Joey’s dress is a freedom fight – not a battle for equality

When Joey Barge wore a pink dress to work during a heatwave, people called it a triumph of equality. What nonsense.

As the British grumpily endured temperatures in the 30s with the amnesia of people who often spend summers grumpily enduring rain, Joey decided to wear shorts to his call centre job in Buckinghamshire.

But, citing the dress code, his employer sent him home to change. So Joey took the idea of a dress code literally and returned to work in a frock.

He called it a “partial victory” when, as dozens of media outlets warmly reported last week, he was told he could go home and put his shorts on. He decided not to, preferring the dress and good for him. It was a clever idea and a great example of freedom of expression.

But it had nothing to do with equality, whatever anyone says.

You hear that sort of talk a lot. Women make a derogatory remark about men and men reply they can’t say the same about women.

Or special arrangements are made for someone who is female, or a visible minority and a section of those who consider themselves masculine will complain they are not being equally treated. They need to shut up. Equality doesn’t mean giving everyone the same treatment. It means trying to even things out, because some people start from a position of disadvantage.

Men – especially middle-class white men like me – come from a place of privilege.

In a society where, on average, women earn 9.4% less than men despite it being against the law for 40 years, being allowed to wear fewer clothes to work during a heatwave is no compensation. I’d congratulate Joey Barge for standing up for common sense but that’s all the praise he deserves.

Besides, he could have just worn a kilt. As all wise men know, being Scottish is the ultimate privilege.