Most of us think that beautiful people are allowed to get away with whatever they want. Debrahlee Lorenzana is in the unfortunate position of losing something important because she was cursed with beauty. Lorenzana was recently fired from her job at Citibank because her looks and sex appeal were apparently too distracting to her co-workers.

I am sure you may be thinking (neck swinging in process), "Who in the hell does she think she is?" It's hard to imagine someone would assume they were fired for being cute, rather than incompetent. And yet, if the statement from her filing below is true, it makes you wonder what her bosses at Citibank were thinking.

"Shortly after the commencement of her employment, branch manager Craig Fisher and assistant branch manager Peter Claibourne began articulating inappropriate and sexist comments concerning the plaintiff's clothing and appearance," her lawsuit states. She was also told that "she must refrain from wearing certain items of clothing, in particular, turtleneck tops, pencil skirts, fitted business suits, or other properly tailored clothing."

According to the New York Daily News, Debrahlee states: 'Never did I ever show cleavage. I like fashion, but I always dressed professionally.' Lorenzana fired back at her employers by stating that there were other employees who dressed in a more revealing fashion. She was then allegedly told that the other employees didn't have to worry about turning on the men in the office, since they were not as shapely and attractive as Lorenzana.

The suit was originally thrown out because, Citibank requires all disputes to be handled internally (meaning you waive your right to sue in court upon taking a job there). However, Lorenzana was eventually fired for poor job performance, and believes this firing was in retaliation. She now insists upon pushing the issue forward, as she believes it to be a clear case of gender discrimination. Perhaps she has a point: It's hard to imagine a man being sanctioned for being too sexy in the office, and men don't generally wear form-fitting, tailored clothing as a part of office culture.

Given that women are going to make up the majority of our workforce in the year 2011, this case is a stark reminder that the way we deal with women's issues has to be updated for the 21st century. Things like maternity leave or being a single parent are enough to derail the hard work of many women in the workplace and is one of the sole reasons for the gap in pay between men and women.

All the while, Lorenzana's case does lead us to more deeply explore the issue of sexual harassment and how to navigate the complicated divide between professional behavior and human instincts. When men and women work together, there is going to be a natural attraction. In some cases, that attraction leads to action: asking someone out on a date, looking at them for more than three seconds, and all the other internal wires God planted in order to make sure we keep on reproducing. What's most frightening about this is that the wrong look or an ill-timed compliment can ruin a person's career and cost a company millions of dollars.

Perhaps in order to maintain stringent standards with regard to sexual harassment, there must also be equally stringent standards regarding how we dress in the office. If a woman wears clothing that conforms to her breasts, should men be penalized for looking? I am not sure what all the answers are, but the complex issue of sexual harassment is one of the key reasons that I have never gone on a date or attempted to spend any "personal quality time" with any woman I've ever worked with. Crossing that bridge between lust and professionalism can cost you everything.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book 'Black American Money.' To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.