TikTok Influencer Mocked After Failing To Understand How Corporate Dress Codes Work

Gen Z are learning the hard way that workplace dress codes, are, in fact, heavily enforced.

TikTok influencer Dani Klaric posted an outfit of the day (OOTD) video in August where she documents getting ready for a day of furniture shopping.

She walked through her final choice, a sunny ensemble to mark the end of the North American summer: a bright yellow combination with an exposed lingerie set, collared open shirt, white skirt, a matching yellow embroidered knee-high socks underneath a pair of chunky leather loafers, accessorised with bright pendant jewellery and hair ribbons.

Klaric hinted she felt like a girl boss in all respects of the word — so much so that she captioned her video: “it’s giving business woman”.

She hit the nail on the head when she noted that her shoes were a versatile, on-trend, and appropriate office pick, saying they made her feel like a “young, sophisticated woman” with them on; but her judgement fell short when she said that if she did have a corporate job, her full get-up would reflect how she’d dress for work.

“Like, who’s going to stop me?” she confidently asked, before being stitched by jaded millennials who answered her loud and clear: probably your parents, the receptionist, your boss, anyone else who’s stepped foot in an office environment before, and definitely human resources.

“Begging influencers to exist in the real world for like, five minutes,” a TikTok user commented. “Some people are so out of touch from reality it’s scary,” another wrote, while a third commenter pointed out that “the insane level of AC in most corporate offices would probably be a deterrent” as well.

Look, no one here is a prude, everyone should wear what they want, and there’s an admirable movement online of young corporate workers injecting their personal style and creativity into their workwear that isn’t just suits and pencil skirts — because, bleugh. And please, don’t get us wrong, there are some real outdated dress codes that isolate and target employees with tattoos or protective hairstyles for no good reason that need to be revoked too.

However, it’s naive to think you’d make it even to your desk in trending e-girl fits, when people still get sent home for wearing a singlet. For example, once upon a time I got sat down in a performance review and was told I was doing the job great but needed to buy a new wardrobe out-of-pocket. Live, laugh, love!

“No hate, not shade, but you have to dress boring at corporate jobs,” said an industry girlie in a stitch. Hopefully the future will see dress codes eased up and become more relaxed, but in the meantime, a pair of novel socks are the only way to express yourself in the sea of ties and blazers that perpetuate capitalism.