A woman has taken legal action against a lingerie company claiming that her Orthodox Jewish employers dismissed her for being "too hot" and too well-endowed.

Lauren Odes worked at the New York warehouse "Native Intimates" for a week in April. She alleges that during her time there she was told to dress less provocatively, including being asked to tape down her breasts and wear a dressing gown over her clothes to cover up.

Ms Odes, 29, said she believed her clothing was acceptable given that the company sold thongs and provocative underwear. On the Native Intimates Twitter account, the company boasts that it offers "the finest in intimate apparel, including corsets and bustier bras".

She said that the employers called her tight-fitting clothes, including leather and sequin-studded boots, "too hot". She was later sacked from her job, which involved inputting data for the company.

She is being represented in her gender and religious discrimination lawsuit by the prominent feminist lawyer Gloria Allred. The lawsuit claims she "was simply fired for being attractive and for not conforming to the religious strictures imposed by top management, apparently for having female body parts, despite having ably performed her professional duties".

"I understand that there are Orthodox Jewish men who may have their views about how a woman should dress," said Ms Odes, who is Jewish. "But I do not feel that any employer has the right to impose their religious beliefs on me.

"We should not be judged by the size of our breasts or the shape of our body. I don't believe any woman should be treated as I was."