20 y/o seamstress speaks out after being overworked, underpaid, and insulted by ‘toxic’ boutique owner AURORATOTO GROUP

SINGAPORE: A 20-year-old seamstress took to social media to share her experience of working at a “slightly well-known” vintage boutique, where she says she was grossly underpaid, overworked, and constantly belittled by the “toxic and narcissistic” store owner.

In her post on the r/SingaporeRaw forum, the woman explained that she had first joined the boutique as an intern for four months before leaving to continue her studies. After graduating, she returned to the same workplace, but resigned just two months later, citing mental health struggles and unrealistic expectations from her boss, who was paying her only S$16 an hour.

The woman wrote that her regular workday was seven hours long (excluding a one-hour break), but her boss expected her to alter “more than 10 pieces” of clothing and design and sew a completely new in-house garment within that same day.

“If you know the industry, you would know that 7 hours is absolutely unrealistic for a one-man job. She expected me to design, draft, cut, and sew a whole ass freaking garment within 7 hours. HELLO?” she wrote.

The woman said that she worked intensively and managed to complete the garment in four days, which she pointed out was already “really fast by fashion production standards.” However, her boss still criticised her as being “too slow.”

She added that the store owner, who does not have a design background herself, frequently insulted her skills and dismissed the realities of the creative process.

The seamstress also shared the toll it took on her while working there. “I’ve gone into several panic attacks (I have a history of diagnosed anxiety) and I’ve taken a one-week break after the first panic attack,” she wrote.

“The owner checked on me to ask what’s the problem, and my doctor recommended me to not have too much workload given to me within the seven hours. What did she say? ‘But this is the real world, this is what you have to deal with.’

Crushed by the owner’s relentless demands, the woman finally quit her job and cut all ties, but just a few days later, she was blindsided when the owner sent a long, scathing message, criticising her yet again.

In the text, the owner allegedly told her she was “too slow,” claimed she would “never survive in the fashion industry,” and insisted her shortcomings were because she had never held a “real full-time job in fashion” before.

“Even my old underpaid NTUC full-time job treated me better than however you treated me. At least I was seen as a human, meanwhile I was like a slave to this boss,” she wrote, adding that blocking her former boss was the best decision for her own mental health.

“Hope you find a better job soon.”

In the discussion thread, one Singaporean Redditor said that this scenario is, unfortunately, all too common in small businesses, not just in the design industry.

Another echoed this sentiment, writing, “All SME bosses are toxic. Nepotism is real, and they manipulate, have favourites, and triangulate. It’s very important to learn how to protect yourself rather than treat the environment like school, where your boss mentors you and everyone helps each other. It’s NOT. Interpersonal first, and work second. I would suggest you work for male bosses if possible, especially when you’re a female.”

A third added, “Life lessons are hard. Sad, but the harder the lesson, the more polish you will be. In company, profit is #1, ethics and morals tend to take a backseat. Never give up on your beliefs, hope you find a better job soon.”

In other news, a man shared on social media that he’s been having second thoughts about completely cutting ties with his cheating girlfriend, as she allegedly threatened to harm herself if he “refused to meet up or reply” to her messages.

Posting on the r/asksg forum, the man, who is in his late 20s, said they had been together for eight years. However, earlier this year, while he was studying abroad, he received an “anonymous tip” claiming that his girlfriend had been cheating on him for “the past six years.”

According to him, this tip included pictures and screenshots as well as other incriminating evidence.

Read more: Man fears ending 8-year relationship after cheating GF threatens to hurt herself