Figure Perfect Discrimination

Formal Essay: Why Looks Are the Last Bastion of Discrimination “A typical cover model of a women's fashion magazine wears a size zero or two. However, seventy-two percent of American women wear a size twelve or above, a range of sizes that our company do not carry”, said Angelika Uy at a press conference held for 'Figure Perfect' (FP). Uy is the CEO and majority stocks holder of Figure Perfect, a clothing store that is exclusively for petite women, women who are shorter than the average. The company offers a variety of clothing styles, from casual to formal; all made with hypo-allergenic and plant-based fabric. Figure Perfect started out as an online store and opened up its first store in New York. In a span of nine years, Figure Perfect managed

“Nine years ago, before I started the company, I would always complain about the local clothing stores because of not having small sizes for petite women. This is how I came up with the idea of a store that is exclusively for ladies that are not graced with height, like myself”, shared the proprietor. “The idea of such a store was a success, but now, I realized that I have put the average sized and plus sized ladies in my shoes nine years ago, feeling like outcasts”, Uy admitted. She also declared how the company's 'parochialism' created hiring discrimination issues within the company and how it affected the company, both publicly and financially. During the past year, the company received numerous complaints and petitions, including lawsuits regarding allegations on employee discrimination. Uy also publicized that the company will undergo major changes to address the public's protests. The issues faced by the company are: the company having 'women's only' apparel (publicly viewed as 'sexism'), how the company hires sized four and

The public used to think that Figure Perfect is a company that practices 'fatism', a discrimination against over-weight or obese people. Last year, one of FP's top models, Andrea Audrey, filed a lawsuit against the company for terminating her contract early. This is because it is stated in the contract that it is a part of her job to maintain a 'petite' figure. However, the model gained a significant amount of weight after child-birth. Although FP won the case, the company promised the public that they will 'set everything straight'. At the conference, the company disclosed that a new contract had been made to re-hire Andrea Audrey. She will be the 'main face' of the newest departments that the company will add; a maternity and a plus-sized section to expand their fashion