Man Criticizes Woman's Outfit For Being Too 'Provocative' While She's Working As A Dancer
She made sure he knew exactly how wrong he really was.
Eric Nopanen and Rene Böhmer / Unsplash A woman who posts on TikTok under the username “TheFreakShowCircus” recently shared a video that garnered over 3 million views to tell a story about an interaction she had while working in a club that highlighted the extreme value judgments women fight against just by virtue of existing.
The woman’s outfit was criticized by a man for being too ‘provocative’ during her shift at a club.
She started her TikTok by exclaiming, “I’m hiding in the closet at work because I’m fuming right now.”
She explained that she was holding a tray and walking around the establishment where she works when a man approached her to share his unprompted opinion on what she was wearing. He told her, “I just feel like your outfit’s a little provocative.”
The woman was quick to call him out, pointing out the heady mix of arrogance, insecurity, and absurdity of his comment. She reminded him exactly what kind of business he was supporting, highlighting that he shouldn’t be shocked by the presence of scantily-clad women while at this particular kind of club.
Yet the man doubled down on his assertion, claiming she should dress differently to be seen as ‘a classy woman.’
The woman clapped back, questioning why she would stoop so low as to take advice on class from a man who frequents her place of employment. She expressed how frustrated she felt, which led her to duck into a closet to try and calm down. She practiced deep breathing, noting that she still wanted to lash out at the man who insulted her.
“Men just have this audacity to them,” she proclaimed, capturing the sheer delusion of his judgmental statement.
The outfit that the woman wore could best be described as a corset top, which left her shoulders uncovered and a slight amount of cleavage showing. Yet the underlying point, which she made clear, is that no one should be judged for what they wear, especially in her specific line of work.
Photo: @thefreakshowcircus / TikTok
The comments left by other women beneath her TikTok showed a certain kind of solidarity and the commonality of the shared lived experience that women go through in a world that specifically targets them for their physical appearance. Others celebrated her confidence and the accuracy of her answer, calling her a queen.
A high number of comments from women mentioned the unsettled feeling they had from the interaction, with one woman expressing a sense of “bad vibes” from the man, advising the woman to take extra safety precautions and have someone at work walk her to her car.
The woman’s experience highlights an aspect of womanhood that feels inescapable — no matter what we wear, or how we present ourselves, it’s never right. We are criticized in a way that’s meant to make us feel dehumanized, to maintain the imbalance of power between genders.
In all likelihood, the woman’s outfit was mandated by her place of work. Either way, that man encroached on her space solely to put her down. The response she gave was pitch-perfect, making it clear that she knows exactly what it means to be classy.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers gender politics, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.