commentary
If you wear a bikini to work and then get burned with hot coffee, who gets sued?
Seriously. It’s a good question. Do you sue your employer for their hot coffee? Do you sue yourself for having so much skin exposed when you know you will be dealing with hot liquids? Do you sue society for being so sex crazed?
What do you think about espresso stands with bikini clad baristas? Are you comfortable with the fact that they opened one near the space needle?
We don’t have a “sexpresso” stand in our town, I’ve never actually seen one and I don’t drink coffee, but I am totally bothered by the concept. It doesn’t bother me that my children could be exposed to it (though pasties are a bit much) because I know they will see the same thing at the beach. Quite frankly, they would probably just laugh at the “naked” ladies and tell me they aren’t modest. But here is what I don’t like about it:
1. They are forcing other businesses to either shut down or dress down. Competition is healthy, and I realize that some businesses fail and that’s fine. But if you are going to have to close down because of the competition it ought to be because they have a better product, not because their employees are half-naked. In order to compete, you shouldn’t have to tell your employees to come to work in underwear. (What would you do if your boss suddenly changed the dress code on you?) But I guess that’s the way it goes in the business world sometimes…
2. Why are there so many women in this world with such low self esteem that they are willing to become soft porn to earn a few extra tips? A quote from the komo news.com article:
“I used to work mornings at another coffee stand. I used to make $30 in the morning, but here I make four, five times that much, if not more, because I’m wearing a bikini and people pay more for that,” said barista Nicole Corpuz.
Go to college! You’ll be able to make better money, still have your self respect and dignity, and you’ll be able to continue to make good money when your body isn’t so hot anymore! And sweetie, people pay more for that because they get a sick thrill from it– are you really okay with that?
3. If these girls are making better tips it means one of two things (probably both) a.) more customers and b.) bigger tips. This means that not only are husbands (and others) getting a quick boob ogling in the morning with their espresso, they are taking more money out of their family budgets to do so!
4. The picture in this article pretty much says it all. Eewwwww.
5. Could our society quit putting so much emphasis on sex? Sheesh, the way you see it in the movies, on tv and in advertising, you’d think all us Americans do is do it. This is just another example. And before you say this is not about sex because bikinis are on the beach, realize that they key word is beach. Bikinis taken out of context are all about sexy. It really wouldn’t even bother me if it was in California, because at least its HOT there. But Seattle? Seriously? Bikinis in the winter? Gross.
6. This is a point that I hadn’t thought of myself, and is not necessarily my sentiments, but it was a comment from a message board that brings up a good point:
“It seems that this generation of young women has forgotten the long struggle our mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers have fought to give us the sweet spot we have now in life. Over 50% of college grads are women, women are shattering the glass ceiling becoming CEOs and almost clinching the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. All while still having a family.
However, which women are actually breaking the glass ceiling? Women over 40. I guess Gen X and Y do not care, perhaps they have had it too easy. I hate to see women taking a giant step backwards by giving in to the rampant pornification of our society and accepting it as the status quo. Celebrating it even!
I hope women young and old will be picketing these disgusting excuses for coffee shops. Let’s keep the porn in the strip bars thank you very much, away from the eyes and ears of our children. I’ll be out there with my sign. I’m 26, and I’m proud to be selling my BRAIN not my good looks”
All right now there are my reasons. If you don’t agree, tell me why. If you have something to add, go on and say it! Let’s discuss.
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Utterly ridiculous (pun intended). Seriously, I can’t believe our society stands for this. I’m just as discusted as you.
I don’t really see a huge problem with this. It seems pretty gimicky and like it won’t last. I wonder if they’ll have males working there? Yuck - speedos gross me out.
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It’s not the bikinis that bother me as much as the way the girls move and bend in them. It’s one thing to act like a regular barista and to simply hand over the coffee and count back change. It’s another thing entirely to bend over unnecessarily and expose more than even a regular bikini intended.
It’s a sad commentary on the state of society and families when these girls bring in so much money just because of flat stomachs and deep cleavage.
I felt the same way, exactly, as you when I read that article. I also was AMAZED when I participated in the komo online poll (yes, I’m a nerd) to find out that most people didn’t mind. Shocking, really.
Well, I have several quibbles with points in your post. First off, this country was founded on the idea of free enterprise. Business EXIST to do better than their competition, so although the stunning number of Starbucks out there mean there will always be plenty of coffee, bikini barista places exist because they want to do better than the average, fully clothed kind. I would no more shut one down than I would a Starbucks-this is a free country.
Secondly, of COURSE 40-somethings are the ones breaking the glass ceiling! They’re the ones who have 10-15-20+ years of work experience and are being promoted for it. You don’t see too many 25 year old CEO’s, superintendants or university presidents, do you? The young people I know as a whole want some success in life-but just out of college, they aren’t expecting to be heading up business just yet. I think that in 20 years they WILL be the ones running things, both men and women, which is precisely what the women of my generation worked for.
And, though it isn’t a choice *I* would make, if a young woman is comfortable enough with her body, to use it on HER TERMS to bring in some extra coin, well, isn’t that what freedom of choice is about? Just as some young women get a college degree and then stay at home with their kids, never working at all, othes choose to wear a bikini and make good tips for a nice living. I’ve always thought that feminism is more about choice than a specific path.
And porn? Please. Either a bikini is ok or it’s not. It sure isn’t porn, whether on the beach or at a coffee stand. You don’t like it? Don’t look-there’s that free enterprise again. It’s just like changing the channel on TV when you find a program you don’t like.
As for husbands draining money from the family till-I’m not even sure what to say about that. A few extra cents here and there doesn’t break many family budgets, plus in all the families I know each spouse has some amount of discretionary spending. I would gather than no husband is so addicted to seeing a bikini girl that he’s taking food from Muffy and Jimmy while Mommy counts out pennies so they can eat.
I’m no world traveler, but in my forrays to assorted Caribbean locales, bikini wear was pretty much everywhere at the resorts I stayed at-even indoors. No one died from looking at it, even the husbands. And get this-even the kids’ caregivers wore skimpy bathing suits! Even when they WEREN’T SWIMMING! I don’t know if any husbands gave them bigger tips though.
Mrs Flinger– I took the poll too– don’t feel like a nerd.
Agi– This is good. I was interested in knowing some other perspective on this.
The point about the glass ceilings and all that being 40 somethings is not my opinion. It is someone elses and I just thought it made an interesting point about how younger girls don’t really appreciate all that women have gone through.
I’m not saying bikinis are porno porn. What I am saying is taken out of context, (the beach, someplace warm) they are meant to be eye candy in a sexed up world and it’s blatant. These girls become “soft” porn just like the models in Victoria’s Secret– especially when you add what Moses Lake Mom said that they move around to flaunt themselves.
And I know plenty of go getter women out of college that do great things. I certainly hope that the bikini clad 20 somethings at the espresso stand aren’t running the country in 20 years! And while I don’t think everyone needs to go to college, I do think people need a life plan that doesn’t count on their “temporary” good looks.
Personally, when I saw a piece (no pun intended) on this a few months ago, the barista (and I used to be one, a college-educated one no less) was hanging out the window wiping her nose back and forth with BOTH hands. I was more outraged about that than what she was wearing. If I were her employer she sooo would have been fired for getting snot all over her hands and then serving coffee . . . eeeeeew!
But I do think there is a HUGE difference between the ones wearing bikinis and pasties. HUGE. And I, at least, would want some kind of warning about that before I pulled thru their drive-thru with my 11 and 9-year-old sons or my daughter, for that matter, in the car. It isn’t the kind of shining example of feminism that I want my kids exposed to.
But, this is a free country. So, there’s that line, and I guess I’ll walk it.
Maybe we could have a bikini espresso district?
Yeah, I think the problem with these shops is that they are making money. If people didn’t go to them, then they wouldn’t stay in business.
As far as a business model goes, this is just a wimpy way out. Everyone knows that sex sells. It’s a simple easy way to make money. It’s not really a challenge to just throw some sex into the mix to make a few bucks in the short term.
The problem comes with your reputation and resulting customers. It also lacks vision. What is the goal of this shop? What kind of mission statement do they have? With gimmicks like this, they seem to just be interested in making a quick buck. I can’t imagine that’s very fulfilling… that and knowing you made your money blatantly promoting the degradation of women.
If you are worried about your husband looking at a woman in a bikini…or if you are worried that he would want to, maybe you ought to hit the gym.
Maybe if more American women (and American men for that matter) took better care of themselves by eating correctly and keeping their bodies (and minds) fit there would be less of a market for this type of business.
Maybe if you spent less time caring about this and more time caring about how you look (and how that affects your relationship) this would be a non-issue for you.