A worker on TikTok has gone viral after showing the moment they realized they had a not-safe-for-work art piece visible on a Zoom call.
In a video with more than 14.3 million views, user Michaela (@michaelafoky) shows herself in a Zoom window, before quickly changing her background so that it is blurred.
“Remembering mid-meeting that a piece of art I hung up is not work appropriate,” she writes in the text overlaying the video.
@michaelafoky Haters will say its a reenactment #corporatejoke #zoomfail #itsajokedontfireme ♬ what the fuck was that – champagnemami
While Michaela confesses in the caption that the video may be a reenactment, hashtagging the piece “#corporatejoke #zoomfail #itsajokedontfireme,” the video still spurred discussion from users who had similar stories.
“I did my senior yr of college remote and for a majority of my classes,” a user recalled. “I forgot that the ‘Poopin Pooches’ calendar from my sister was behind me.”
“Me who totally forgot my bra was on my bed for a cluster meeting,” another added.
“Me in COVID college w my giant tapestry of a girl smoking in my background,” a third offered.
Still, other users said that given the abstract nature of the artwork and Zoom’s video compression, Michaela was probably fine in leaving it uncovered. Michaela later revealed the actual art, though she admitted the reveal was most likely “disappointing” to viewers.
@michaelafoky Replying to @myjujubean ♬ original sound – Michaelafoky
The print itself is a high-contrast image of someone swimming through water. The risqué aspect, Michaela shares, is that one nipple is exposed.
“It’s just enough inappropriate that my HR team wouldn’t appreciate it, so we took it down,” Michaela says.
While many commenters reiterated that Michaela was probably fine to leave the image up, others understood her position.
“All though it’s hard to tell I stilll you made the right choice and shouldn’t risk it cause we never know,” a user shared.
The Daily Dot reached out to Michaela via Instagram direct message.
*First Published: Sep 9, 2022, 8:15 am CDT
Braden Bjella
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Braden Bjella is a culture writer. His work can be found in Mixmag, Electronic Beats, Schön! magazine, and more.