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How to Address Comments About Physical Appearance at Work

Scott Sinclair on July 24, 2024

tags: At Work, Disclosure, Self Confidence, Side Effects, working through treatment, Working Through Treatment

Laura Mock is a meteorologist working at Fox 23 in Tulsa, Oklahoma and was diagnosed with stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer in May of 2024. She has continued to work during treatment, and recently after she experienced hair loss as a side effect of chemotherapy, she started to wear a wig on air. In a recent interview with Today.com, she said “I have been overwhelmed with positive comments. There have not been many negative ones, but when the negative ones come in, they absolutely stand out.”

One comment has, rightfully, struck a nerve with her. Someone sent an email to her entire news team saying, “Can she stop playing with her hair and do weather. Looks like she has added fake hair.”

Mock responded on her Facebook page saying, “News flash! It is fake…Think twice before sending hateful emails to your local news talent...Does it bother me? Not really. I have thick skin and have other things to worry about, like the cancer I’m trying to kick out of my body. Doesn’t mean I should have to tolerate comments like this.”

Hearing insensitive comments at work can be hurtful and distracting from the job someone is trying to perform. Unfortunately, we hear from people working during treatment about a wide variety of comments they receive from co-workers, or outside viewers in the case of a public facing job like this. Even for someone like Mock who says she has thick skin, these types of comments can take an emotional toll. There is no place in any setting—let alone a work one—for remarks like this to ever be made. If you are working with someone going through treatment, or returning to work after treatment, we encourage you to read through some suggestions on what to say, and what not to say in order to be a supportive colleague.

If an insensitive comment is said to you in the workplace, there are a few ways you can react. You can use it as a teachable moment, like Mock did. Address the comment, and if you’ve disclosed or are comfortable disclosing, openly explain what is going on , why you are wearing a wig, and make it clear that this is inappropriate and unacceptable behavior in a work environment. This very direct approach may not feel or be right for everyone for a variety of reasons and it may cause tension between you and the co-worker making the comment.

Another technique you could use is a CAC favorite called The Swivel. This involves acknowledging the comment, putting an AND in the middle and then swiveling the conversation back to something that is work related. For example, if someone were to say something about your wig in the workplace you could respond by saying something like, “Oh yes I’m still learning how to style this…and…I’m glad you stopped by, I wanted to hear your thoughts on that meeting we had yesterday.” Being able to refocus the conversation back to a work-related topic can be really empowering and remind your coworkers that you are there to do a job.

For more on this topic, check out:
• Addressing Comments at Work
• When a Coworker Has Cancer: What to Say
• Recasting Yourself After Cancer
• Setting Professional Boundaries


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