An unnamed Canadian waitress was forced to work a full shift in painful heels which, in the end, caused her feet to bleed. The story first appeared in The Daily Mail, which featured a Facebook post about the incident, as posted by a friend of the waitress, Nicola Gavins.

The post, which has been shared more than 11,000 times, also reveals how the waitress was rebuked by the management for wearing flats, and asked to wear heels again the next day. The restaurant chain in question, Joey, claims to have a policy that female employees must wear heels unless “medically restricted.” They refused to take the waitress’ bleeding feet, and broken toenail, as a medical restriction. This, despite the fact that heels have been proven to be a health hazard.

This brings to light the disgusting discrepancies in the treatment of female staffers, as compared to their male counterparts, even in the so-called first world. Forcing women to look a certain way, no matter how uncomfortable it makes them, is not a new thing in the service industry. A wake up call for those who gloss over sexism, in the form of dress codes for women, and treat them as showpieces.

H/T: The Daily Mail