She’s suing over Abercrombie’s ‘Look Policy’
June 16th, 2009![Riam Dean, photo from [UK] Daily Mail](http://www.patriciaebauer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/20090616_abercrombie.jpg "Riam Dean, photo from [UK] Daily Mail")
Clerk says she was banished to the stockroom because prosthetic arm didn’t fit retailer’s image
From the [UK] Daily Mail:
A law student and part-time clerk is suing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch for discrimination, saying representatives of the firm’s London store banished her to the stockroom because her prosthetic arm didn’t comport with the company’s image.
Riam Dean, 22, says she was told she had broken the company’s “Look Policy,” that lists in minute detail the requirements for staff appearance.
She said she had been given permission to wear a long-sleeved cardigan to cover the join between her arm and her artificial limb, but that a member of the retailer’s “visual team” objected.
Dean is seeking damages of £25,000. Four years ago, Abercrombie settled a £25million lawsuit, in which nine former employees alleged that they were forced to work in stockrooms or take night shifts cause they did not fit the “Abercrombie look.” All the litigants were from ethnic minority groups.
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on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 12:50 pm and is filed under NOT2BEMISSED, appearance, business, law, limb loss, stigma.
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June 29th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Sarah,
This isn’t a case about the money. This is a case about a girl with a disability who got treated wrongly because of her disability. Being a law student I am sure she is simply trying to raise the awareness and standards that we allow these companies to create their policies on.
The only way to change such policies is to fight them and most often you fight them by suing them.
June 19th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
It is great to bring attention to these matters, and to publicize this bad corporate policy BUT, sue sue sue is all anyone wants to do these days.