- Female assistant to Governor Andrew Cuomo says there was a casual dress code for women in his office.
- A dozen young women told The New York Times that they were under pressure to wear dresses, heels and makeup around him.
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A number of female assistants to the New York government, Andrew Cuomo, say they have been explicitly instructed or that they are under pressure to wear makeup and dress them to please the governor and advance professionally.
Twelve women told The New York Times that there is a common understanding that they should wear heels, dresses and makeup when they are in Cuomo’s presence. More than a dozen women who worked at Cuomo told New York Magazine that the governor and his best female assistants exert heavy pressure to dress well and dress in expensive clothes. Some said they were specifically ordered to wear heels if they were in the presence of the governor. Several current and former assistants in the governor’s office told The Times that women who are tall, thin and blond are preferred in the appointment process.
Another former assistant named Kaitlin, who asked that her surname not be used, told New York Magazine that the governor would criticize her physical appearance if she worked with wet hair or otherwise did not meet his standards . She said he would say to her, “Have you decided not to get ready today?” or, “Didn’t you put on makeup today?”
One former staff member, Ana Liss, said an executive assistant to the governor told her, “If the governor is here, you have to look really good.”
A current senior assistant and two former staff members told The Times that they believe they were transferred to certain professional occasions because of their attire. Three former staff members said they had to dress as Cuomo wanted if they wanted to get special attention from the governor. Staff dressed according to Cuomo’s code would sit at the desks in front of his office in the Capitol building, reports The Times.
Cuomo’s office has denied claims about women’s casual wear.
“There has never been an expectation to wear certain clothes or high heels,” Richard Azzopardi, a top adviser, told The Times.
These allegations come as the attorney general’s office in New York oversees an investigation into several allegations of sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances against Cuomo by eight women, including former assistants. New York State lawmakers have launched an indictment and the majority of Congressional Democrats are asking the governor to resign.
On Friday, the governor again denied any wrongdoing and refused to resign.
Peter Yacobellis, who was deputy director of Cuomo’s administrative services from 2011 to 2014, told The Times there is “clearly a toxic environment for many women in the governors’ office” and no significant training in sexual harassment.
“If you’re a woman who wants to focus on work, this is the worst place to be,” Sen said. Alessandra Biaggi, New York State Sen. Biaggi is an outspoken critic of the governor, whom she calls a ‘monster’ and calls on him to resign.