Hiking guide gets called out by her new boss for wearing only a sports bra, she wonders if she's wrong: 'Is it inappropriate to hike in a sports bra?'

Brad Dickson • Managing Editor

May 7, 2024 6:00 PM EDT

Appearance is important when it comes to your working life—well, really any time you're relying heavily on first impressions and social perception. It's an unfortunate fact that remains one all the same: The book is often judged by its cover. This extends past basic aesthetics of dress and into body language and the way we communicate, giving others a wholly inaccurate impression of our trustworthiness and competency for a role or task. To make matters worse, everyone has their own understanding of what is and isn't the norm and acceptable, as exemplified in this post and the discussion that followed… What some people might take to be the appropriate attire of a guide, others might see as inappropriate for the workplace. I guess the question is: Is she hiking or working? Or both? It stands to reason that one dresses appropriately for the activity they're partaking in.

This worker is employed by an outdoor adventure company that leads various outdoor excursions for groups, ranging from hiking to whitewater rafting. She usually guides hikes in the warm southeast US where she lives while wearing just a sports bra, which had never been an issue previously. However, recently, a new manager deemed her attire to be "inappropriate," leaving her uncertain about whether or not to make an issue of the new manager's comments or whether they might have a point.

She posted her story to this popular online workplace community where readers and community members weighed in with their own thoughts on the subject.