PITTSBURGH, July 2 (UPI) -- An employee at a Pittsburgh spa said she was fired after she refused to allow co-workers to perform a Brazilian bikini wax on her, a federal lawsuit said.
Jennifer Finley said she filed a federal lawsuit Monday against European Wax Center, accusing it of sexual harassment, wrongful termination, gender discrimination and retaliation after she refused to let other employees perform the waxing as part of a mandatory training exercise, WPXI-TV, Pittsburgh, reported.
"I was surprised. I was shocked," Finley told the television station of her firing on the first day of her job. "I felt it was wrong. It was humiliating. It was embarrassing, and on top of everything, I got fired because I would not receive a Brazilian wax from my co-workers."
While knowing she would have to perform that type of bikini wax on customers, Finley said she did not want anyone doing it to her. A Brazilian bikini wax removes of all hair in the pelvic area, front and back, while sometimes leaving a strip of hair on the pubis.
"[My boss] basically said, 'So you are not going to receive this?' and I said, 'No,' and that was it. He fired me and that was really our whole conversation. He wasn't sympathetic," Finley said.
WPXI said the European Wax Center's owner had no comment.
