Women in Japan were told not to wear glasses to work. Their response has been fiery.
Glasses, say some companies in Japan, are just not right for women to wear to work. In recent reports by Japan's Nippon TV and Business Insider Japan, women from a range of industries described being instructed by their employers not to wear glasses. One receptionist recalled being told that glasses for her were not allowed, while a male receptionist was permitted to don corrective eyewear.
All of this was apparently news to many women in Japan, who, upon hearing what their fellow women have had to endure, took to social media to break that glasses ceiling. The hashtag "glasses are forbidden" has been trending in Japan since Wednesday. The news has touched a nerve among Japanese women tired of having their bodies scrutinized and regulated in ways that they say their male counterparts are not.
Many online commentators drew a connection to another recent uproar over Japanese workplaces requiring women to wear heeled shoes, which can be uncomfortable and difficult to work long hours in. Some high heels, medical experts have warned, can even cause chronic health problems.