Refined Version
Shianne Foxx — known on social media as “The Bikini Tradie” — has sparked a fiery discussion on workplace double standards after publicly calling out sexist dress‑code rules on a sweltering job site. According to her, the temperature had climbed to around 40 °C (104 °F), and while her male coworkers were allowed to go shirtless, she was told she couldn’t remove her top. Her supervisor’s reasoning? It would be “distracting.”
In a now-viral TikTok video, Foxx voiced her frustration: “It’s a f—ing 40‑degree day today … I’m the one who has to wear my shirt, while all the boys on-site don’t have to wear theirs.” She called the rule sexist and unfair, arguing that if men can shed their shirts in the heat, women should be afforded the same option.
Foxx didn’t stop there — she challenged the idea that breasts are inherently distracting, insisting they are simply a “natural thing.” She told News.com.au that she has “no shame” in asking to go topless, especially since her male colleagues routinely do so.
Her call for equal treatment has ignited a broader conversation about sexism in male-dominated trades. Foxx, who has worked in such industries for over four years, said she shared her story not only out of personal frustration but also to encourage more women to join these fields.
The reaction online has been sharply divided. Some users applauded her courage and her challenge to outdated workplace norms, while others raised concerns: could allowing topless work for women lead to distractions, safety issues, or a breakdown in professionalism? Among more critical voices, some tradeswomen said her approach — including working in a bikini and her online persona — does not represent them, and argued that her actions may do more harm than good for perceptions of women in trades.
At its heart, Foxx’s protest touches on deeper issues of bodily autonomy, gendered workplace expectations, and how we define “professionalism” in physically demanding, outdoor jobs. Her case forces employers and society to ask: why are women’s bodies still so heavily policed — even when the conditions are the same as for their male counterparts?
