Cassie Smith, a 5'8" 132-pound waitress at a Detroit Hooters restaurant, was put on
'weight probation' and ordered to lose weight or get fired. (Pics/myFOXDetroit.com, Hooters)
At 5'8" and 132 pounds, Cassie Smith has a figure many women would envy.
But a Hooters restaurant in Roseville, Mich., where Smith has waitressed for the past two years has ordered her to lose weight or get fired.
During an employee performance review on May 14, Smith was put on "weight probation" and ordered to slim down if she wanted to keep her job.
GET SKINNY OR GET FIRED
"I was horrified," Cassie, 20, told myFoxDetroit. "I was completely heartbroken. I was humiliated." The weight-loss order was given via conference call from human resources personnel at the Hooters Atlanta headquarters. Smith's direct supervisors (two obese male managers) had alerted headquarters of Smith's alleged weight problem. 
"These women [Atlanta HR officers] proceeded to explain to me that I had 30 days [to lose weight]," recounts Cassie of the conference call.
She added: "And they would give me a free gym membership, and if I didn't improve within those 30 days I would be separated from the company. If I improved a little bit I would get 30 more days, and if I improved completely they would leave me alone."
[Editor's note: It sounds like Smith was advised to tone up and improve her body in general, and not specifically to lose weight].
OTHERWISE GLOWING PERFORMANCE REVIEW
While Cassie received high marks for customer satisfaction, she was told her she didn't look good in the Hooters outfit of orange short-shorts and a white tank top.
"Your shorts and shirt size could use some improvement," Smith, who wears an extra-small T-shirt size, was told. The company's uniforms are offered in small, extra small and double-extra small. 
Ironically, Cassie claims she was 10 pounds heavier when she started working at the Roseville Hooters two years ago, and management had never complained about her weight or size before.
Smith has now hired a lawyer because Michigan is one of the few states that has a weight discrimination law.
"I don't want other girls to have to go through this," she says. "I don't want anyone to have to go through this."
As frivolous as the Hooters waitressing job may seem to some, many young women vie for the gig because it can be a stepping stone for lucrative modeling or beauty pageant opportunities. Waitresses are eligible to compete in the Hooters annual swimsuit pageant, with some going on to become Playboy models.
Playboy also has a Girls of Hooters movie series and pictorial series. One of Hooters' most famous alumni is Holly Madison, the ex-girlfriend of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.
HOOTERS: WE NEVER TOLD SMITH TO LOSE WEIGHT
Meanwhile, Hooters has released the following statement, denying it has a weight requirement:
Hooters of America does uphold image standards for the more than 17,000 Hooters girls currently serving in the more than 455 restaurants around the world, it does not impose any weight requirement, and no employee in Michigan has been counseled about their weight.
Our practice of upholding an image standard based on appearance, attitude and fitness for Hooters girls is both legal and fair. It is not unlike the standard used by the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders or the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes.
Hooters has a history of being sued for discrimination (in 2009, a man sued claiming he wanted to be a Hooters girl), but most cases are settled out of court. The company has consistently defended its hiring practices, citing the “bona fide occupational qualification” exception to the EEOC Guidelines on Discrimination.
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Comments
I can't believe this girl is only 20, she definitely looks in her mid 30s. She looks good but doesnt look toned and doesn't look like she works out at all, so maybe thats what management was talking about when they told her to improve her looks. Hooters food is greasy, fatty and disguting anyway. DOn't know why anyone would go there other than to look at girls in skimpy outfits.
Last time I checked, there are other restaurants in Michigan to work at. You don't have to be a Hooters girl.
All Holly Ho Madison is a tit and vagina girl.
Theyre all bimbos
Well that's quite a stereotypical assortment of comments. The food isn't that bad, Bob. Mary, of course there are but doesn't everybody have the right to work without being discriminated against? Gross Out and Travis....
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