A woman who applied for a retail job has outed the boss for calling her "not that cute" in an accidental email.
Gracie Lorincz, 21, from Michigan in the US, shared the contents of the harsh email in a now viral TikTok video.
In it, the vice president of operations of the Ava Lane Boutique wrote: "This girl is fresh out of college (Hope College) and not that cute. She applied to the sales model position. Are you sure you want me to interview her?"
The email was intended for the VP's wife and co-owner of the family-run business, however it was accidentally sent to Gracie after she had applied for the position.
She shared a screenshot of the email on TikTok, alongside the sarcastic caption: "Feeling amazing", while also telling viewers the business's motto is "beauty through confidence".
The owners have since taken to Facebook to issue an apology with VP Chuck Degrendel branding his actions as "very inappropriate, very unprofessional (and) just downright stupid".
It said she 'is not that cute' and asked if they're sure they want to hire her for a brand position. Photo / TikTok/ggggmoneyyyy
"I sent a reply back to Laura (wife) that said that she was a recent college grad, and I didn't feel that she was that cute, so I wasn't sure if we wanted to proceed with an interview," Chuck said in the video apology.
"I don't know why I said that, but I did, and I'm very, very sorry for saying that because it was very unprofessional and really not in line with our core values here, or my core values in general."
The teary owner went on to say he can't imagine how awful his words would have made Gracie feel.
"I am really, really sorry I said that. It was wrong to say on so many levels. I don't know why I said it but I did. It's 100 per cent my fault, it was uncalled for, it wasn't prompted and I am very, very sorry."
Chuck continued begging for forgiveness as he revealed his phone has not stopped ringing since the incident took place last week.
"As soon as I saw the email, I emailed her back and wrote an apology to the best as I could," he explained while crying. "But I understand what I said was very hurtful.
"I feel horrible. I have seen all the pullback, which I totally understand, I deserve that."
Chuck Degrendel, vice president of Ava Lane Boutique who sent the message, has since apologised in a Facebook Live post. Photo / Facebook
His wife Laura, who the email was originally meant for, came on screen later, adding her husband "made a mistake, and he owns it".
The college graduate's mother told Fox News the incident "was embarrassing" and made her daughter "feel terrible".
"She is a sweet kid, she is not an attention hog. She is not a social media personality, and didn't anticipate what this turned into," Heather told the publication.
His wife Laura also jumped on the video, adding that Chuck "made a mistake, and he owns it". Photo / Facebook
She also said her daughter deserved a real apology and not a Facebook Live video, adding she wasn't convinced it was for the right reasons.
"I don't want this woman's business to suffer," Heather said. "I don't but I feel my daughter deserves a real apology not a Facebook Live."
Since sharing a screenshot of the email on TikTok, Gracie's post has amassed almost two million views and over 13,000 comments – many of which have gone on to inundate the company's Google Play page with one-star reviews.
"806!!!! Google reviews!!! So far!!! TikTok is so powerful," one user wrote.
"The Facebook live definitely made it worse in my opinion ... like why is Chuck crying? Did his allowance get taken away?" another asked.
"Omg their apology is so embarrassing," a third person added.
The beauty boutique's Instagram page has also been turned to private following the backlash, with Laura saying her children and the families of those who work for her have also been threatened.
"I think what people don't realise is when you're coming after Chuck or coming after me, how much you're hurting the families who work here as well."
