The fast-growing shopping mall chain, set up in the wake of international brands Victoria's Secret and Agent Provocateur and part-owned by billionaire Brett Blundy, is selling a fantasy of feminist sexual emancipation. But staff say the reality for them is dangerous and exploitative workplace conditions. Chanelle Rodgers (left) and Tori Bellentina protest against their former employer, Honey Birdette, on Thursday. Credit:Chris Hopkins Their story comes after revelations in Fairfax Media of the widespread sexual harassment of women by their customers, and the virtual inaction of regulatory authorities. At Honey Birdette the problem starts, former workers say, with the recruitment process. Candidates are vetted for their looks via video interview or through their Instagram and Facebook profiles. "They are looking for girls who take lots of photos of themselves and carry themselves in a way that is more exposed to the public; [girls] who are actively seeking that kind of acceptance and who they can mould into their ideal," says Nadelle, one of 10 former employees from three states who have spoken to Fairfax Media.

Once employed, "Honeys" must adhere to a strict uniform policy that includes high heels and skirts (trousers are banned), and items from current lingerie ranges – which staff must buy (at a discount). Specific "Hollywood starlet" make-up is also a requirement. Ms Bellentina demanded to be paid for time worked before and after opening hours. Credit:Penny Stephens Ex-workers say they spent $150-$200 a week (up to a third of their after-tax income) conforming with the brand's uniform requirements. But handling boxes and climbing ladders to access stock was a daily hazard in the "uniform". One ex-worker said she left after injuring her back moving boxes while wearing a Honey Birdette corset. A culture of surveillance included the daily selfies, as well as surprise visits and after-hours emails to make sure "Honeys" stayed back after closing, on unpaid time. Ms Rodgers and Ms Bellentina burn a bra from Honey Birdette Credit:Chris Hopkins

It is a culture many former workers say made them stressed and anxious. One said that, once on the way home from work, she had found herself weeping and hyperventilating in the emergency lane. "I felt constantly watched, constantly on edge," says Alice* who worked for Honey Birdette in regional Queensland. Ms Rodgers makes her objections loud and clear. Credit:Chris Hopkins Alice once posted a photo of herself in a new "set" (bra, knickers, suspender belt and hosiery) to a staff group chat, only to find it in an Australia-wide company email the following week. "I was like, they just posted my boobs on the internet … no one asked me ... that was a bit confronting." Adding to their vulnerability, many were rostered entire days on their own. Women say they were refused toilet and meal breaks because they were not allowed to close the shop. One says she urinated in an empty rubbish bin in desperation one day, another that she didn't drink, to limit her distress.

Illustration: Ron Tandberg "I wouldn't eat for eight hours – a few times I almost fainted," says former staffer Mabel.* Among every 10 customers, about three were men, one of whom would invariably leer at them, or make sleazy remarks, the ex-workers say. Demeaning and intimidating behaviour was most frightening for those working unaccompanied. Ms Bellentina refused to buy the brand's lingerie, arguing it should be free. Credit:Penny Stephens One 19-year-old worked alone for a 6pm-to-6am shift during a pre-Christmas 36-hour shopping centre trading marathon. With other nearby retailers closed, she was "very intimidated" by drink and drug-affected male customers. Others talk of men pestering them with probing and personal comments or using the sex toys in the store to masturbate.

Honey Birdette management had no training in dealing with sexual harassment, the women say, nor formal complaint mechanisms. Managers would respond by advising staff to turn the behaviour into a sales opportunity: "They'd say, 'He's probably shy; just go with it, then they'll buy something'," one former employee, Jess, said. A former employee of Honey Birdette who was required to send daily selfies to her area manger to show her ''look'' conformed with the brand's uniform policies Jess said she was stalked for almost a year by a customer who sat on a bench outside her store and stared at her day after day, and then found out where she lived. He later showed up near her home. "I got no sympathy or support from work," Jess said. When she went to court for a restraining order, Honey Birdette required her to take unpaid leave, and asked her to be as quick as possible because she was the best saleswoman.

The chain had a "Little Black Book" of rules for staff (which includes "Spank me if I'm wrong" among recommended phrases), and the company's sales handbook suggests selling women corsets "for the work Christmas party and have them all wondering where you kept those spectacular goodies hidden all year!" Numerous women use the word "cult" or "brainwashing" to describe their experiences at the chain. Former managers talk of a revolving door of staff. Some staff were long-standing customers who say they were initially attracted to working at Honey Birdette for its stated goals of sex-positive and body-positive female power. "Our Honeys are here to not only empower women but to entertain them," is one of the legends on the company website.

Tori Bellentina, a lingerie collector and blogger, was wooed by managers who had noticed her then-40,000 Instagram followers. But she refused to buy the brand's lingerie, arguing the work uniform should be supplied to workers for free. She also demanded to be paid for the time worked before and after the shop's opening hours, as required by the chain. She was "let go" after four months. "You say you're empowering women, but you also say I need to tell customers to spank me," says Kate, who worked for the company for two years. Honey Birdette declined to comment. On Thursday, a campaign by former workers, co-ordinated by the Young Workers Centre staged protests outside a Melbourne Honey Birdette store. A petition calling on Honey Birdette to cease sexist workplace practices and stop encouraging harassment by customers attracted 5400 signatures towards a target of 6000 in its first week. Discrimination experts say the allegations of unpaid work, dangerous conditions, bullying and harassment potentially breach the retail workers award and numerous workplace and safety laws.