Often, workplace dress codes are arbitrarily prohibitive and strict, designed to suppress self-expression and honestly just make things harder for employees. So I'm always excited when I read a story of someone who found a way to defy the dress code without technically breaking any rules.
This is one such story. But not only is it about a woman who found a way to express herself while remaining within the confines of her company's dress code. It's also about a woman who cleverly outwitted her pious coworker in the process. And that's priceless.
Source: istock
Reddit user easy0lucky0free posted this story in the Malicious Compliance subreddit. "A couple years ago," she begins, "I worked retail in a store geared towards children. A very... magical store. Lots of princesses, superheroes...rodents. You get the picture."
We do. It's 100 percent the Disney store, but she's not naming names. She explains that the dress code for employees at the store was extremely strict. "We had a uniform that had to be ironed all the time, no visible tattoos, only natural hair colors, women were encouraged to wear makeup and style their hair, men were either to be clean shaven or have fully grown facial hair."
One of her managers was really nitpicky with her about the dress code, always calling her out for not ironing her shirt well enough, telling her to wear more makeup, and even getting down on her hands and knees to measure the hem of her pants. The manager sounds like a real piece of work.
Additionally, she wrote, "this particular manager was a natural brunette but she dyed her hair black and bleached a portion of the hair underneath so that it would show." This is clearly pushing the "natural hair color" rule. I can totally see why the woman telling this story couldn't stand her manager.
Source: istock
Our storyteller has always loved to dye her hair all different colors, but she was really restricted with the dress code at work. So she came up with a compromise and decided to dye her hair silver.
When she showed up at work the next day with silver hair, a day where the district and regional managers were visiting the store, her managers "were appalled." They decided to discipline her in front of the higher-ups, which you're probably sensing by now did not go as planned.
They told her she was in violation of the dress code because her hair wasn't a natural color. She pushed back and said that gray is a natural color. "But you aren't gray yet," they said. "You can dye your hair, it just can't be obviously fake. It needs to look real."
Source: istock
So she very bravely pointed to the manager who gave her a hard time and said, "Your hair is half black and half bleach blonde. I feel like that looks more unnatural than my gray hair." Oh snap!
The higher-ups agreed with her and let her keep the gray hair. And the icing on the cake was that the higher-ups actually decided the manager's hair was in violation of the dress code, and she was forced to dye it before coming to work the next day. Isn't it so nice when people get what's been coming to them?
So many commenters cheered for this woman for putting that manager in her place. "It's a good plan, well executed," one commenter wrote. Congratulations on shutting her up, but I'd rather have that companies couldn't force you to limit your self-expression like that." I agree. Dress codes are so last century. Even the House of Mouse should realize that having blue hair or visible tattoos doesn't mean you can't be entirely professional.
The article was originally published last year.
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21 everyday phrases that make people silently scream inside
If you’ve ever cringed at hearing “It is what it is” or rolled your eyes at someone saying “No offense…” before delivering something totally offensive, you’re definitely not alone. Some expressions are so irritating, so overused, or so grammatically cursed that hearing them once more might just push us over the edge.
We asked our Facebook audience, “If you could ban one annoying phrase from existence forever, what would it be?” and holy moly, did the floodgates open. Typically, a given question might rack up around 5,000 comments—but this one? Over 14,000. People shared responses that were funny, petty, brutally honest, and occasionally downright poignant. From phrases that try (and fail) to sound wise, to those so overused they've lost all meaning entirely—here are the top contenders folks are completely done with.
The one phrase nearly everyone wants to vanish
By far the most repeated offender was:
Over and over, users cited this as the ultimate non-response. It’s dismissive, it ends conversations, and it offers exactly zero comfort or help.
Another big category? Expressions meant to comfort that end up being painful or insulting. These include:
Many commenters explained that these phrases, while often well-intentioned, feel dismissive in times of grief or hardship.
Grammar gripes and word crimes
Grammar lovers had a lot of feelings. Some of the most-cited “please stop saying this” phrases included:
And let’s not forget the collective rage over “pacifically” when people mean “specifically.”
Words that reveal more than they intend
Several users took issue with phrases that feel passive-aggressive or intellectually lazy, such as:
As user Jacqueline C. put it, “'To be honest...' What does that mean? That you're not honest any other time?”
Phrases tied to racism, sexism, or toxic positivity
A significant number of respondents took aim at harmful or politically charged phrases. Among them:
These comments weren’t just about annoyance—they were about the emotional weight and social impact of language.
James G. didn’t mince words when he wrote: “‘Go back to your country, then’ 🤬. The epitome of racist. I love my country, plus my ancestors did not ASK to be brought here the way they were.”
Corporate speak and empty buzzwords
You knew these were coming.
These phrases sparked a different kind of rage—one reserved for staff meetings and marketing emails.
Iris H. summed it up: “Most corporate speak. Downsizing. Low hanging fruit. Pivot. etc…..” Just say what you mean, please.
Why this resonated so deeply
There’s something unifying about shared irritation. These phrases might seem harmless or routine, but for many people, they’re like verbal paper cuts—tiny annoyances that, over time, sting a lot more than they should.
Whether it’s poor grammar, dismissive condolences, or flat-out hate speech in disguise, we’re collectively craving language that’s thoughtful, clear, and kind.
So the next time you find yourself reaching for one of these expressions, take a beat. Maybe there’s a better way to say what you mean. Or maybe… just don’t say anything at all.
And if you’ve got your own phrase that should be banished from existence? Don’t worry—there’s still time to add to the list.
Got another phrase that needs to go? Drop it in the comments on our original Facebook post.
Bonus: The top five most hated phrases from our poll
Let’s make 2025 the year we finally stop saying all of them.