Outed at Work - And Nobody Cares!
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2005 3:54 am
I think I posted here a few weeks ago that I had gotten my first ever pedicure just recently. The first time, I didn't have them apply any color, but after that, I decided, "Why not?" The next time, I picked an OPI color, How to Jamaica Million (metallic, looks like pewter). Whenever I'm not working, I wander around in sandals or other open-toed shoes, so my toes are always visible. No one ever said a word to me about it. The next time, I went with a China Glaze color, a sort of metallic lavender shade (I forgot the name). Again, no one said a word to me. In the back of my mind, I was hoping to provoke some sort of reaction, so this was a little distressing.
Thursday morning, I went in to have everything redone, and I asked for something a little more "bright". The stylist picked out OPI's Pompeii Purple:
Later that afternoon, I had to report to work (on my day off) for a staff meeting. I went straight over from the salon. During the meeting, my legs were stuffed under a table, so no one noticed. Afterwards, someone looked down, and suddenly everyone was looking at my feet. I've told most of my coworkers that I occasionally dress up, but I've never been even partially dressed around any of them. My boss, the GM, stared and stared and stared, and someone blurted out, "Don't mind that, Jason just likes to get dressed up sometimes."
She looked at me and said, "Dressed up?"
My coworker (I'm not sure who it was), went on, "Like a woman."
At that point, I started to stammer. "I wear close-toed shoes to work! No one here ever has to see that!..."
She looked back at me and said, "Whatever," and went back into her office.
Normally, I wouldn't have cared either way, but they've been firing people right and left these past couple of weeks, and I was sure they'd use any excuse to get rid of me if they wanted to. Turns out I was wrong. My new supervisor told me not to worry. I'm one of the few people they don't want to fire at this time. She said, "Don't quote me on this, but you could probably run around here in heels and a dress if you wanted, and no one would say anything as long as you maintained your current work level."
PS - Pompeii Purple was too bright for me. I went back Friday morning and got them to take it off and replace it with something more conservative, Not So Bora-Boring Pink:
Thursday morning, I went in to have everything redone, and I asked for something a little more "bright". The stylist picked out OPI's Pompeii Purple:
Later that afternoon, I had to report to work (on my day off) for a staff meeting. I went straight over from the salon. During the meeting, my legs were stuffed under a table, so no one noticed. Afterwards, someone looked down, and suddenly everyone was looking at my feet. I've told most of my coworkers that I occasionally dress up, but I've never been even partially dressed around any of them. My boss, the GM, stared and stared and stared, and someone blurted out, "Don't mind that, Jason just likes to get dressed up sometimes."
She looked at me and said, "Dressed up?"
My coworker (I'm not sure who it was), went on, "Like a woman."
At that point, I started to stammer. "I wear close-toed shoes to work! No one here ever has to see that!..."
She looked back at me and said, "Whatever," and went back into her office.
Normally, I wouldn't have cared either way, but they've been firing people right and left these past couple of weeks, and I was sure they'd use any excuse to get rid of me if they wanted to. Turns out I was wrong. My new supervisor told me not to worry. I'm one of the few people they don't want to fire at this time. She said, "Don't quote me on this, but you could probably run around here in heels and a dress if you wanted, and no one would say anything as long as you maintained your current work level."
PS - Pompeii Purple was too bright for me. I went back Friday morning and got them to take it off and replace it with something more conservative, Not So Bora-Boring Pink:
