SilentWitnessNot specifiedTechCorp IncTechJun 1, 2026·12d ago
My manager made comments about my appearance every single day
I worked at a mid-size tech company for two years before I finally quit. My direct manager — a senior VP — would make comments about my appearance every morning. "You look nice today" was the mild version. It escalated to remarks about my outfits being "distracting," suggestions that I should dress more professionally (I always dressed professionally), and once a comment in front of the entire team about how I was "too pretty to be in engineering."
I reported it to HR after six months. They said they'd "look into it." Nothing changed. My manager wasn't moved to another team. I wasn't assigned a new manager. I was told to "document incidents going forward."
I documented 47 more incidents over the next year. By the time I left, I had a spreadsheet. I gave it to HR on my last day. I never heard back.
The hardest part wasn't the comments themselves. It was watching everyone around me pretend not to notice. My colleagues — people I considered friends — would look at their laptops when it happened. No one said a word.
I'm in a better place now. But I think about the people still there, still documenting, still waiting for something to change.
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