A woman says she was told to wait outside a car-inspection station because her shirt was 'inappropriate'

• Tia Wood said on TikTok that she was asked to wait outside a car-inspection station over her outfit.
• Wood said it was because her shirt was "too inappropriate."
• She told Insider that she was caught off guard but not surprised.

A TikTok user named Tia Wood said she was told to wait outside a car-inspection station in Lakewood, New Jersey, because her outfit was "inappropriate."

In a TikTok video posted on July 20, Wood is seen wearing a crop top, denim shorts, and white sneakers.

"Was told to wait outside the inspection station because my shirt was too inappropriate," she captioned the video, which had 2.2 million views at the time of writing.

@tiawould

DIDNT KNOW GETTING UR CAR INSPECTED HAD A DRESS CODE!!!!!! ❤️‍ ##fyp ##DontQuitYourDaydream ##UltaSkinTok

♬ Bezos I - Bo Burnham

Wood told Insider that she was confronted about her shirt by a woman working at the Lakewood MVC Inspection Station.

The Lakewood MVC Inspection Station did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

In a follow-up TikTok posted on July 20, which had 355,000 views at the time of writing, Wood said the employee asked her if she had another shirt she could put on. Wood explained in the video that when she said she didn't have another shirt, the employee replied: "Then I'm sorry, ma'am. You have to wait outside until your car is done."

Wood told Insider that the employee demonstrated with her hands exactly which way to walk around the building and where she should wait outside. She said the area was located away from where other customers were waiting for their cars.

"I just got out of my car and did the walk of shame to the back of the building," Wood said.

@tiawould

the time i was dress coded at the inspection starion

♬ original sound - Tia Wood

After the vehicle was inspected, Wood said the woman honked the horn to let her know her car was good to go.

"I passed. Thank God," Wood said in her TikTok video. "You know, I probably wouldn't have passed had I stayed inside, you know, with my shirt looking how it does."

Wood told Insider that she didn't think what happened to her was a big deal until her dad's response to the situation made her realize the incident wasn't justified.

"I think it definitely illustrates a much larger issue of sexism and misogyny and how we view women's bodies," Wood said. "It's opened my eyes in that when you're in a place of privilege, you can feel a little bit removed from these issues, but then when you're confronted with them, you realize that maybe we haven't made the progress that we thought we have."

After the incident, Wood said she contacted the Lakewood MVC Inspection Station to see if there is a dress code and to talk to someone about what happened. She posted a recording of her call to TikTok on July 21.

In the video, an employee told Wood that the car-inspection station doesn't "have a certain dress code."

@tiawould

Reply to @tiawould

♬ original sound - Tia Wood

"I recorded it because people on TikTok wanted to know the outcome of it, but that was before the videos went really viral," Wood said. "I feel like now the case is closed, and I still feel good about myself."

She added: "I felt very validated, and I felt good. I trusted that she was going to handle it as she says. I hoped that maybe something can come out of this, and that this woman wouldn't do that to anyone anymore."