Woman Gives Boss What He Asked For, But Not What He Expected

Chifundo
A woman making a silly face.
Shutterstock | 222558485

In a male-dominated tech consulting job, a woman is told by her boss to smile more in meetings. Feeling uncomfortable, she asks her coworkers if he's ever told them to do the same. When they all say no, she decides to give her boss a silly smile instead.

Though it's a running joke at the office now, she wonders if she was wrong for gaslighting her boss. Was she the a**hole for her fake smile thing? Read on to find out more about the situation.

Breaking gender stereotypes in the tech industry - a woman's experience.

tiancrow | tiancrow

When the boss's request was totally uncalled for 😒

tiancrow | tiancrow

Navigating double standards and client attitudes in the workplace 😒

tiancrow | tiancrow

Employee hilariously trolls boss's request to smile more 😂

tiancrow | tiancrow

Employee's revenge with a fake smile and double chin 😬

tiancrow | tiancrow

When the joke's on the boss 😏

tiancrow | tiancrow

Misunderstood at work? We've all been there 😕

tiancrow | tiancrow

Coworkers defend woman's unique smile with photo evidence 📸

tiancrow | tiancrow

Explaining her smile to her boss, things got awkward 😬

tiancrow | tiancrow

Boss critiques fake demeanor, prefers genuine attitude with clients 😊

tiancrow | tiancrow

Keeping it real: When faking enthusiasm doesn't come naturally 😐

tiancrow | tiancrow

Office joke turns into smashing nickname resembling Nigel Thornberry 🦍

tiancrow | tiancrow

Avoiding sexism with fake smiles - AITA for being indirect?

tiancrow | tiancrow

Woman gives boss unexpected fake smile to combat sexism 😏

In this story, a woman working in a tech consulting job was told by her boss to smile more, claiming that she was coming off as too harsh with clients. Feeling frustrated, she confided in her coworkers who pointed out the double standard and suggested she respond in a humorous way. She started smiling more, but with a pinched, bug-eyed expression, and purposely pulled her chin back towards her neck to give herself a double chin.

Her boss became uncomfortable and questioned her about the face she was pulling, but her coworkers had her back and showed that it was just her natural smile. The woman's boss eventually realized his mistake and admitted that her fake smile was coming off as disingenuous. The incident became a running joke at the office and the woman was given the nickname Nigel Thornberry.

While she feels a little bad for gaslighting her boss, she learned to stand up for herself and confront sexism in a humorous way. Stay tuned for the comments and reactions from Reddit!

NTA and a great team to work with! 😃

one_1f_by_land | one_1f_by_land

NTA. Boss learned his lesson. Coworkers had her back 👍

Myay-4111 | Myay-4111

Malicious compliance wins, NTA 🤣

[deleted] | [deleted]

Boss demands fake smile, gets fake smile, and coworkers have her back 👏

Angelwind76 | Angelwind76

Employee's revenge on boss with unexpected results. NTA 😂

cigarettesAFTRsx | cigarettesAFTRsx

NTA. What a clever and satisfying way to deal with a creepy boss. The coworkers' support is heartwarming ❤️

KaliTheBlaze | KaliTheBlaze

Boss tells woman to smile more, woman delivers with deranged smile 😬

gtwl214 | gtwl214

Solid coworkers and an amazing person gets what she deserves! 🙌

HedgieTwiggles | HedgieTwiggles

Directness gets you nowhere, but this response made legends 👏

NotSoBunny | NotSoBunny

NTA gets top marks for perfect malicious compliance 👌🏼

Jjustingraham | Jjustingraham

NTA, but use this as an opportunity to have a conversation 💬

ziptiedinatrunk | ziptiedinatrunk

Smiling in the workplace? Not on my watch 😤🙅‍♂️

kitten-katten | kitten-katten

Woman shuts down sexist boss, internet applauds 👏👏

[deleted] | [deleted]

Applauding the OP for being NTA 👏 and deserving gold 🏆

MotherOfCrotchFruit | MotherOfCrotchFruit

Cheering for the employee who outsmarted the boss 🎉👏

unjessicabiel_evable | unjessicabiel_evable

Woman shuts down sexist boss and inspires laughter with photo.

Rohini_rambles | Rohini_rambles

Exposing sexism and turning the tables on a sexist boss. 💪

addisonavenue | addisonavenue

Friendly greeting and not the a-hole

GratefulPig | GratefulPig

Commenter finds situation hilarious and supports OP's actions 😂

minwaateh | minwaateh

👏 Genius Malicious Compliance! NTA wins the day.

Magical_Pancakes1 | Magical_Pancakes1

Spread the weird smile 😜🙃 revolution with coworkers! #NTA

APotatoPancake | APotatoPancake

Breaking the gender stereotype: Smile doesn't define femininity 🙅

vt2022cam | vt2022cam

Coworkers support OP against terrible boss 🔥

gallowsserket | gallowsserket

Coworkers show support for funny poster, NTA prevails 🎉

carefulconfidence101 | carefulconfidence101

Boss gets taste of own medicine, employee fired but satisfied 😂

rattlestaway | rattlestaway

😂 Hilarious response to boss makes for a great story

Aegisman17 | Aegisman17

Laughter is the best response! NTA 😂

Hamdown1 | Hamdown1

Female employee stands up to sexist boss with support of co-workers 👏

Tim-oBedlam | Tim-oBedlam

When compliance becomes revenge, enter r/maliciouscompliance 😈

psycodered | psycodered

Nigel Thornberry earns respect for unexpected move. 😂 NTA

RedObsessed | RedObsessed

Woman shuts down sexist boss with clever response 🙌

Loud-Foundation4567 | Loud-Foundation4567

Solidarity wins! 👏 Coworkers support NTA

GarlicAvailable1905 | GarlicAvailable1905

Grateful for coworkers who step up and a boss who didn't.

LlamaMamaMandi | LlamaMamaMandi

Spread some joy with NTA and a smiley face 😊

No_Hippo_1472 | No_Hippo_1472

Boss gets what he deserves. You and coworkers are gold! 🏆

ThorayaLast | ThorayaLast

A hilarious story with the best coworkers! 😂 NTA

JonesinforJonesey | JonesinforJonesey

Commenter hailed as hero with Nigel Thornberry reference 👏🦍

Moonstone_Daydream | Moonstone_Daydream

Commenter hilariously supports OP's NTA status with laughing emoji.

goodstiffmaynard | goodstiffmaynard

Bosses who demand fake smiles can f**k off 😤

brunzk | brunzk

Commenter questions whether boss's request was sexist or not 🤔

KingMigi | KingMigi

Receiving unwelcome feedback? Don't gaslight your boss, be professional 🤣

Boudicca_Grace | Boudicca_Grace

Redditor questions if OP considered company image before calling out boss.

Joey101937 | Joey101937

Commenter calls out OP for unprofessional behavior at work. Yikes 🤨

Captain_pooky | Captain_pooky

Breaking gender roles and standing up to sexism. NTA 👊

rpepperpot_reddit | rpepperpot_reddit

Coworkers show support for NTA employee 🙌

SeaweedFeeling1556 | SeaweedFeeling1556

Coworkers show loyalty and support. Heartwarming. ❤️

Careless-Banana-3868 | Careless-Banana-3868

Empowering response to workplace misogyny 😊👍

meduzica | meduzica

Female employee praised for standing up to boss with coworker support 👏

PoppyGooze | PoppyGooze

This comment made someone laugh out loud! 😂 NTA

telepathicathena | telepathicathena

Laughing in solidarity with NTA commenter 🤣

PamelaOfMosman | PamelaOfMosman

Commenter relates to post, uses humor to break tension 😂

GameOver_sucks | GameOver_sucks

Employee gets revenge on sexist boss with harmless gaslighting 👏

xavii117 | xavii117

You're a hero! 🦸‍♀️

NefariousnessKey5365 | NefariousnessKey5365

Teamwork makes the dream work! 😂👌❤️👻

Rich-Ingenuity-3791 | Rich-Ingenuity-3791

You and your supportive coworkers are awesome! NTA 👍

muerta | muerta

Clever response to boss's request earns NTA judgement 🤣

OtakuAudi | OtakuAudi

Justified gaslighting? 🤔 NTA comment section thinks so.

BigOnion_ | BigOnion_

Commenter hilariously calls out pun in thread 😂

Pym_Particles | Pym_Particles

Breaking gender stereotypes in the workplace. 💪🏼👩🏻‍💼

anewfaceinthecrowd | anewfaceinthecrowd

Embrace the nickname, you're a hero! NTA 👏

votramie | votramie

Positive male allies show support for woman in workplace 💪

DelugeBunny | DelugeBunny

HR associate calls out discrimination in workplace 👩‍⚖️

Glitslit96 | Glitslit96

Cheers to the supportive coworkers and NTA OP 🎉

Swampcattopus | Swampcattopus

Well played! 👏 Not the a**hole in this situation.

Tihocan | Tihocan

Boss gets what he deserves, hero saves the day 💪

zelda-hime | zelda-hime