Thursday 3 June 2010

Is Citibank Seeking Dress-Code Advice from Iranian Clerics?

I recently posted a story about the Iranian cleric who was blaming the provocative dress of Iranian women on earthquakes in the region.  It seems that men telling women what to wear is not the sole preserve of deluded Iranian clerics; it also happens at Citibank in New York.

Here's an interesting case, being filed by Debrahlee Lorenzana who claims her male bosses found her business suits too alluring and distracting and could she please stop wearing them please.  Citibank reportedly argued that she was dressing "in a manner that was upsetting to her easily distracted male managers". Poor guys!  Maybe if they focussed more on their shoddy investment practices (Citibank received over $50 million in the bank bailout) they wouldn't be so easily flustered by what their female colleagues were wearing.

2 comments:

S said...

There was always a dress code. No skirts 2 inches above the knee, no open-toe shoes, 2 inch heels or less, no sleeveless shirts. You want to see men wearing open toe shoes, sleeveless shirts, heels??? Men are almost always forced to wear suits - long sleeves in the summer! Then came the usual - diversity. The excuse for not following rules. This country has a bunch of misfits now - those that want to make a statement about their rights. Shut up, dress properly & go to work. Otherwise, go open your own business & do as you like.

Spy Wednesday said...

Yes, there has always been a dress code, and that's not the issue here. The point is that Citibank are claiming that even though the Ms. Lorenzana wore tailored business suits like other male and female employees, it was SHE who was being singled out as being too distracting. I'm sure there is more to this case than meets the eye, but on the surface it looks like this employee was following the guidelines set out for all employees, but her male managers still found her appearance alone inappropriate; that IS discriminatory!