Things about to get U-G-L-Y at Prada in Japan! A former sale assistant / employee type person is suing the company after she claims she was forced to quit. The reason according to yer wan is, the company branded her too overweight and ugly to work for them. Not only that but she claims that Prada made her fire fat and old staff! According to reports she was told to :
eliminate’ around 15 managerial staff he described as ‘old, fat, ugly, disgusting or not having the Prada look,’
She was later told : ‘change her hairstyle, to lose weight’ because he (her boss) was ‘ashamed of Ms Bovrisse's ugliness, so he doesn't want visitors from Italy to see her.'
Apparently Prada didn't like what she was implying and are counter-suing for 33 Million Yen under defamation. It's understandable that they might have a problem with it. An accusation like that could ruin their image and make them look superficial......oh wait.....
So things are set to come to a head in the next few months as the case hits the courts. Who wins?
you decide......
It's not the first time sadly we have heard about sales assistants being under extreme pressure to conform to a brand's ideal of the perfect employee. I seem to recall writing a rather long post about the American Apparel on Grafton street after it's employees spoke to the media concerning their own fight against strict guidelines.
It's rampant within the industry that expectations are high and failure to comply with these 'standards' can have strict consequences for the employee. But how do you know when enough is enough?
It is fair enough to expect an employee to have a reasonable understanding of personal grooming, no outrageous facial piercings or tattoos on display and a smile while on the shop floor. But in the case of American Apparel, it is NOT okay to dictate how an employee plucks their eyebrows or in the case of Prada (apparently - yet to be proven) to dictate what defines 'overweight' or 'old'.
I think companies need to remove head from backside a little over these rules. I have never once walked into a shop and been outraged by the sight of an over plucked eyebrow on a staff member. I have however gone in and bought something I saw on an employee because I would never have seen it overwise. THAT is fair enough.
Relax a little bit lads, one 'overweight' employee is not going to cause the collapse of the industry just yet and it would be nice to see more varied sales assistants (ahem Abercrombie and Fitch Ahem) on the shop floor.
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