Esthetician balks over Brazilian wax training session

On Behalf of | Jul 11, 2013 | Sexual Harassment At Work

If an employee is asked to perform a job that involves a sensitive area, where does one draw the line between appropriate and invasive? That is precisely the question a young esthetician asked by refusing to practice Brazilian wax on her coworker and refusing to get one herself.

Wax on, wax off, is apparently not an item in the young woman’s job description, and she has a valid point. However, a Brazilian wax is a practice heralding back to the old days when it was associated with personal hygiene. Now the coast-to-coast phenomenon can be found at almost any salon from Los Angeles to New York. Policy dictated in one spa in particular: no wax, no paycheck, no job.

Counsel for the young lady stated that her client was never informed from the start that the training sessions at the Wax center would include forcing employees to put wax on each other and strip it off. The esthetician claims that no one should be obligated to do anything against her will and certainly not fired for what she believes was an invasive procedure. She is asking for damages that include being humiliated in front of fellow employees.

The spa worker filed a lawsuit against her employer based on sexual harassment, wrongful termination, gender discrimination and retaliation. Legal advisors for the young lady sated she knew the center services included Brazilian waxing but didn’t feel comfortable being asked to touch the private parts of strangers. She didn’t want a coworker to touch those areas on her body either. She may have felt the relationship between client and professional was different from that between coworkers.

The proprietor declined to comment on the pending lawsuit.

One’s place of employment should be a safe and non-intrusive part of the day. If you or someone you know suspects you have been treated in a sexually invasive or discriminatory manner against your will, it is wise to consult legal advice to protect you, your body and rights from sexual harassment.

Source: 
Newyorkdailynews.com, “No Brazilian wax, no job: Pittsburgh spa allegedly fires woman for refusing to get waxed” Michael Walsh, Jul. 02, 2013

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