In a modern day working environment, many employers let staff dress more casually - but this employer didn't like this woman's attire.
In 2022, Abigayle Canterbury joined an unnamed 'smoke shop' as a new employee.
Her time at the company came to an abrupt end, however, and Abigayle ended up quitting just three weeks in.
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She took to TikTok to explain her situation at the time and why she decided to leave her new job.
“I got dress-coded at this job that does not have a dress code,” she said. “Make that make sense... You can’t.”
Abigayle continued: “I am also the only plus-sized female that they had working – I have never been into one of their locations and seen a bigger girl working. It’s always been very, very small, petite girls, and they’ve always worn whatever they wanted.”
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The casual dress code was part of the reason Abigayle felt 'excited' to start working at the shop, knowing that, while she could dress however she wanted, she was aware she didn’t want to start ‘pushing the boundaries’.
She proceeded to show a screenshot of a text exchange about an issue being raised with her about wearing crop tops.
The first text to Abigayle read: "The business owner talked to me yesterday about your clothes. He said please dress something nicer and cover the stomach. Thank you."
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The text came as a surprise to Abigayle as she was 'under the impression that [she] could wear a crop top with some jeans'.
Abigayle replied to her boss for further clarification, agreeing to ‘no crop tops’ before asking what they meant by ‘nicer’ attire.
“Just cover all your body that’s what he means,” they said.
The ordeal left her feeling 'singled out' and fat-shamed as she didn't think the same issue would have been raised with her more petite colleagues.
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“I just wanted that same treatment, I wanted to be able to wear what I was comfortable in, just like everyone else," Abigayle said.
She then replied to her boss telling her that she was quitting.
Many people at the time applauded her decision to quit, with some going as far as suggesting that she 'lawyer up'.
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However, one person warned her: "People say it's discrimination, and it is, but fatphobia general isn't taken seriously by courts."
It's unclear if Abigayle ever did decided to take legal action or not.
Niamh Shackleton