We have just a quickie post for today (oh my gosh...two posts in one month!!!). This is a Los Angeles Times article from the year 2000, about how the cast members at Disneyland were finally being allowed to have mustaches.
The ban on facial hair was established by Walt Disney in 1957. That's kind of funny, considering he himself had a mustache. "Do as I say, not as I do!"
I also think it's funny that by the time mustaches were finally allowed, the workers didn't even care since most of them didn't want to have JUST a mustache. "You'd look like one of the Village People"......HA, HA! I'm assuming the cast member that said that was fairly young and I'm surprised he even knew who the Village People were! At least he got his wish for the company to allow goatees. Beards and goatees were finally allowed on cast members starting in February of 2012. I wonder if that cast member was still working there 12 years later. I know....it's highly doubtful!
I always thought Disneyland's grooming restrictions were antiquated even back in the day. I definitely wouldn't have been employable at Disneyland for many reasons, a mustache and goatee being one of them.
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the things I did like about being employed at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. They did allow you to have a mustache back in the 1970's and even now, however long hair and full beards were and are out.
And yeah, that always bugged me they wouldn't allow mustaches, but good ol' Walt had one. Thanks for the quickie post, TokyoMagic!
I remember reading a quote from Walt in which he said men with mustaches looked like "city slickers"! So odd, from Someone who had a mustache for decades. When will they allow my 40 facial piercings?
ReplyDeleteDo they allow tattoos? Not so much on the face but what about on the arms or ankles?
ReplyDeleteKen, that's what was nice about working at Knott's. They weren't as strict and they allowed mustaches! I grew one my second year there and had one until I quit.
ReplyDeleteMajor, soon, very soon!
SWA, I have never seen a tattoo on a cast member. I don't think there is a problem with having tattoos as long as they are in places that cannot be seen by the guests!
So, you're saying that tattoo on my kidney is OK?
ReplyDeleteI always liked the clean-cut grooming standards for Disney cast members, but then again, I grew up in and then pursued a career in an environment where short hair and no beards were not only the norm, they were a condition of employment. Some people just do not look good in a mustache: teenagers whose facial hair hasn't quite filled in, the guy typing this comment, Panayot Hitov.
Chuck, yeah...your tattoo would be okay! I had to look up Panayot Hitov! Yikes! How did he fit through doorways with that thing? Disney would not have hired him! While Disney does allow mustaches and beards now, they have to be neat and trimmed and they also can't be "in the process" of growing in. You either have to be hired with them, or you have to grow them during your time off. Still so controlling!
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