end up with boys being picked on or laughed at for liking something pink.

If pink is an option alongside red, blue, green, orange, purple, yellow, then great, I'm all for it. If pink (and blue) are the only options (as they generally seem to be, look at the Early Learning Centre for that!), then no, not ok.

Original poster
Topaz25 · 04/05/2014 10:46

fatlazymummy
I think you missed the bit where I said I have no problem with wearing work uniform, even in barbie pink, if it's fairly applied to all employees.

OP posts:
EverythingsDozy · 04/05/2014 10:47

Yes I totally see that. I have not seen the pink monopoly Hmm but have seen the pink scrabble (but isn't that something to do with breast cancer?).
And topaz, I really get your point about the work clothes, I don't think you are being unreasonable at all. Have you asked if you could wear blue?

Original poster
Topaz25 · 04/05/2014 10:48

The employer is a photo centre and they are a large company, which is why this surprised me.

OP posts:
EduCated · 04/05/2014 10:52

This was the photo of it I saw shared on Twitter. Bleurgh Envy

To think this uniform policy is a bit sexist and silly? (lighthearted)
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