“My Body Is Not Office Property”: Confronting Inappropriate Behavior in the Workplace

What happens when professionalism and dignity clash in the very space meant to grow your career?

In recent times, I’ve often found myself saying, “Well, I cannot leave the rest of my body at home,” when deciding what to wear to work. It sounds almost humorous, but behind that statement is a reality many women know too well: the constant balancing act of navigating inappropriate comments, unsolicited jokes, and subtle harassment in professional spaces.

For women in the workplace, this isn’t an isolated experience. It’s a pattern. A lingering remark about how a dress “fits,” a sexual joke disguised as banter, or a comment about how one “smells.”

I’ve lived this. I’ve sat in meetings where conversations were laced with sexual innuendos and people made derogatory remarks about my person. I’ve even had colleagues, like Dietitian Malomo, make public comments about my body, describing the size of my breasts, the thinness of my waist, and the shape of my bosom, on a professional platform. It read less like a comment from a peer and more like the frustrations of a man not sexually satisfied at home.

Yet, these behaviors are often brushed off as “harmless” or “just jokes.” But the truth is, they are anything but harmless. They erode trust, safety, and respect in the very spaces where we are supposed to thrive professionally. They are micro-aggressions that pile up into a mountain of toxicity, and women are told to endure them.

Many of us have been conditioned to smile through the discomfort. To accept passes politely. To laugh at remarks we didn’t find funny to avoid being labeled as “too uptight” or “difficult.” But professionalism should never come at the cost of dignity.

The truth is, harassment in the workplace isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s subtle. Sometimes it’s hidden behind authority. And sometimes it’s normalized so much that women are made to feel like we are the problem for not finding it funny.

This behavior must change. Respect is not optional; it is the bare minimum. Leaders, colleagues, and workplaces must be intentional about creating safe, respectful environments where professionals are valued for their skills, not objectified for their bodies.

And here’s where I stand: we cannot keep condoning men who cannot control themselves. We cannot keep protecting those who make women feel unsafe at work. The era of silent endurance is over. From here on, we will start calling out inappropriate behavior and holding people accountable.

Because our bodies are not office property. Our dignity is not up for debate. And our silence will no longer be mistaken for acceptance.

What will it take for us to create workplaces where dignity is not negotiable?