#why that rule is there at all... emily gwen said that they can't afford new clothing. and couldnt get the words out in the moment. but like.

[sleepygaymerdisease]

im trying to respond to people on my post who have questions or are confused but theres just so many 😭 i dont know how to explain the intricacies of classism or how hard it is to get a lawyer to start and WIN a discrimination case. especially since i dont know australian laws. but like... this behavior, denying someone a job for their outfit, is really common across the world. classism is pervasive and it's dangerous and it costs people their lives. we would have to change the capitalist system, change policies across the globe, and work on our internalized classist beliefs for the rest of our lives.

[sleepygaymerdisease]

i think a lot of people are sharing Emily Gwen's donation post in shock and horror. not knowing that this happens to people every day. which is really sad. this is an issue that is literally ignored and swept under the rug, to the point where people dont think about it at all. even though like. when you hear about Interview/Business Culture you know you have to dress well. everyone knows that's like step 1. but people havent actually stopped and asked what the purpose of that is or what that means. people haven't considered what happens if you break that rule. or why that rule is there at all.

Emily said that they can't afford new clothing, and couldnt get the words out in the moment. but take a second to imagine this from the interviewer's perspective. she just saw someone who was "unprofessional" because of their clothing. and that's fucked up! WE know the situation because of their post. but they shouldn't need to justify their attire like that to get a damn job. we dont need to know someones circumstances to treat them like a person.

and i want everyone to really think about this. how many times in your life have you seen someone with worn out clothes? or dirty clothes, clothes with holes in them, clothes that are 'too casual' for their setting, clothes that dont fit, clothes that are too big or too small, modified outfits, clothes that dont match the current weather, like wearing a sweater in the summer? and how have you treated those people? how have you thought about them? and think about this in media. how many people with bad clothes are seen as irresponsible? or treated like shit?

this happens every day. and it's not australia specific or america specific either. it's everywhere. so please show others compassion. this experience is traumatic and alienating. it's hard to reach out. it's embarassing to talk about. and it's even harder to get legal defense for this stuff (if there's even laws covering it; you might be surprised to find that discrimination laws often don't mention classism at all). you need money and you need solid proof. oftentimes people have neither.

what happened to emily was horrific. but it's not new and youre not immune to thinking the same way.

im trying to respond to people on my post who have questions or are confused but theres just so many 😭 i dont know how to explain the intricacies of classism or how hard it is to get a lawyer to start and WIN a discrimination case. especially since i dont know australian laws. but like... this behavior, denying someone a job for their outfit, is really common across the world. classism is pervasive and it's dangerous and it costs people their lives. we would have to change the capitalist system, change policies across the globe, and work on our internalized classist beliefs for the rest of our lives.