Female Inflation

Out of all the bad jobs you could get during the Christmas season, Roxanna probably had the worst. She used to make fun of Salvation Army bigots asking for money at the entrance to every friggin' mall, or pretty much anywhere there were people with money, or of people stuck at late night shifts in toy store warehouses. But now it was her time to be a part of the worst one: Santa's little helper at the mall. It had been a rough year, losing her stable job after company wide layoffs, so she really needed the money and her savings were running low.

Tabitha timidly closed the door behind her. It slid into place with a shuddering metal ‘clunk,’ which echoed throughout the small, brightly lit room. Three of its walls were blank, but the fourth had a large mirror, which Tabitha would bet her life was actually a one-way window. In the center stood a dais, about waist high, upon which rested a patch of fabric.

“So, I just, take off my shirt and put this on, right?” she asked, desperately trying to hide her nervousness. She suspected she failed.