NEW YORK - A woman who worked as a banking officer at Citigroup has filed a lawsuit against the bank, accusing it of firing her for being too attractive.

Ms Debrahlee Lorenzana, 33, alleged that management had warned her not to dress like her female co-workers because her 'shapeliness' upset her 'easily distracted' male colleagues and supervisors.

The lawsuit was filed in November last year, but it received attention after The Village Voice newspaper published an article about the 1.68m, 57kg single mother.

According to the complaint, soon after starting work in September 2008, Ms Lorenzana was advised not to wear certain attire because her figure made it 'too distracting' for male workers to bear.

She said efforts to dress down did not end the complaints.

'I could have worn a paper bag, and it would not have mattered,' she said.

After complaining about her treatment, she said she was transferred and given a desk in a remote area that made it difficult to sign on customers.

Ms Lorenzana was sacked in August last year, for reasons including 'inappropriate' attire and a failure to meet new account quotas, the complaint said.

Citigroup has rejected the allegations.

'Her termination was solely performance-based and not at all related to her appearance or attire,' the bank said in a statement. 'We are confident that... the claim will be dismissed.'

The lawsuit seeks lost pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and remedies.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.