Dress codes have been much in the news recently, largely because of the way the burden of compliance seems to fall on women — whether it be requiring them to don heels instead of flats, not to wear leggings or simply to “dress like a woman” (remember that?). But last week, the tables were turned, and men suddenly found themselves in what they deemed a discriminatory situation.

Namely, they were being ordered to wear trousers, rather than shorts, in the midst of a heat wave. The resulting ad hoc protest united men across countries, age groups and employers. It took the form of … skirts. And therein lay some important lessons.

An early example came on June 19, when Joey Barge, who works at a call center in Buckinghamshire, in southern England, went to work in tailored navy shorts, despite their not being included in his office’s dress code. He documented the decision on Twitter: