Job applicant outraged after company shares her bikini photo on Instagram as 'PSA': 'This is not doing you any favors'

A job applicant shared her outrage on social media after a company she applied to shared one of her personal Instagram posts along with a "PSA" to future prospects.

Emily Clow, a 24-year-old from Austin, Texas, recently applied for a marketing coordinator internship at Kickass Masterminds, an Austin-based marketing company founded and primarily run by women that says it is "hell-bent on helping entrepreneurs grow businesses faster than they could on their own."

Clow says shortly after filling out an online application, she was prompted to follow the company's Instagram account "for an advantage over other applicants." When she did so, she says she was shocked to find a photo of herself in a swimsuit on the company's story, along with a piece of unsolicited advice.

"PSA (because I know some of you applicants are looking at this)," the company wrote over Clow's photo. "Do not share your social media with a potential employer if this is the kind of content on it. I am looking for a potential marketer–not a bikini model."

"Go on with your bad self and do whatever in private," it added. "But this is not doing you any favors in finding a professional job."

Angered by the post, Clow sent a screenshot of the company's story to SheRatesDogs, a popular Twitter account that features user-submitted content highlighting unsolicited advances, threats and demeaning insults women experience on social media.

The account shared the photo on Monday, where it has since racked up over 51,000 likes and more than 5,800 retweets.

"This girl applied for an internship at a company, and they put up this screenshot of her in a bikini on their company Instagram, publicly telling everybody they wouldn’t hire her because of this photo," it wrote.

Since the exchange went viral, the company has been forced to take down its social accounts, podcast page and website "because of continued, numerous death threats and thousands of harassing messages," Kickass Masterminds CEO Sara Christensen told In The Know.

Contrary to what SheRatesDogs wrote on Twitter, Christensen said Clow has not been "disqualified" over the bikini image "at all."

"There was no communication to her saying she was disqualified," the CEO said in an email. "I have an email communication from her yesterday still expressing interest in the position after the post."

In an Oct. 1 email, which Christensen shared with In The Know, Clow resent her résumé and cover letter and said she hoped to hear from the company soon. She also asked that the company, "please take down the picture of me from your Insta story," a request Christensen claims she honored "immediately."

Clow, however, told In The Know she only chose to take the matter public on her own personal Twitter and Instagram accounts after the company blocked her following multiple requests that the photo be removed.

Clow also shared a screenshot of her direct messages with the company that took place shortly after sending her aforementioned follow-up email, which she says she wrote to "show professionalism." In the exchange, Clow reiterates her request twice before she was allegedly blocked.

"I didn't tag the company (publically on Instagram) until after they had blocked me," Clow explained to In The Know. "I am not sure if they took it down immediately."

"I asked them to take the story down three times, and after, they had implied that I was, in fact, disqualified," she said, noting the company had wished her "best of luck in your job search," a phrase frequently used by potential employers while dismissing job applicants.

"Their actions implied to me that a bikini pic did come into factor when reviewing my application," Clow added. "I would never have expected that they would use my application as an attempt to 'educate' others about how not to apply for a job."

Although Clow said she was "baffled" by the company's action, she also took to Twitter to write that she was astounded by the support she received on social media after sharing her story.

"I was objectified earlier today by a company because of a picture of me in a bikini," she wrote. "They claimed it made me an 'unprofessional.'"

"I appreciate the support, from everyone," she later wrote. "It has truly been a whirlwind of a day."

When asked about the inspiration behind the offending social media "PSA," the CEO of Kickass Masterminds declined to comment.

This story has been updated to include comments from Emily Clow.

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