Abercrombie & Fitch Demotes Employee for Only Having One Arm

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Riam Dean, a British law student, is suing Abercrombie & Fitch for discriminating against her because she was born without a forearm. When the store hired Dean to work on the sales floor, nobody seemed to have a problem with her prosthetic arm, which she's worn her whole life. And when she asked for permission to modify the company's strict uniform rules (polo shirts, jeans, all-American heartiness) by wearing a cardigan to hide the prosthetic, her boss told her it was fine.

Several days later, however, the company's "visual team" stopped by and insisted that Dean lose the sweater. Shortly thereafter, she was sent to the stockroom for "breaking the Look Policy," which apparently requires multiple arms. When another superior asked her to stay in the stockroom until winter rolled around, she quit, and now she's suing. Abercrombie's run into trouble in the past for discriminating against employees who don't fit its athletic blond image—in 2004, the company settled a class auction lawsuit that alleged it was steering non-white job applicants into stockroom and janitorial roles.
· I was banished to the stockroom, says disabled shop girl now suing Abercrombie & Fitch for discrimination [Daily Mail UK]
· Riam Dean: “I Questioned My Self-Worth” [Zelda Lily]
· Abercrombie & Fitch Bias Case Is Settled [NYT]