Woman Doesn't Wear A Bra At Work Despite Her Coworkers Complaining, Asks If She's Being A Jerk

A new job brings a lot of uncertainty. After all, we encounter new people, a new environment and a new set of responsibilities. There's a lot to do to set yourself up for success. But before Reddit user throwawayAITA92848 had the chance to get organized and meet the team, she got herself into a tricky situation.

You see, throwawayAITA92848 doesn't wear bras. She doesn't like them. The woman didn't wear one for her last job and she didn't put one on for her first days at the new office as well. However, throwawayAITA92848 has already received negative comments from her colleagues and now she doesn't know what to do. So she turned to Reddit, asking "[Am I the jerk] for not wearing a bra to work?" and described the entire ordeal, hoping people would give her useful advice. Here's what she wrote.

The woman chose this particular company because it made a really good impression on her. "I only got a job offer from two companies, and this one offered way more money for a software engineering job than I expected, so I took it," throwawayAITA92848 told Bored Panda.

She also said that her male colleagues wear mostly t-shirts and shirts with jeans and pants. "My female colleagues dress casually but you can say that women working on my project are more conservative than others."

Tan France, a British-Pakistani-American fashion designer, television personality, and author, said that business casual doesn't necessarily mean casual. "What it actually means is that you don't have to wear a suit and tie," he explained. "Business casual workwear usually includes a collared shirt (button-up or polo shirt) or sweater on top, with slacks, khakis, chinos, or a pencil skirt on the bottom. You may also wish to add a blazer or sport coat, but you don’t necessarily need a custom-tailored suit jacket. Shoes should be closed-toe and professional, whether you choose boots, heels, flats, loafers, mules, or oxfords. Business casual is a good way to dress if you’re unsure of what kind of environment you’re walking into since it falls somewhere between business professional and casual."

A casual office dress code is even less restrictive than business casual, but Tan France highlighted that doesn't mean people should dress as casually as you would outside of work. "This type of work attire is common in creative industries and on casual Fridays at more formal workplaces. To maintain a professional look while wearing casual clothing, look for button-downs, blouses, and T-shirts in solid colors and dark-wash or black denim free from rips and holes. Although clean sneakers may be okay, stick to closed-toe shoes, and always avoid flip-flops," he said.

If someone is not sure which level is most appropriate for their work environment, Sylvie di Giusto, founder of Executive Image Consulting, told Business Insider that the basic rule of thumb is "the more you deal with a client's money, the more traditional and conservative you should be dressed."

In general, that means that people in finance, law, and accounting, for instance, should stick to traditional business attire, and those in creative industries, like entertainment and advertising, can dress more flexibly within the casual levels.

If it were to boil down to throwawayAITA92848 having to make a decision between her job and wearing a bra, however, she said she would go with the former. "I would choose my job, obviously, I need to survive."