“Feminist” Boss, Toxic Workplace

A former employee for Thinx – a company that makes “period underwear” for menstruating women – is suing co-founder Miki Agrawal, claiming she engaged in routine sexual harassment. The complaint, filed with the New York Commission on Human Rights, lists a litany of inappropriate behaviors, including: commenting on the size and shape of employees’ breasts; asking employees to expose their breasts; changing clothes in front of workers; conducting videoconferences while naked in bed; and in at least one instance, FaceTimed into a meeting from the toilet. The complaint was filed by Chelsea Leibow, a 26-year-old former head of PR for Thinx. Leibow also described a pattern of ageism at the company, compounded by recent reports of women at the company complaining of feeling exploited by low pay and substandard benefits. Despite claiming to be a “feminist” work environment, the only employees who successfully negotiated higher salaries were two men, workers told online magazine Racked. Since January, 10 of the company’s 35 employees have left, and in March Agrawal left her post as CEO. Agrawal told New York Magazine that the claims are “baseless” with “absolutely no merit.”