Debrahlee Lorenzana, 33, is so certain her sultry looks led to her job loss at the bank's branch in New York's landmark Chrysler Building, she filed suit, claiming she was canned over her penchant for pencil skirts and other body-hugging attire.
Described by the Village Voice as a "head-turning beauty" with "J.Lo curves," Lorenzana accuses Citibank of discriminating against her because of her natural good looks, ordering her not to wear turtlenecks, fitted business suits or 3-inch heels to work because it was too distracting for colleagues. The divorced single mom said the anti-hot dress code was enforced only on her.
Other female employees "were able to wear such clothing because they were short, overweight, and they didn't draw much attention," Lorenzana wrote in a letter to Citbank's Human Resources department, according to the Village Voice. "But since I was five-foot-six, 125 pounds, with a figure, it wasn't 'appropriate.'"
"Are you saying that just because I look this way genetically, that this should be a curse for me?"
In a statement, Citibank called the suit "without merit," saying it is "committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and providing a respectful environment in the workplace."
Lorenzana, who moved to New York from Puerto Rico 13 years ago, said her bosses first approached her about her appearance in late 2008, shortly after her hiring as a business banking officer in September.
"They said, 'Deb, we need to talk to you about your work attire. ... Your pants are too tight,'" she told the Village Voice. "'I said, 'I'm sorry, my pants are not too tight! If you want to talk about inappropriate clothes, go downstairs and look at some of the tellers!'"
Lorenzana has defended her fashion choices -- a mix of the trendy retailer, Zara, and designer splurges from Louis Vuitton and Robert Cavalli -- telling the New York Daily News she "never showed cleavage." But she says Citibank sexually harassed her because of her natural assets, alleging in her lawsuit hat her bosses told her that "as a result of the shape of her figure, such clothes were purportedly 'too distracting' for her male colleagues and supervisors to bear."
"I can't help it that I have curves," Lorenzana told the Daily News. "And I'm not going to go eat and gain 50 or 100 pounds because my job wants me to be the same size as everyone else."
She said her appearance became a frequent topic of discussion at the branch, with bosses instructing her to wear loose-fitting duds, then slamming her when she downplayed her appearance. When she stopped straightening her naturally curly locks and ceased wearing makeup, Lorenzana claims she was told she looked "sickly" and should resume blowdrying her hair.
After a year rife with disputes at Citi's Chrysler branch, during which her managers put her on probation for below-average sales, Lorenzana was transferred to what she calls an "out-of-the-way" location in Rockefeller Center in July 2009. A month later, she says, she was fired.
Her attorney, Jack Tuckner, helped her file a sexual harassment lawsuit in November 2009. He told the Village Voice he is a "sex-positive" lawyer who supports his client's claim that her Citibank acted inappropriately.
Lorenzana is now working at another financial institution -- but she says her beauty continues to be more curse and less blessing.
"I get harassed in the supermarket with my son just wearing sweatpants with my hair in a ponytail," she told the Daily News. "I can't help how I look."
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