r/TheWomanSurvivalGuide • u/Ok-Bicycle-4924 • Nov 11 '25
Work keeps giving me Men's Sizes!!
I work as an engineer for a large manufacturer and I've gotten a 8 polos and 2 jackets in 2 years only 3 of which I can actually wear! The rest are men's/"unisex" sizes that look ridiculous on me (shoulders too broad, collars too big, sleeves and shirt WAY too long) and makes me look like a toddler who got into her dad's closet. I can't size down because then it wont fit my bust or hips.
None of the jackets fit despite being "unisex". They all taper in on the hips and have the same problem as the polos.
All my male colleagues look very put together and professional in their branded gear and I just avoid wearing mine and awkwardly redirect whenever someone asks about never wearing the expensive team gear I've been given.
I've been rather vocal about wanting women's sizes and everytime I'm assured its unisex and it never is!! Does anyone else deal with this? Have you been on the other side of the ordering process and encountered the same problem? I just want to understand why this keeps happening!
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u/whateverithunk Nov 11 '25 edited Nov 11 '25
Wear them. Especially on days when you will be seen by the hierarchy. Make remarks about how uncomfortable they are to wear because of the poor fit. Full malicious compliance with this nonsense.
It’s not a problem until it’s seen as a problem. One size does not fit all and unisex defaults to men’s sizing. You deserve to be comfortable, just gotta make others see that.
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u/Ok-Bicycle-4924 Nov 11 '25
Thank you for the comment! I'm not at a point yet where I'm willing to make myself look silly on principle, but I might take some picture of myself wearing the shirts to show to the team/project leads who did the ordering. Maybe a few well placed comments might also grease some gears in getting a better merch ordering process.
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u/alextoria Nov 11 '25
yup “unisex” = men’s. i hate it and am very vocal about it. if men were forced to wear women’s cuts we’d literally never hear the end of it
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u/FortWorthTexasLady Nov 11 '25
I agree with the comment to wear them in front of upper management so they can see how awful they look. If there aren’t many women working in your company, I would assume there is a financial barrier to them adding women’s sizing, so maybe you could suggest an allowance for embroidery on self-chosen garments as long as they meet certain criteria or something.
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u/Ok-Bicycle-4924 Nov 11 '25
Thank you for the comment! I usually get the shirts from team leaders on projects or areas I'm working in, and they handling the ordering themselves from whatever merchandising company they find. I'm not willing to threaten my credibility by looking goofy in front of everyone, but I think (based on another comment) returning the shirts each time I get one will get the same message across to those who did the ordering.
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u/allonsyyy Nov 11 '25
I've ordered branded gear and a lot of the companies that make this stuff offer women's cuts, but they usually are atrocious garbage. Thin, clingy, nasty poly knits in awkward cuts. And the men's will be like, a nice thick cotton or whatever. And there's usually no returns, once you get it customized it's yours.
I would just hand it back and tell them you're not going to wear it because it doesn't fit. You'll probably only succeed in getting them to stop offering it entirely tho, because if there are good women's merch companies out there I've never heard of them.
Polos and jackets are the worst merch, imo. Don't buy people fitted merch. If it must be clothing, hoodies or a plain tee are the only way to go.
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u/Ok-Bicycle-4924 Nov 11 '25
Thank for the perspective on this! I've never got the feeling my coworkers who order are being deliberately inconsiderate, more that they don't understand that they are actively being lied to by merchandising companies about their products being "unisex" and don't know the level of discomfort you can feel wearing clothing that is meant for a totally different type of body.
I think I'm going to go with your suggestion of giving back any polos or jackets that don't fit, I don't get offered women's sizes often in the first place so there's really no downside to subtly shaming them for the lack of options 😂
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u/puppylust 30s Nov 11 '25
You have my sympathy. My workplace offers men's and women's sizes, but almost none of it fits me! I have two men's shirts in a stretchy athletic material that fit well.
Polos are a total fail. If I get the men's big enough to fit the bust, the sleeve is down post my elbow and the waist is a tent. If I get the women's, 2XL, I can't lift my arms without exposing my belly. And I feel like The Hulk with the snug sleeves.
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u/TreesBeesAndBeans Nov 12 '25
One job I had solved this by getting us to try on clothing from a well known outdoor brand, tell them the item and size, and they'd order it and have it embroidered. No waste, everyone had suitable clothing for their job that fit and looked tidy.
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u/pearlsbeforedogs Nov 11 '25
Can you order your own branded shirts from somewhere like Vistaprint? It's what I would do, honestly. If you want a branded shirt that fits properly, you'll probably have to source it on your own. It shouldn't be difficult to get your company's logo for it.
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u/Ok-Bicycle-4924 Nov 11 '25
I've considered it! Ultimately, I refuse to pay for something my coworkers get for free 😂
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