Use of photo describe Chuy’s dress code causes concerns

The local Chuy’s restaurant is being investigated by its regional management after at least one employee was shown a picture meant to illustrate the restaurant’s dress code for employees. That photo of a woman’s leg was being used to show the proper length for shorts, but it’s the words on the photo that have sparked controversy and even outrage.   The photo was originally posted on social media by an artist who wanted to use it to help tear down prejudices held by some about the way women look. However, now an employee at Chuy’s says managers were showing it to employees to tell them how long their shorts should be. Some of the longer lengths are described as "prudish" or "old fashioned." A shorter length is characterized as "asking for it," but two other descriptions of even shorter lengths contain even more blunt labels."They could have just told us, ‘hey the dress code says like 5 to 7 inches from the seam. Your shorts don’t comply.’ Instead of just showing us that picture. They’re all laughing about it," the Chuy’s employee who says she saw the photo, and did not want to be identified, said. It is no laughing matter to Amie Augenstein, an employment attorney who has handled sexual harassment cases. "Sometimes a company will have an employee like a rogue employee who goes off and does something they shouldn’t do. And unfortunately they know that speaks for the company and their training," Augenstein, Partner at Gale Law Group, said. At Texas A&M Corpus Christi, the use of the photo to dictate dress code is alarming to the student organization Islander Feminists. "It further solidifies the idea of victim blaming, and also the idea that women who dress modestly aren’t seen as beautiful or attractive. Seeing that that’s the way that a manager might be describing their employees is incredibly disheartening," Caleigh Sowder, Community Outreach Coordinator for Islander Feminists, said. The group says they would like to see accountability. "The managers should face consequences and go through some training. That’s not how you talk to your employees. There are ways to talk to you’re employees about dressing professionally, and that’s not a ways to go about it," Ariana Rodriguez, President of Islander Feminists, said. Brent Grover, a Chuy’s area supervisor based in San Antonio, told KRIS 6 News yesterday these types of pictures are unacceptable and he is investigating what happened.Today he says the company has talked to the employee who saw the photo and the managers, but he cannot disclose whether or not employees will face consequences.