As if women didn’t have it hard enough in the workplace, one female in particular has been sent home for not wearing heels – ridiculous right?
Heels are widely known for looking great but being particularly uncomfortable, to those who can’t handle the pain – i.e. me. Temp receptionist, Nicola Thorpe, was sent home from her job in Central London for refusing to wear heels. When the young woman arrived at her temp job in London she was actually sent home for wearing flats. And yes, in case you were wondering, it's apparently still legal for companies to enforce their female employees, to wear heels and makeup to work.
Nicola was told that flat shoes were not part of the company's 'dress code' for women, and was even handed a makeup colour chart and was asked to apply makeup. Yes, this is actual real life, in London, in 2016.
The disagreement between Nicola and her temporary boss has spurred her into launching a campaign to help fight against women forced to wear heels and makeup in the workplace – hoorah for us! In an interview with the Evening Standard, Nicola says: 'I started this petition because I was outraged that in 2016, employers still have the right to make women wear heels against their will in the workplace,' she added 'A woman deserves the choice to wear smart heels or smart flats, whichever is more comfortable or practical for work.'
Nicola’s petition adds: ‘Dress code laws should be changed so that women have the option to wear flat formal shoes at work if they wish. Current formal work dress codes are out-dated and sexist.’ The petition now holds over 7,000 signatures and needs only a further 3000 to be reviewed by parliament, good luck Nicola!
You can find the campaign live over on the Parliament Website.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.