Nobody likes being told that they should change something about themselves.

But what if it’s a well-meaning higher-up suggesting to an employee that they dress more appropriately for the job, so they possibly get promoted?

Would you comply? …Or would you maliciously comply?

Let’s see what the woman confronted with this situation did.

Put more effort into my appearance? OK!

I’m a young woman of color who looks like she is in high school but is actually in her mid-20s.

I’m in a science consulting role at a boutique firm since graduating from college.

Most of the people at my company have a PhD and/or MS, even though this is completely unnecessary for the job.

I do not come from a science background, so this does not benefit me either.

It is a bizarre situation as I am given much more responsibility than many people who are older, more educated, and higher in the company than me.

Management clearly does not want someone who looks like me to be a leader at the company, but they give me the responsibilities of someone higher-up without the title and compensation.

But they were not promoting her.

I have been given several reasons as to why I was not being promoted as quickly as others.

Side note: I have been promoted several times.

My issue is that I am doing more than others in terms of workload and responsibility and am not being compensated for it properly per my current job description.

I have just as much/more responsibility than many people above me and am being treated by a different standard.

Before my most recent promotion, which took 2 years to get, my previous supervisor (also a WOC, but older and with a PhD) told me that I was being treated differently by higher-ups at my company based on my age, gender, and lack of education.

She didn’t beat around the bush.

Although my work product was “perfect,” she said that I was being judged on how I “appeared at first” and “interacted with coworkers” (even though I have friendly relationships with all colleagues, she likely meant that I was too outgoing).

She said she wanted to perform an “experiment” with me.

She said that maybe I would be promoted if I started putting more effort into my appearance.

I am a confident, charismatic person who [respectfully] does not need to put any more effort into her appearance.

And even if I did, it is not her, or anyone’s, ******* business. She said I should wear “tighter” clothing.

She complied.

So I maliciously complied out of spite. I went from business casual attire that was the standard at my office to full-on business attire.

I also never wore makeup to work and wore a full face of makeup every day for months. While others wore athletic t-shirts, sneakers, and hoodies, I wore dress shirts / dress pants and pantsuits.

My pastel-colored pantsuit REALLY caught peoples’ attention, and people would continually ask, “Are you going somewhere with a client?”

I would always reply, “No. I received feedback that I need to put more effort into my appearance.” That shut everybody up real quick.

My former supervisor apologized after a week and said she shouldn’t have said that.

I kept up the act out of malice for a few weeks after. And I got the promotion a few months later.

Appearance does play a part in a professional setting.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this.

This is a mischievous one.

Someone shares their experience.

Another reader went through something similar.

They don’t know what they’re asking.

Yup.

But her supervisor did the right thing by letting her know what the issue was.

It’s not fair, but her “experiment” actually worked.

If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.