One woman has kicked up quite a debate on the Reddit forum known as “Am I the A–hole” by asking if she was in the wrong when she decided to sun herself in a bikini by the pool during a weekend resort trip with her coworkers. The trip was paid for by the small company she works at and was a reward to the employees for exceeding their 2022 goals, but some feel that because it was related to her employment, the attire was inappropriate.
“I work for a rather small firm,” the 31-year-old professional explained. “There’s 12 employees total. Since we exceeded our yearly goals for 2022, we were treated to a weekend stay at a golf resort. I don’t love golf but I can play. The owners are big fans. I’m also one of 3 women employed. I’m the youngest, the other 2 are a few years older than me.”
When her coworkers returned, they met at a poolside restaurant for a late lunch, and although she later clarified that she put on a coverup before she sat down with them, the others still saw that she was dressed in a kind of bikini. The small number of other women who are employed by the company took issue with her choice of attire.
“The 2 other women told me it was ‘gutsy’ to wear what I was wearing,” she said.
“The other 2 women told me that I should be old enough to know that was stupid. And they even accused me of wanting to show off to the men. Now these other women are in good shape, so I can’t say they’re jealous. They definitely are able to rock bikinis.”
She further claims that the women also brought swimsuits for the trip in order to enjoy the pool, but they wore one-piece suits, saying that the only real difference was that her stomach was showing. She didn’t think an exposed stomach would offend anyone and asked the Reddit community if her actions were inappropriate.
The OP was ultimately voted to be the a–hole, but there was a lot of debate among commenters and the opinions appear to be rather split. A good number of people also changed their minds, sometimes multiple times, following her clarifying edits saying that she put on a coverup before sitting down to lunch with her coworkers as well as where the restaurant was. There was also confusion over whether this was a “work trip” or more of a vacation with coworkers, which hold different standards for behavior.
Some Redditors accused those saying the bikini was inappropriate of sexism, pointing out that a man sitting down to lunch in a swimsuit would never be treated the same way.
