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Bikini baristas in the United States sued the city government for discrimination against women: "We can do a good job."

Published: 2026-07-18 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/07/18, Seattle in the United States, which owns Starbucks' founding store, has always been the first-level war zone of coffee shops, but what people are most interested in talking about is the Delaisse Coffee stand, which runs on the side of the road and serves motorists. It is even called coffee beauty by the Seattle Times. As long as you roll down the window, you can enjoy the coffee-making process of baristas who wear only bikinis. But this

Seattle in the United States, which owns the original Starbucks store, has always been the first-level war zone of coffee shops, but what people are most interested in talking about is the Delaisse coffee stand, which is opened on the side of the road and specializes in serving motorists. It is even called "coffee with beautiful scenery" by the Seattle Times. As long as you roll down the window, you can enjoy the coffee-making process of baristas who wear only bikinis.

However, this craze of "bikini baristas" (bikini barista) has caused a backlash among locals. Everett, located north of Seattle, passed a law (ordinance) in August, strictly stipulating that restaurants and coffee shops that provide express service should require their employees to abide by the "dress code" or there will be a penalty. On the 12th, seven baristas and the owner of a coffee shop chain sued the court, arguing that the ban violated constitutional rights. The vague words in the laws and regulations are even more suspected of discriminating against women.

The unknown laws and regulations of "areola apex" and "groin" cause controversy.

"Everett is well aware that only women work as bikini baristas, so they deliberately use this law to target women." Derek Newman, a lawyer representing baristas, said in a statement that such a dress code violates the constitutional right and deprives individuals of the freedom to dress. A bikini barista wrote in the complaint: "wearing a bikini can tell guests:'we are generous, friendly and can do our job well.' In this way, guests will feel comfortable, which can not be done in other coffee shops, at least you won't see this at Starbucks. "

See Everett's "sample outfits" allowed under bikini-barista dress code: https://t.co/AfCysPIk5Y pic.twitter.com/oMBsdXYcnE

-The Seattle Times (@ seattletimes) September 13, 2017

According to this clothing regulation, it is determined that the upper body "more than half of the apex of the areola (the top of the areola) of the female chest" should be covered with opaque material and must not be exposed, and the coverage "should be covered to the areola", while the lower body should not be exposed to "half of the groin (the bottom half of the anal cleft)". For example, you can not only wear chest stickers and thong to work, but also attach an illustration for employers' reference. The men and women in the picture are all wearing tank vests, but the limit on the length of the trousers in the lower body is confusing.

How to determine the violation of the law when it is difficult for the police to ban?

Bikini baristas (bikini barista) in the United States wear cool clothes to attract guests, causing dissatisfaction among local residents.

Newman believes that if the police want to enforce the law exactly, such as "determining the location of the areola", they must conduct an "insulting and intrusive" inspection of the barista in order to determine whether the clothing conforms to the law. In addition, the word "grooves" is even more puzzling. "for most citizens, it is impossible to determine which part of their body is the grooves," the complaint said. This is not a word that ordinary people will use, and there are hundreds of explanations found on the Internet. "

Under such a vague definition, if the employer is really fined, he will be fined US $250 (about NT $7500). After banning for more than three times, he will be forced to close his business. He is more likely to face a fine of up to US $5000 (about NT $150000) and an one-year prison term.

So @ EverettCity has officially released new # bikini barista outfit regulations. # KNSFW (kinda not safe for work) pic.twitter.com/xJQiTRZpVw

-RonandDon (@ RonandDon) September 14, 2017

"I don't want to be reduced to getting social benefits," said Liberty Ziska, one of the plaintiffs. "I've been doing this job for almost 10 years, and it allows me to take care of my three children under the age of five during the day and get a lot of tips." Now, she believes that her rights as a woman have been violated. "We will continue to fight." Said Siska.

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