Lorna Jane advertised for a role open only to size 10s. And that’s completely fine.
If you’ve ever stepped foot into an Australian shopping mall, or spied a group of well-groomed women in the gym, chances are you’re familiar with Lorna Jane’s eye-catching activewear.
The colourful, pricey fitness label is synonymous with young, spritely 20-somethings and Sydney’s polished ‘yummy mummy’ crowd (if you’ll excuse that dreadful phrase).
But yesterday, the brand made headlines for a whole other reason: A job advertisement specifying that applicants have very specific body measurements: Those of a size “small” or a 10, to be exact.
That advertisement — titled “Receptionist/Fit Model” — specified that applicants should have a waist measurement of 70-73cm, a hip measurement of 97-103cm, and a bust of 87-90cm.
It also said the successful applicant would be ‘comfortable with herself’ and would assist with ‘fittings of new garments’.
Once Crikey picked up on the story, the ad drew online criticism that, within 24 hours, had evolved into full-blown internet outrage.
It was pulled from job-seeking site Seek amid Twitter and Facebook remarks that it was ‘discriminatory’, ‘hypocritical’ and ‘disgraceful’.
According to angry commentators, the advertisement suggested ‘you have to have a certain waist size and bust size to get a job at Lorna Jane’, and the label was thus deserving of a lifetime boycott.
There’s something completely disgusting about a company arbitrarily requiring a receptionist to have prescriptive, lithe measuresments just to sit behind a desk, isn’t there? I mean, imagine applying to a secretarial position, only to be told your size 14 frame disqualified you from the running.