Gen Z Employee Went Viral for 'Testing the Limits' of Her Job's Dress Code. Now She's Defending Herself from 'Hate' (Exclusive) Michelle LeeJanuary 14, 2026 at 11:00 AM 0 Kacey Mathews/TikTok; Kacey Mathews/Instagram Gen Z employee defends herself for dressing casually to work A 22yearold corporate employee is getting "hate" on TikTok for "testing the limits" of her workplace's business casual dress code Kacey Mathews, who works as a nonfacing customer service representative, went viral for revealing she wore a sweater and jeans to the office She tells PEOPLE why she thinks dressing casually f...
- - Gen Z Employee Went Viral for 'Testing the Limits' of Her Job's Dress Code. Now She's Defending Herself from 'Hate' (Exclusive)
Michelle LeeJanuary 14, 2026 at 11:00 AM
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Kacey Mathews/TikTok; Kacey Mathews/Instagram
Gen Z employee defends herself for dressing casually to work -
A 22-year-old corporate employee is getting "hate" on TikTok for "testing the limits" of her workplace's business casual dress code
Kacey Mathews, who works as a non-facing customer service representative, went viral for revealing she wore a sweater and jeans to the office
She tells PEOPLE why she thinks dressing casually for work is okay and addresses her video's "old-school" reactions
Slacks and button-ups — not for this Gen Z employee.
In November, 22-year-old Kacey Mathews went viral on TikTok for "testing the limits of 'business casual' everyday" at her place of work. The outfit she wore included a sweater, jeans and sneakers, which is pretty much what she always put on for her job as a customer service representative in Virginia Beach, Va.
"I typically wear leggings or jeans, a sweater or hoodie, and whatever shoes I am feeling that day," she tells PEOPLE. And that would track with her office's non-strict dress code. "Yes, I dress very casual, but still very appropriate," adds Mathews, who explains that she isn't working face-to-face with clients and works out of a small office.
Kacey Mathews/TikTok
Kacey Mathews' viral outfit
"Both of my coworkers are from a different generation than me, but we dress very similarly. They both wear jeans and a hoodie or sweater daily." Mathews says no one at her job has said anything about her outfits yet.
Some of the people commenting on her now-viral TikTok video, which has reached 8 million views as of writing, disagreed. "There was a lot of hate on my video," she says.
One user commented, "Business casual literally means no jeans. Professionalism is still a thing let's pull it together," while another reacted, "Nothing about jeans is business casual." A third wrote, "That's just regular casual. Sweaters, jeans and trainers are all casual pieces. For business casual you need at least one business piece."
"I was honestly entertained by the negative comments and the arguments under them. It is my job, so I think I may know more about what I can and cannot wear than some TikTok commenters," Mathews tells PEOPLE, noting that there were far more responses agreeing with what she wore.
Shared one viewer, "I work in an office and almost everyone including me dresses like this. No it's not technically business casual, but it's up to you to determine what the culture of your specific office is." Another admitted that she was sent home from work for wearing jeans and a "nice T-shirt" on a day when "business attire" was required.
There was even one woman who related gender inequality to dressing more professionally. "Forever dressing towards the business side of business casual. As women, we are so often underestimated and undervalued in the workforce. I will NOT be seen dressing anything under the highest ranking person in our office," they commented.
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While Mathews sees a point in that, she feels like its a "very old-school way of thinking."
"Depending on the position, women should be able to dress however they please without it reflecting on their work. I work just as hard in jeans as I would in dress pants. It's 2026, let's not worry about what other people are wearing."
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: January 14, 2026 at 12:45PM on Source: MORNING MAG
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