Celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred today launched a lawsuit on behalf of nine middle-aged cocktail waitresses who said they were fired for not looking sexy enough in their skimpy new uniforms.

Ms Allred made a name for herself by representing high profile clients - everyone from Tiger Wood's mistresses to the father of kidnapped Jaycee Duggard and the family of murdered Nicole Simpson.

She is no stranger to publicity and has appeared in The Simpsons, South Park, Saturday Night Live and Dr Phil.

The 69-year-old attorney released an eye-catching photoshopped image of what she would look like in the flapper uniform which the cocktail waitresses were made to wear.

The Atlantic City waitresses claim they were made to strip in front of their co-workers and told to squeeze into flapper outfits that were too small for them. Photographs were then taken.

Their photographs were then sent to a modelling agency that decided who should stay and who should be axed.

The revealing new costumes were part of Resorts Casino Hotel's effort to re-brand itself in a roaring 20s theme after the popularity of the HBO show 'Boardwalk Empire’, which is based on prohibition era Atlantic City's reputation as the vice capital of the East Coast. 

Ms Allred said: ‘Mr Gomes [the resort boss] may have sought to recreate the 1920s with his flapper uniforms and G-Men.

‘But we are here to remind him that although there were no laws prohibiting employers from discriminating against women on account of their sex and age at that time, there are laws that that prohibit such discriminatory conduct now.

‘There was prohibition of alcohol in the 20s but in 2011 there is prohibition of sex and age discrimination in order to ensure equal employment opportunities for all.

‘Resorts may have their G-Men and Mr Gomes, but my clients have their G-Woman.’

Fifteen waitresses lost their jobs as a result of the alleged ploy and nine have joined in an age and sex discrimination lawsuit against their former employer.

Katharyn Felicia, who had been with Resorts since the day it opened in 1978 and was twice named employee of the month, was one of the waitresses fired.

'It was very degrading to women,' said Felicia, 53. 'I feel they never gave me a chance. We had no idea that photo shoot was fighting for our jobs.'

Resorts said it gave each employee a fair evaluation and said the costumes are an integral part of its re-branding effort.

A critical aspect of theming is the new costumes front-line employees will be wearing, including the new cocktail server costume,' Resorts spokeswoman Courtney Birmingham said.

'This particular cocktail server costume was chosen as part of the larger plan to unveil the new Resorts Casino Hotel as a destination for fun, excitement and a one-of-a-kind experience.'

Terry Bruno, a former waitress, said she was made to change in a poorly lit room with outfits strewn everywhere with no sizes

The costumes include short, skin-revealing black dresses with deep open backs.

Waitresses also wear fishnet stockings and ornate jazz era hats.

'All cocktail servers were given individual consideration and the selection process was conducted in a fair and objective manner,' said Ms Birmingham.

'We empathise with the cocktail servers who lost their jobs and gave them hiring preference in other open positions at Resorts. Some took advantage of this offer and some did not.'

Nancy Schromsky, another fired waitress, said: 'I don't know what the uniform criteria was. What they told me was I didn't meet it.'

In 2008, two former cocktail servers at Atlantic City's Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa settled a multimillion-dollar sex discrimination lawsuit they brought against the casino.

They claimed the casino humiliated costumed waitresses — known as 'Borgata Babes' — by imposing weight limits, encouraging breast augmentation surgery and emphasizing looks over job performance.

Felicia told of a late February photo shoot that was so stressful it made her break out in hives as she struggled to put on a costume that fit properly.

Another former waitress Terry Bruno told MSNBC: 'We had to go up into this poorly lit, dingy room with uniforms strewn all over the floor and we had to try and find something to fit uss.'

Felicia added: 'I was forced to get undressed in front of six co-workers, one of them being my manager,' she said. 'I had no top on because you can't wear a bra with the uniform. I had stockings on, but that's it. It was the most embarrassing thing I've ever had to do.'

'I was forced to get undressed in front of six co-workers, one of them being my manager. I had no top on because you can't wear a bra with the uniform. I had stockings on, but that's it.'

Article from the Mail online