今天在yourmoney.ca上看到一篇文章，题目是《女士因为拒绝染发而被辞退？》

文章的作者 Brandon Miller 说，工作场所的歧视是一个很严重的问题，但是我们很少在新闻里看到。当我们在新闻里看到这类新闻时，通常又是很极端的例子，比如像这一个。

据 《休斯敦纪事报》报道，美国得克萨斯州一位53岁的女士Sandra Rawline从20岁起头发就开始变得灰白，在2009年，她的雇主要求她重塑形象 - 要她打扮得年轻一些、戴上很多珠宝首饰、改染她灰色的头发。当她拒绝这样做后，她在一周之内被辞退，一个比她年轻10岁的模特代替了她的职位。

文章的作者Brandon Miller说，《休斯敦纪事报》还提到了另一个例子，一个在赌场吧台工作的女士因为不化妆而被辞退，法庭的判决竟然认可雇主的辞退行为。

文章中列举的这些事件的确比较极端，但也说明美国并不像人们想象的那样自由。在北美的大公司工作，雇员必须遵守公司的着装规则，但这种因为头发和化装而被辞退的事件，就不仅仅是外形的歧视，而且是性别差异的歧视了。

Woman fired from her job for not dying her grey hair?

Brandon Miller   Jul 12, 2011

Workplace discrimination is a serious problem, but rarely do we hear about it in the news. When we do, it's usually extreme cases...like this one.

According to the Houston Chronicle, a 53-year-old Texas woman was fired for refusing to dye her greying hair. And this, my friends, is ageism and sexism rolled into a fancy little package. But only if that package were stepped on and rubbed in the dirt.

The woman – Sandra Rawline – went grey in her early 20s. In 2009, she was asked by her employer to step up her look – dress a bit younger, wear lots of jewelry and dye her greying hair. When she refused, she was fired within a week and replaced with a younger model ten years her junior.

So, first off, let’s talk about the fact that Ms. Rawline was hired in 2003. If she’s been greying since her 20s and she’s now 53, one would assume that she was hired while sporting grey locks. There’s a bit of inconsistency there, as pressure to look a certain way doesn’t typically set in overnight. But let’s roll with it, because it’s offensive any way you take it.

Unless somebody’s appearance is visibly offensive in the workplace, or their hygiene so putrid it cannot be tolerated, people should not be asked to change anything about their person. It’s fine to ask somebody to wear a suit if they’re showing up in track pants everyday and not matching the office dress code, but it’s grotesque that an employer would ask somebody to dress differently. In this case, Sandra Rawline was told to wear “younger, fancy suits.” What if she couldn’t afford trendier suits? What if she has body image issues? What if she doesn’t want to wear heels? Why should she have to?

What’s really irksome about this story is that it’s an unabashedly sexist request to make of a person. I can’t imagine a middle-aged man being told to wear younger, fancier ties. And judging by the plethora of poorly dressed businessmen in Toronto – young and old, I should add – I’m doubtful that anyone is even telling them to buy suits that fit properly. But that’s another story.

When men go grey, we call them distinguished. George Clooney and Anderson Cooper are labeled hunks and lauded as some of the sexiest men alive. And yet, even in 2011, we look down on women to choose to let nature run its course and age gracefully. What’s so wrong with a 53-year-old female worker who looks and dresses like a 53-year-old woman?

For what it’s worth, the company in question, Capital Title, denies the allegations. But the Houston Chronicle also mentions a case where a casino bartender was fired for not wearing makeup. And the court ruling deemed the firing acceptable.

I say that no man has the right to tell a woman to wear makeup to work – at least not until he’s put on a full face of it himself. How’s that for gender equality, ladies? Am I the only one who expects more in the workplace in 2011?

Do you think employers should be able to make requests like the one alleged here?