Dancing Queen No Longer
23Sep2003 Filed under: CareerYesterday, I arrived to work to find that my Dancing Queen skivies had been removed from my cubicle wall after my departure on Friday. Also missing: my Justin Timberlake poster. In their place, I had an email explaining that I was “pushing the envelope a bit with those items, so to be on the safe side,” they were taken down.
I do not like the safe side. I am now considering rebirthing the Dancing Queen skivies in the form of a mousepad or “safe side” stuffed animal. Perhaps as a stuffed catepillar!
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17 Responses to “Dancing Queen No Longer”
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Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
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leblanc
September 23rd, 2003 at 10:40 am
i was wondering if you were really going to get away with that. most offices barely even allow you to put up pictures of your kids.
heidi
September 23rd, 2003 at 12:00 pm
well sure. i can understand the taking down of things. but the very least they could have done is let you know in advance and politely asked you to take them down.
rather than just rearranging your space. seems fair.
maybe they should post a list of “acceptable” office decor?
sijeka
September 23rd, 2003 at 12:22 pm
telling you about this via email?
talk about being a coward.
Sarah
September 23rd, 2003 at 2:22 pm
Not that the whole Paul thing is pushing the envelope…no
I’m not surprised that such items are considered “inappropriate” for an open office space but talk about inadequate management skills.
I think they are afraid of you…very very afraid…you know - your unpredictable behavior and violent outbursts and all…stemming in the boardroom (or was that excersise you were doing?).
elisa
September 23rd, 2003 at 10:04 pm
Kill tha’ man!
(Or piss on him, whatever is easier…)
heidi
September 23rd, 2003 at 11:32 pm
i think i concur with sarah…they are very afraid…
amanda
September 24th, 2003 at 6:29 am
damn, that pisses me off! why is it that offices have to be so uptight and dull? why can’t you have fun while at work? What the hell is so wrong with a sassy pair of gitches hanging over your desk??? Damn the “safe side” easily offended man!
the mighty jimbo
September 24th, 2003 at 8:14 am
not surprised they were removed. underwear is of course last barrier to the dark side.
and justin? well we all know he pushes the limits of good taste.
Brodie
September 24th, 2003 at 8:19 am
W.W.P.D
What Would Paul Do ?
I think Paul might force the staff to take on a “Paradigm Shift” wherein each employee was given similar undies to wear outside their work pants. Or a pair of undies to hang on each cubicle that say “Approved Ands Safe Cubicle Decoration” ..yeah.
Go Paul !
tlc
September 24th, 2003 at 8:43 am
that’s erally cowardly and typical that they would take a passive-aggressive route. but i’m not surprised. i, for one, don’t really beleive in personalizing the workplace. that is what one’s home is for. did the picture of the topless woman survive? burning man photo, as i recall…
Ariel
September 24th, 2003 at 9:39 am
YES! The topless hooper photo from burning man remained. Strange, yeah?
db
September 24th, 2003 at 12:34 pm
I say the photo of the skivvies becomes your desktop image…
johnp
September 24th, 2003 at 3:00 pm
My guess is that you got the email because whoever made the decision feels a bit insecure and somewhat silly about how they felt or the fact that they needed to act on this (perhaps someone else complained). Granted, I would have handled things differently, but this doesn’t change the fact that someone felt compelled to do something about your stuff. Before you decide to do something even more “rash” you might want to follow up with your boss(?) to find out what their motivation was. As a manager and someone in charge of an office, the last thing I want is a confrontation like this where I can’t win and someone ends up pissed off.
kate
September 24th, 2003 at 3:43 pm
where’d you get those skivvies? i love them! i want a pair. also, ‘gitches’? i’ve never heard of the word, but i love it. etymology anyone? (i am a dork)
J2
September 25th, 2003 at 12:18 pm
the “man” is always doing his part to old the good people down. maybe you should just come into work one day only wearing your “Dancing Queen” skivies - wearing only them until they allow them back on the wall.
thanks for being part of my “100 Blogs, 100 Comments.”
Susan Sullivan
September 27th, 2003 at 10:18 pm
Hi Ariel! Boy do I miss your and Suz’s days around the house! Just reading all this brings back very fond memories. Love you!
Vince Brewster
December 25th, 2007 at 11:34 am
It’s more than four years down the road. Seriously, I hope you no longer work there.
Regardless of the propriety of your display, the skivvies were your property.