A daily newspaper journalist has recalled being “lambasted” for wearing trousers to work in a column on sexism in the newsroom.

Annie Brown, chief writer for the Daily Record, remembered the incident with a previous employer along with several others in the column.

Annie, pictured above left, added she was once asked to “wear a pretty frock” to interview a “crumbly old sheriff”.

Her column was written after Nadia Sawalha, a presenter on ITV’s Loose Women, revealed how she wore the same top each time she was on the show to demonstrate how women’s clothing is scrutinised and criticised.

Wrote Annie: “When I was a young reporter on another newspaper, the editor lambasted me for wearing trousers to work. The fact I had just navigated the snow didn’t register with a man whose temper tantrums kept his temperature at boiling point

“It was a sexist diktat that made me certain that in life, men would always wear the trousers.”

Annie added she couldn’t count the number of sartorial comments received over the course of her career from men with “fat bellies bursting out of a stained and creased shirt”.

She continued: “While it is often accepted men can look like they slept in the car, women should sashay into work like they just stepped out of the salon.

“Another former editor called me into his office to assign me an interview with a crumbly old sheriff and I was told to ‘wear a pretty frock’. He told me: ‘The old guy likes a pretty girl in a nice dress.’

“As, inwardly, I labelled the editor a word that rhymes with frock, I told him I shouldn’t be used to encourage some old bloke to spill his guts as he drooled. Fortunately, the old sheriff died before I had to do the interview.

“Another bitchy, elderly journalist chastised me for wearing a skirt above my knees because I was all of 32. Apparently the cut-off point for showing one’s knees is 30 and when I saw hers, it explained the self-imposed ban.

“I like to dip in and out of fashion and some days I make more effort than others but that should always come down to choice. Women should look presentable for work but it is important to remember that being smart is more often a greater asset than looking smart.”