Let's flip it: thinking about Harrah's and Disney

There's a thread in LBN about a woman getting fired from Harrah's because she refused to wear makeup.

Now let's talk Disney. These guys have the dress code from Hell--the only dress code in America that's stricter than the Disney theme park dress code is the military's, and that's debatable.

Essentially, think "1955" and you've got it.

* No polo or golf shirts.
* The earring regulation is fairly complex--hoops no larger than a dime or flat earrings no larger than a quarter, no dangling earrings, one earring per ear and worn low on the ear...and only for women.
* Eye shadow and eyeliner, for women only, was approved in 1994.
* Moustaches for men were approved in 2000. Cornrows for men were approved in 2003.
* Women were authorized to wear open-toe and open-heel shoes in 2003; all women are required to wear hosiery.

Many years ago, the hairstyle regulation was so strict that the woman who portrayed Snow White had to wear a wig while in costume because Snow White's hairstyle required longer hair than a Disney cast member was allowed to have. I can't find any indication that this has changed.

I also found a story on line that says after Disney bought the Queen Mary, they ordered a male employee to either shave off his sailor's beard or be terminated.

(Note: this code is for the theme parks; Disney's employment website indicates that non-public-contact divisions don't have such onerous restrictions.)

Now! If a cast member was fired by Disney (oh, let's say someone who was an actor in a Wild West exhibit was canned for repeatedly wearing his cowboy boots when not in costume; cowboy boots are among the prohibited pieces of apparel) for violating Disney's "don't wear this and don't wear that" dress code, would DU scream about this injustice?

basically, its because disney employees are considerred "entertainers", and arbitrary and sexist/discriminatory rules are ok if you're emplying entertainers, as opposed to ride-attendants or waitresses.

this is how Hooters got away with their... err... hiring qualifications, all their waitresses are considerred entertainers.

as for harrah's, i would have to look at the case, but i suspect that the people in question could have been classified as entertainers, also.

So, one day, a change in management at Disney decides that Asian cowboys didn't have the look of the old west that they wanted to portray. They quietly let an old and trusted employee go.

Or maybe it was a black man, and because they wanted a certain vision of the old west to come through they suggested that the black man wear caucasian make up for the sake of their big picture. Geez, if he really wanted to keep his job, he would have worn the makeup.