6 times women were 'dress coded' in real life
- A woman was forced to wrap a blanket around herself on a plane because a flight attendant deemed her outfit unacceptable.
- A transgender woman was fired from her job at a funeral home for breaking the sex-specific dress code when she came out, and the Supreme Court will hear her case.
- A woman was asked to leave a Pennsylvania restaurant because a customer complained that she was dressed "too provocatively."
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Students and parents have begun pushing back against dress codes that disproportionately penalize and objectify women.
In schools, female students have gotten in trouble for not wearing a bra or for wearing a bra when the straps are showing. Both collarbones and shoulders have been called "too distracting" for boys in the classroom, and there are more than a few reports of girls being sent home for the clothes chosen for them by a parent.
Being "dress coded," or told to cover up and dress less "provocatively," happens in life outside of schools, too. Here are six times women were dress coded in real life.
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A Swedish woman was reportedly told "you show way too much" by a bus driver in Malmo, Sweden.
A woman who boarded a Skånetrafiken bus in Malmo, Sweden, said that the bus driver criticized her outfit during this summer's heatwave, telling her "you can't go dressed like that on our buses" and "you show way too much," according to the Evening Standard.
Skånetrafiken's traffic director apologized for the incident and told the Standard that the driver has been suspended pending an investigation.
"Neither Skånetrafiken nor Nobina [a sister company] have any policies concerning the clothing of our customers," he said. "Everyone should be treated equally and with respect."
A woman was initially denied the Guinness world record for the fastest marathon by a woman wearing a nurse uniform because she wore real nurses' scrubs.
Jessica Anderson broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon by a woman wearing a nurse's uniform when she ran in the London Marathon in April with a time of 3 hours, 8 minutes, and 22 seconds. But Guinness initially didn't count her achievement because she wasn't wearing a nurse's costume consisting of a dress, cap, and apron. As a nurse at Royal London Hospital, she wore her actual nurse's uniform of scrubs instead.
"I made a conscious decision to wear my uniform for the race, knowing that the record attempt wouldn't be counted," Anderson wrote on Instagram. "While nursing uniforms vary, one thing they have in common is that they are designed for professional women AND men who care for people in all sorts of ways across the world. I would have been doing a disservice to my profession if I had worn a fancy dress costume."
Guinness World Records apologized for "mishandling" Anderson's application and said it is "absolutely committed to ensuring we uphold the highest standards of equality and inclusiveness" in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.
A woman was forced to wrap a blanket around herself on an American Airlines flight because a flight attendant deemed her outfit unacceptable.
Dr. Latisha "Tisha" Rowe, a family medicine specialist and founder of a telehealth company, was traveling with her 8-year-old son when she said she was forced to deplane and told that her attire was not acceptable and that unless she covered herself up, she wouldn't be allowed to fly.
American Airlines' contract of carriage, which passengers agree to when they purchase tickets, mentions appropriate attire stating simply, "Dress appropriately; bare feet or offensive clothing aren't allowed."
Rowe believes there's a double-standard for appropriate attire that's applied differently to women depending on a few factors, including body shape and race.
"I have a very curvaceous body, and I put my body in bold colors, so you're going to see it. But it's not vulgar. It's not inappropriate. It's not bad, you know? If you put someone who's a size 2 in the exact same outfit next to me, no one would be bothered," she previously told Business Insider.
A spokesperson for American Airlines, Shannon Gilson, said that the airline is investigating why she was forced to cover up and refunded her and her son's trip.
A transgender woman was fired from her job at a funeral home for breaking the sex-specific dress code, and the Supreme Court will hear her case.
Aimee Stephens was fired from her job at a funeral home because "he wanted to dress like a woman," according to reporting by The Washington Post.
Stephens had worked at R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes for six years while presenting as a man. When she wrote a letter to her employer saying that she was beginning her gender transition and would come to work presenting as a woman, she was fired for breaking the dress code, The Washington Post reported.
She filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and sued the funeral home for sex discrimination. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear her case.
United Airlines refused to let two women board a flight because they were wearing leggings.
A United Airlines gate agent refused to let two women board a flight from Denver to Minneapolis because they were wearing leggings.
A company representative said that because the women were using a United employee's flight benefits, they had to adhere to a dress code. In an email obtained by Business Insider, United lists leggings as one of the garments prohibited when using employee travel privileges:
"Before you and your pass riders head to the airport for your next trip, please take a few minutes to review our pass travel attire requirements when using your travel privileges. It's important you and your companions feel comfortable when you travel, so casual attire is allowed provided it looks neat and is in good taste for the local environment. Unacceptable pass travel attire includes beach-type rubber flip flops, slippers, anything with holes or tears, anything that reveals your midriff or undergarments and form-fitting Lycra or spandex pants, such as leggings. For the complete list of clothing restrictions, see the Pass Travel Attire Policy on the Travel tab."
A woman was asked to leave a Golden Corral restaurant in Pennsylvania because a customer complained that she was dressed "too provocatively."
Sueretta Emke was dining at a Golden Corral restaurant in Pennsylvania when the manager approached her and said that a customer had complained that she was dressed "too provocatively," according to her Facebook post. She wrote that when she tried to counter the manager's reasoning, she and her party were forced to leave.
Golden Corral confirmed to CBS News that Emke had been asked to leave the restaurant.
"We strive to make all of our guests feel welcome and comfortable, but it appears we didn't meet the mark in this situation," a Golden Corral representative wrote in an email. "While we don't offer specific guidelines on attire for our franchise locations, it is never our intention to offend anyone. We are grateful the issue was brought to our attention because it represents an educational opportunity and a chance to make amends with a guest we disappointed."
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