Business Insider Japan published an article by Reiko Takeshita in October based on a survey of more than 1,400 workers, finding that female workers were being asked to refrain from wearing glasses at work because they are not aesthetically pleasing.
The BBC reported on Friday that retail chains said glasses give shop assistants a "cold impression," and therefore female workers should not wear them.
The hashtag #メガネ禁止, which translates to "glasses are forbidden," is currently trending on Twitter in Japan, according to The Washington Post.
Japanese women are using the hashtag to call out the sexist workplace dress code. The Post highlighted one Tweet reading, "Isn't it so troublesome when you can see all the middle-aged men in the world?" accompanied by a picture of red glasses frames on a keyboard.
#メガネ禁止
今日迎えに行った、新しいメガネ。
メガネ禁止とかなんだそれ。
世の中のおっさん達、見られたら困ることがそんなに多いのかね? pic.twitter.com/pen7gHZ2bj
— key (@key00559207) November 6, 2019