An interesting case out of Spokane, Washington has just caught media attention involving a female hairstylist who was terminated by her employer after shaving head. The hairstylist, Melanie Strandberg, made the choice to shave her head in order to support her sister who was diagnosed with cancer.
However, Strandberg’s employer, La Rive Salon did not agree with her decision to shave her head. In fact, after showing up to work one day with her new shaved head, Strandberg’s supervisor forced her to wear a wig because being bald, according to management, made customers uncomfortable. Management also told Strandberg that a hairstylist with no hair does not make for good sales.
Soon thereafter, Strandberg was forced to write a resignation letter to her manager.
Since being forced to quit, Strandberg has filed harassment and discrimination claims against her former employer. While it is unclear as to exactly what claims Strandberg has brought against La Rive Salon, it is a safe bet that one of them is a gender discrimination claim, especially if the Salon employs any male hairstylists. If so, Strandberg’s claim may be that the Salon discriminated against her based on her gender by showing that the Salon would not have treated a male hairstylist in the same fashion as it treated Strandberg after she cut her hair. Of course, a troubling fact for Strandberg could be that she shaved her head, not simply cut her hair to a shorter length. By doing so, it opens the door for the Salon to argue that it did not discriminate against Strandberg based on her gender, especially if it argues that it would have terminated a male employee for shaving his head as well.
If you feel that you are being discriminated based on your gender or sex, then call the right attorney. It is never appropriate to discriminate against female employees
Discrimination against women includes being harassed, fired, wrongfully terminated, discriminated against, demoted, wrongfully disciplined, and denied wages. When you call the right attorney to schedule a free and confidential consultation at 866-797-6040, you will meet with an attorney from Spitz, The Employee’s Law Firm to discuss wrongful discrimination claims and help you determine the best way to pursue your gender/sex discrimination claims.
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