Every morning, millions of Americans don scrubs for work – those shapeless utilitarian uniforms that can be picked up at a local discount store for as little as $20.

So when designer Glenn Shelhamer got into the business last fall, he wanted to make a splash. He created a line of softer, form-fitting scrubs in muted colors that can be worn by dentists, nurses and others in the health care industry.

But to some, the scrubs are too snug for comfort.

Since launching the website last month for his Vernon company, Industry Standard Workwear Inc., Shelhamer has been bombarded with e-mails denouncing him for the scrubs, which critics say are inappropriate and unprofessional.

Particularly offensive, apparently, have been the models depicting the scrubs. They strike sensual, come-hither poses, and in some of the images, the models show skin. A nurse who works as director of an intensive care unit in Northern California told Shelhamer she found the ads disturbing.

“You have made the models appear sexual in nature and this offends me as a nursing professional,” she wrote in an e-mail.

Shelhamer, 32, who previously ran a men’s clothing company, is unperturbed. However, since receiving the negative feedback, some of the sexier images have been swapped out for more conservative ones on the Industry-StandardWorkwear.com site.

The scrubs industry is dominated by a few large companies, including Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co. of Fort Worth, Texas, and Barco Uniforms Inc. of Gardena. There also are a few high-end brands such as WonderWink made by CID Resources Inc. of Dallas. Shelhamer said the idea was to shake things up.

“I was amazed by how much was lacking in the scrubs market,” he said. “We tailored these garments to hug the body in the right way, to show the feminine versus masculine silhouette.”

The company was established in November when Shelhamer formed a partnership with associate Robert Moon, using investor proceeds and with manufacturing done in Vernon.

Their line specifically targets fit young professionals just out of college. A woman’s top is priced from $24 to $28 and pants cost from $30 to $32.

Moon said he understands the criticism, but thinks the scrubs can have a positive effect.

“The argument is that women nurses have worked so hard to overcome sexism and bias in the workplace,” Moon said. “But we see this as more a means of empowerment.”