There have been a lot of studies showing that better looking people get better treatment and better pay, but things may be looking up for the “ugly ducklings” of the world—at least if you’re a banker.
According to Abovethelaw.com, Debrahlee Lorenzana is suing Citibank on the grounds that it fired her for being too good looking. So good looking, apparently, that it distracted fellow male employees from the hard work they were doing at Citibank and had to be stopped.
Her boss, Craig Fisher, and one of his colleagues tried to make her less hot, allegedly, by pulling Ms. Lorenzana into an office one day and telling her she had to stop wearing turtlenecks, pencil skirts, three inch heels or “fitted” business suits. When Ms. Lorenzana brought up the matter of other females wearing way more revealing clothes, she was told those women’s shapes were different, and that she drew too much attention.
A month or so later she received a message from Mr. Fisher noting that she was being put on final notice for, among other things lagging sales, but there was some shadiness involving the fact that she was cited for being late on days the bank wasn’t even open.
She then put in for a transfer, which was granted a few weeks later.
In August, her manager at the Rockefeller Center branch—a woman—fired her. The female manager mentioned the problems related to her clothing at the previous branch. The manager said she was sorry, but Ms. Lorenzana wasn’t fit for the culture of Citibank.
Dealbreaker reports that Ms. Lorenzana’s attorney, Jack Tuckner is the first to say his client is a babe, but for him this is a question of self-control. “It’s like saying,” Mr. Tuckner argues, “that we can’t think anymore ’cause our penises are standing up—and we cannot think about you except in a sexual manner—and we can’t look at you without wanting to have sexual intercourse with you. And it’s up to you, gorgeous woman, to lessen your appeal so that we can focus!”
So they’ve filed this claim, which will never be heard by a judge or jury but will instead go to arbitration. Mr. Tuckner is convinced they’ve got a case though, but just to make sure, Mr. Tuckner “had a professional photographer shoot her in various work outfits in his office near Wall Street,” to prove there’s nothing wrong here.
Update: Chased out of Citibank, Ms. Lorenzana has since been hired by Chase, but is in danger of being fired again for allegedly talking too much to the press about her former employer.
The moral of the story: If you’re looking for a job in banking all you have to do is look homely and dress like a frump and the job is yours.
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