Bikini Baristas

The court just ruled on whether bikini baristas can show a “latte” skin. I’m Amy E. Feldman.

The city of Everett, Washington was not a fan of the coffee stand staffed with bikini baristas whose dress code was just as you’d expect—so they banned merchants from wearing clothes that showed off their stomachs, shoulder blades, and top three inches of the leg below the buttocks.  The city didn’t even pretend that the law was related to food safety, just that it was a moral affront to folks who had to watch their coffee poured by scantily clad servers. Or, you know, go elsewhere.

The servers sued, claiming it violated their rights to “espresso” themselves, as it were.  But the Court said that a community is allowed to set decency standards—but threw out the law, saying that the dress code was clearly created for a gender-based discriminatory purpose, in that it prohibits only clothing worn by women, not by men, including crop tops and scoop-back shirts as well as bikinis, so you can now get your brew with a side of bust.