‘Did I join a football fantasy draft?’: US man’s rant on colleague’s casual dressing during Zoom call goes viral; sparks debate on professionalism

The post, which has since gone viral, wasn’t about fashion, he clarified, but about effort. Loomis admitted he wasn’t sure if he was being overly traditional or if expectations around professional appearance still mattered — even on video calls.

“As I stared at my screen, wondering if I’d accidentally joined a fantasy football draft instead of a security product demo,” he wrote, “I caught myself thinking: is this really bothering me? Am I that outdated?”

He added, “Maybe in 2025, ‘dress for success’ has been replaced with ‘dress like you’re grabbing milk from the corner store.’” But he stood by his belief that appearances — even on Zoom — help set the tone. “The call was brief. Not entirely because of the casual attire, but it certainly set a tone that suggested this might not be a partnership of aligned priorities.”

Take a look at the post:

The post quickly picked up traction, drawing over 350 comments from people on both sides of the debate. One commenter pointed out the irony: “My friend, you are wearing a polo, which is a t-shirt by business standards. You don’t have a suit on. You’re a collar away from looking just like him, so maybe pump the brakes??” The commenter also wrote, “You’d have been the guy who turned down Zuckerberg because he didn’t wear a suit and missed the boat for sure.”

Another individual said, “I agree with you. It’s just a different time and a different generation.”

A third person wrote, “So, lemme get this straight: you made a decision about the value of the solution for your organization based on how the sales guy was dressed?”

A fourth user commented, “I solve this issue by never using my computer’s camera. Then the person on the other end can just fantasize that I’m wearing whatever attire their personal sensibilities deem appropriate.”