Lorna Jane says controversial advertisement was a 'misunderstanding'.

By Kym Agius.

Fitness giant Lorna Jane says an advertisement seeking a “size small” receptionist was just a misunderstanding and the company prided itself on hiring women of all shapes.

In the advertisement, the company said the successful applicant would work full-time, splitting hours between being a receptionist and assisting the design team with fittings of new garments.

While the majority of the job requirements related to being a receptionist, such as strong administration and computer skills, applicants were discouraged to apply if they were more full-bodied.

"In order to accurately provide feedback on Lorna Jane products in a size small you must have the following measurements," the ad read, which was removed on Monday:

Bust: 87-90cm

Waist: 70-73cm

Hip (at widest point): 97-100cm

Height: 165cm or taller

Critics flooded the Lorna Jane Facebook page, arguing that women should not be judged on their appearance.

"Sad for any suitably qualified girl whose dream job with you won't happen because the size of her body doesn't fit with your ridiculous so-called 'requirements'!" Alicia Michele Holbrook wrote.

Another said that they believed the "fit model" co-position was a ruse to get an attractive receptionist.

"Perhaps you ought not force your receptionists into 'fit model' roles in [an] attempt to only hire people of a certain size and gender," Charlie Smith wrote.

"Your ad was not just for a 'fit model'. It was for a receptionist, with the 'fit model' tacked on the end as a caveat."

Lauren Neuro-Noopsie said the advertisement was pitched towards an attractive receptionist.

"Considering that we all really know that the role is CLEARLY only looking for a receptionist, it's good to see that your lawyers are protecting your unfortunately successful interests!"

Lorna Jane responded to criticism with a post on Facebook.

The response made no mention of the fact that the position was advertised as a receptionist and an in-house model.

"As the ad states, the position we are hoping to fill is for a 'fit model', which is an in-house model [specifically a size small] to assist with the fit of our activewear," the company wrote.

"A fit model ensures that we maintain consistency in our sizing across our entire range of different products.

"As you can imagine, we have a great variety of styles & fabrics and it is imperative that we keep our sizing as consistent as possible.

"Having a fit model allows us to do so.

"We hope this has clarified any misconceptions about our advertisement.

"We certainly pride ourselves on hiring healthy, active women of all different shapes & sizes, but as we hope you can understand, a fit model must have certain dimensions to help with our garment measurements."

Despite swipes at the company, others defended Lorna Jane and said it was not the first to seek a joint admin/fit model.

"This job role is not unusual," Michelle Harvey wrote on Facebook.

"I worked in the fashion industry 30 years ago and fit model/receptionist were around."

Ms Harvey pointed out the Speciality Fashion Group is currently seeking a similar role for plus-sized women's fashion store Autograph, however they require a size 18+ model.

This post originally appeared on the ABC and was republished here with full permission. 

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