“I feel they automatically get this idea about what kind of person I am. Once people find out what I do, they look at me differently a lot of the time. “I’m single and it’s hard to find guys that take me seriously. It has affected her relationships with some of her extended family – although her parents are supportive – and she finds it difficult to date. She does not deny there are negative aspects of the job. “When people tell you how great you look all day long, you eventually start to believe it yourself.” “There’s something about going to work and putting on a different personality and being that more outgoing person. Working here for six years has done more for me mentally and emotionally than years of therapy ever did. I struggled with eating disorders and went through years of therapy trying to fix my issues. Powell, who describes herself as a feminist, adds: “I’ve always had a lot of issues with my self-confidence. I should be able to choose to work here as I please.” In December, a federal judge granted an injunction, preventing Everett from enforcing the dress code while the case makes its way through the courts.įar from feeling exploited, Powell says she finds the job empowering: “None of us are here because we’re being forced. Four years ago, Carmela Panico, who owned several stands in the area, pleaded guilty to running a multimillion-dollar prostitution ring and a police officer was jailed for tipping her off about undercover police stings in exchange for sex.īut the owner of a chain called Hillbilly Hotties and seven of its staff, including Powell, sued the city, arguing that the ban violated their first amendment free speech and expression rights. It claimed the stands had a history of prostitution, sexual assault, public masturbation and exploitation. The city council introduced a dress code that required baristas to cover “minimum body areas”, including the breasts, torso and the top three inches of legs below the buttocks. ![]() The idea is said to date back to a hot summer in the early 1990s when a roadside outlet started a Bikini Wednesday promotion and sales jumped, causing others to quickly follow suit.īut bikini baristas are not universally loved. ![]() Once a concept unique to Washington, there are now a smattering of bikini barista businesses elsewhere in the US, including Oregon, Idaho and North Carolina. She can make up to $100 a day in tips, on top of the hourly Washington state minimum wage of $11.50. It’s certainly more lucrative than working at Starbucks – headquartered in Seattle – or any of the city’s hundreds of independent coffee shops. “I work 25 hours a week usually and make more than a lot of my friends who work full time,” she says.Īmelia Powell at work in Everett, Washington. The drivers for Powell are the money, the hours and the fact that she feels empowered by the job. A lot are young single mothers and they’re able to spend more time with their families and provide a better life for their kids.” Everyone has their own reasons for doing it. I realize now there’s no specific character to bikini baristas. Powell, who is studying international relations and political science at college in Seattle, a few miles south of Everett, was apprehensive. “A friend who was a bikini barista said I should try it because I could earn more money, work less and focus on school.” I couldn’t keep up with it all,” she says. She used to juggle college classes with two retail positions. ![]() It’s the 24-year-old’s sixth year in the job. ![]() Powell is a bikini barista, one of hundreds across the state hired to serve coffee at premium prices from roadside huts around 8ft square while wearing lingerie, thongs, nipple pasties or skimpy swimwear.
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