I was not hired because...

[Danger007]

I had scoliosis and i wonder if i can sue for this? okay, so the story is about me being recruited to work for Hollister, yes HOLLISTER. Haha, i know the certain circumstance they are in, they were being sued by a girl who wore a prosthetic arm, etc.

So, the guy who recruited me seemed nice, he wanted me to work there so i was flattered and said yes. Went to interview and he asked questions, it seemed pleasant, then he said there were certain clothes i had to wear and currently they were wearing flannel and tanks, i asked if hoodies were appropriate. He said not really, and i told him i had scoliosis. It was awkward, but it was something he needed to know and why i would wear certain clothing during the job.

if you're wondering why i wear hoodies, it's because I still have kyphosis, from my congenital scoliosis. I had my spine fused 5 years ago, but im interested in getting my kyphosis taken care of so i can wear ANYTHING i want, but yeah. I haven't got a call back, the waiting period was 7-10 days, but it's been more than 2 weeks. So, i felt slightly bummed, that i wasn't accepted for the job, because of my "disability".

I wish people actually understood, but some people are so shallow. I could have been a great accessory for the job, but oh well. Im gonna focus on school.

Sorry this was all long, i just need someone to talk to, this forum will atleast be able to understand me. It's so hard living with this sometimes. I wish i was born normal :\

[tonibunny]

Is your kyphosis noticeable to anyone else?

I'm afraid it sounds like you may have been turned down for the job because you gave the impression that you would refuse to wear the uniform.

[Danger007]

Sort of, I haven't been to specialist in a while to know my specific curvature, but for instance, I can't wear thin shirts, T-shirts. I mostly wear sweaters with hoods on them to sort of hide a small bump being there.

The uniform was ridiculous, I gave a small list, but it was crazy that things they wanted us to do and appear. It's not like im ugly, but I thought it was weird how i couldn't wear there hoodies and that's what i pretty much wear is Hollister hoodies.. so it had their logo on it. I just don't see the problem, if it was going to be an issue, they could have simply let me work in inventory.

I hope i don't see him in the store, because that would be awkward. I think i would give him a piece of my mind.

[Snoopy]

Just curious...why didn't they fix your Kyphosis when they did your fusion for Scoliosis? Or is it junctional Kyphosis.....caused by the fusion?

My daughter's Kyphosis was fix at the same time of her Scoliosis. She then developed junctional Kyphosis above the fusion, which to the untrained eye isn't even noticeable.

Mary Lou

[tonibunny]

I think it would be hard to prove that he was discriminating against you for having a spinal deformity when he offered you an interview after meeting you. After all, if he had a problem with the way you looked he wouldn't have done that.

[Danger007]

tonibunny: yeah, that's true, but he only saw the front of me and not the back, most people don't see it when i hide it, but I'm sort of sensitive about my scoliosis i guess...


Snoopy: My doctor told me it could not be done, because at the time i was 13 and still growing. He said after I hit the age of 18, which i am now, that I'm eligible to get the second surgery.

I've read that a lot of the people who had that procedure for both, later on they had a problem with the kyphosis recurring, because they were still growing. I think by now I'm done, at the time i was under 5 feet. Now I'm about 5'5 and 1/2.

[naptown78]

Danger,
I am currently job hunting, and have interviewed at several potential employers. There is such a high unemployment rate currently, that you are competing with so many other qualified applicants. Just because you don't get a call back don't take that to mean you are being discriminated against due to your scoliosis. There may have been 25 other applicants for that very job, and someone else was simply more qualified. I know it is very discouraging to be unemployed, and I hope to be one of the EMPLOYED very soon! Keep your chin up....

[Danger007]

Thanks naptown78 ! This was actually going to be my first job, I'm not in a hurry to have a job, but i guess the stigma attached to it. I can kinda be semi-independent from my parents xD

[Mojo's Mom]

Danger 007, if your scoliosis had anything to do with your not getting the job, I am going to suggest that it is your attitude that mattered, because you are self-conscious about how you look and want to dress to hide your shape.

This is understandable, I have a huge hump on my back, and I know how it feels to know you look "bad". A few years ago when I got a glimpse of my back view for the first time in a while and saw how bad it was, I tossed my bikinis in a drawer and bought tankinis and stopped wearing fitted clothes. But one day as I was uncomfortable in my bathing suit I just decided then and there that I didn't care. I wanted to be comfortable, and if I look different, too bad! Why do I care what others think when they look at me?

Wear what you want, and stand tall and hold yourself proudly (within the limits you are physically capable of), and I promise you, not many people will notice your shape. People really don't look at other people the way we "deformed" folks think they do. There turned out to be many people who had no idea of my condition until I started talking about my surgery and they started really looking. It was only then that they stopped, looked at my back and said, "Wow".

Go into every job interview and every other experience in your life as if you are a runway model. You have to love yourself as you are. I hate the way I look but I made my peace with it and I wear whatever I want.

And by the way, this is my pep talk to myself, I don't always walk the walk. But I try. We look how we look and maybe it can be fixed and maybe not, but right now, it's what we've got. We don't need to hide in paper sacks or hoodies (after all, what do you do when it's hot?).

[naptown78]

Stephanie,
I totally agree!!! Since my surgeries I don't think about how I look as much, but before my surgery boy did I! I looked 30 years older. When I got to feeling sorry for myself, I would remember back to my early nursing career when I worked with a nurse who had severe scoliosis curves. She was so severely bent that she was sideways, but she had a great attitude and always had a smile on her face. She was a floor nurse in a hospital which is a very physically demanding job and I never heard her complain of pain. After I got to know her, I didn't even notice her scoliosis even though it was so patently obvious. She was just herself. Sooo...it could be worse, I tell myself.
Danger....wear what you want to, what is comfortable and who cares what other people think? You would be surprised, most people are so busy thinking about how they look themselves that they aren't even looking at your curve. Good luck with that job hunt :-)))

[Danger007]

Mojo's Mom: I know exactly what you mean, i can't believe i cried reading that... I still feel like I'm the odd one out. I use to wear what i wanted, but it's so hard. Atleast you're brave enough, i think i can't do it though... I always wanted to, but it would make me more comfortable hiding it i guess... I just can't wait till i can get insurance to be able to get my second operation to remove the hump.

my mom actually confirmed what i was always feeling... especially with my inferiority complex around boys. I can't explain it... I guess, I still have alot of growing up to do.


naptown78: A few months ago i told my friends-- I actually told alot of people I was close to. It was like i said there was a piece of paper on the ground, they just didn't care. It was like "really? Oh, ok". They all told me that they never saw it... I know, it could always be worse, but thank god that I had the surgery at a great time...