News New Changes Coming to the Disney Look 2021

[monothingie]

Wake me up when Disney decides to put their money where their mouth is and challenge their Chinese Communist Government overlord's abysmal track record.

Wokeness only counts when it makes you money I guess.

 

[ULPO46]

It's been a long time since I've wrote or posted anything on this forum. There are many mixed feelings about the guidelines but many including myself are in favour for them. Inclusivity finally means that young women do not have to go in every day to work and fear that some perverted Sex Offender is going to try and grab their bottom or lift their skirts. Women will now finally be allowed to skip the skirts only look for their uniform. The largest and biggest reason these changes are happening is due to Post Covid Moral. Disney World was shut down for months, Disneyland a literal year. Tens of Thousands of cast members lost their only source of income and their dream careers. Being a cast member sometimes isn't just a 12 dollar an hour position. Many veteran cast members and management positions were let go or repurposed. Thank Goodness for mask, because if you walk up to any cast member who's on stage, they will tell you, moral all over is down at the Parks, Experience, and Products division is down.

Yes I'm a stickler for scruffy looking beards/moustaches on men, tattoos or crazy coloured hair for any cast member. It doesn't scream we are a family friendly park, which for all hopes and betterment of the messed up legacy of Walt, was the reason he created the parks in the first place. A safe destination for families of all ages and sizes to come. Society has changed and tattoos and hair styles aren't no longer stereotyped as being awful or criminal, albeit some tattoos are gang related or related to some form of hate group. But this new policy doesn't allow those still. This policy allows Samoan/Polynesian style tattoos which are culturally representative. This allows cast members to show their favourite animals, teams or character that isn't violent or exposing anyone or anything to a certain level of hate. Yes it's awkward, yes it's going to take a lot of time for Management to get trained not to be so strict with the new policy believing the old ways to still be "The Way".

But for better or worse this is the new Disney. This is the Disney that is striving to push moral back into disenchanted Cast Members. CM's who for better or worst wake up and don't feel the smile anymore. Hopefully when everyone is vaccinated and the world gets back to whatever a normal feels like and mask don't cover guest faces, maybe CM's moral will rise on it's own, but the truth is, these policies are being enacted to make CM's feel welcome back to their roles that they loved so much before this nightmare began.

 

[DavidNoble]

One persons standard is another's exclusion. You mentioned Tokyo Disneyland, you do know there are establishments in Japan that would never allow a non japanese person in there. How is that for hospitality?

Exactly. Or you need a Japanese person with you to enter an establishment.

Those things don't make me nervous, however I always felt it was more along the lines of that the cast members aren't supposed to be noticed, or at least aren't supposed to stand out, they're just there to make your day easier, they're getting paid to work for you while you're there, if that makes any sense. Now I don't mean that in a disrespectful-servant kind of way, I just mean that we're paying to have a good time, and they're being paid to make us have an even better time. I think the former restrictions were really just aiming to make cast members look as normal and run-of-the-mill as possible, in a friendly way. This might just be me, but a cast member standing in front of the entrance to a ride with tattoos on their arms and neon-green hair doesn't exactly say 'friendly' to me.

Why is the way someone 'looks' an indicator of friendly or not. I don't have tattoos, my hair is my natural hair color (neon colors if you must know, that's just how I came out. No one can explain it), and I don't have piercings. I'm not friendly though. I don't like people. I don't like the sun. But because I look a certain way, that makes me friendly? Well have fun after I throw you into the nearby river and take your snacks

 

[disneygeek90]

Yes... but why is hand size a measure of appropriateness? That means something cultural like a large Polynesian tattoo is still considered inappropriate.

Disney decided at their discretion that allowing small tattoos was okay. If you want the exact reasoning for where the hand came from, you'd have to ask them. To me, it seems like a simple, straightforward standard.

 

[crawale]

It has been relaxed quite a bit over the last decade. I support wanting cast to be comfortable at work, but this is also supposed to be a premium brand, so you gotta be careful with the line of comfort vs professionalism.

Exactly. If you are required to wear a costume then this is pretty ridiculous. If you want to 'express' yourself then don't work in the parks. I have no problem with the people who staff the desks at the hotels but those in costume at the parks would really take away from the experience and after all - isn't it about the guests who pay the salaries?

 

[el_super]

It’s not banned, just not visible and means not having to make value judgements. Is it okay to have culturally appropriative tattoos and/or jewelry?

The difficulty in making the value judgements, shouldn't be a justification to discriminate against an entire class of people. With this change, Disney is basically saying that the number of good actors with tattoos outweighs the number of bad actors, and it would be more appropriate to make the value call for each one, rather than an automatic no. People shouldn't be treated differently based on how they look, and Disney is reinforcing that with the removal of this policy.

 

[disneygeek90]

Anyway, did this change go into effect today? Anyone reporting seeing a cast member in Epcot with a *gasp* rose tattoo on their ankle??

 

[91JLovesDisney]

Why is the way someone 'looks' an indicator of friendly or not. I don't have tattoos, my hair is my natural hair color (neon colors if you must know, that's just how I came out. No one can explain it), and I don't have piercings. I'm not friendly though. I don't like people. I don't like the sun. But because I look a certain way, that makes me friendly? Well have fun after I throw you into the nearby river and take your snacks

But if you worked as a Cast Member, you would be friendly, it's a requirement. I can't explain to you why the way someone looks is an indicator of how friendly they are, I guess it's just how it is. However, those changes shown in the picture are a lot more minor than I was imagining.

 

[412]

My analogy is about perceived expectations, and what have been previous expectations, of the consumer. Right or wrong, they exist. Also, Disney has not done a good job at all of managing those expectations. That’s the key.

What do you think Disney should have done to better manage guest expectations around these Disney Look changes?

 

[lazyboy97o]

The difficulty in making the value judgements, shouldn't be a justification to discriminate against an entire class of people. With this change, Disney is basically saying that the number of good actors with tattoos outweighs the number of bad actors, and it would be more appropriate to make the value call for each one, rather than an automatic no. People shouldn't be treated differently based on how they look, and Disney is reinforcing that with the removal of this policy.

Except they still are treating people different based on how they look and now basing it on the physical characteristics of their body.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Well, some of that stuff has nothing to do with appearance. Or even Disneyland. It's just working with the public at any job; Target, Delta, Nordstrom, In-N-Out, even the Gas-N-Go.

But I take it from your non-answer to my question, you don't feel that tats and purple hair supports the Disneyland show at Peter Pan's Flight or Storybook Land or the Mad Tea Party?

We aren't talking about customer service skills, we're talking about showmanship.

Disneyland is a show. It's why the employees are called Cast Members, because they have a role to play in that show. A perfectly coiffed CM can provide bad customer service, and a CM with skull tats on his arms can provide good customer service. But at what point do the skull tats clash with the show of Main Street USA or Fantasyland or Frontierland?

As for wearing your hair in a natural, I've seen Black CM's wearing their hair that way for decades. I don't think styling your hair in a natural was forbidden in the old rules, was it? If it was, they did a horrible job of enforcing that.

I answered your question. You just didn’t like it.

I see nothing wrong with CMs having tats or colored hair, to an extent. That’s not bad show in my opinion, Fantasyland CM or not. A friend of mine who was a Hollywood Land CM in DCA has a small music note tattoo behind her ear. Oh my!

It was forbidden. We could put our natural hair in ponytails, but to have it completely out like that, especially with a certain height was a no-no.

 

[tpac24]

Honestly I don't see the big deal with some of these changes as long as they don't look sloppy and unkept. I will be honest my last visit there which was last week I was surprised at the amount of morbidity obese and sloppy cast members. If I were leading the Disney union I would be advocating for better health care and pro health care programs before getting men the green light to wear earrings or nail polish. A gym membership and a nutritionist would do some of these poor souls a heck of a lot especially in the covid era. I am not saying you have to be a size 2 but if your weight causes you to sweat profusely and causes difficulty breathing you should work to improve that. I saw several cast members who fit that description last week.

 

[91JLovesDisney]

I think the root of the argument here is that the folks who don't want these changes are referencing things like un-natural hair colors, nose piercings, or Mohawks, and then the others come back with "is a 1x1mm tattoo on the roof of my mouth really so disgusting to you?"

 

[Gringrinngghost]

Some food for thought, Since Walt opened Disneyland back in 1955, many ideals have changed let alone what is acceptable in society. Back in the 50s conformity was common, as young and old alike all followed the group norms rather than being the nonconformist who goes out on their own. Since then, we've had the hippie movement which struck against the very core of the 1950s socially conservative and materialistic ideals. Since coming into the digital age, more and more are finding that they can be them true selves because its easier than ever to find their niches . As i bottle it us as this, that's one reason why things are progressing forward, because progressing since the time of Walts death, more people can be them true selves...

Nothing will be the day I was told by Upper management at one of the parks, I could not wear my sunglasses because they were not uniform compliant... White frames with black lenses... all while the localized management didn't care since it did fit with the uniform... those we're the days...

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Has anyone considered maybe this is more about realizing that that they have a wider range of workforce by allowing this? With college programs in the air and less international workers available all due to COVID this might just be Disney trying cast a wider net to get employees, simple as that.

 

[nickys]

Did you even read the guide?

Don’t be silly. How can anyone be morally outraged if they read the policy first?

 

[el_super]

My analogy is about perceived expectations, and what have been previous expectations, of the consumer. Right or wrong, they exist. Also, Disney has not done a good job at all of managing those expectations. That’s the key.

They are managing expectations as best they can. They are setting the expectation that all people should feel welcomed and included, both cast and guests. Those goals align with enough of their cast and guests, that they are betting that these changes will be well received and help their image and brand in the long term. This isn't the first (or the last) time they will have to adjust their appearance guidelines to meet societal demands, but it's important to remember that society as a whole is still dictating what Disney does here.

Wake me up when Disney decides to put their money where their mouth is and challenge their Chinese Communist Government overlord's abysmal track record.

Wokeness only counts when it makes you money I guess.

That's a terrible take. Disney's actually making some progress in China and recently won some acclaim for a program encouraging disabled access at Shanghai Disneyland. Yes, China is a little behind on the times, and these small societal changes don't happen overnight. Sometimes you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

Except they still are treating people different based on how they look and now basing it on the physical characteristics of their body.

Well, it's still a start. Again, I see that it will be difficult and inconsistent, but that's not a defense for keeping an outdated system in place. If change being hard was a valid defense, segregation would still be around.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Those things don't make me nervous, however I always felt it was more along the lines of that the cast members aren't supposed to be noticed, or at least aren't supposed to stand out, they're just there to make your day easier, they're getting paid to work for you while you're there, if that makes any sense. Now I don't mean that in a disrespectful-servant kind of way, I just mean that we're paying to have a good time, and they're being paid to make us have an even better time. I think the former restrictions were really just aiming to make cast members look as normal and run-of-the-mill as possible, in a friendly way. This might just be me, but a cast member standing in front of the entrance to a ride with tattoos on their arms and neon-green hair doesn't exactly say 'friendly' to me.

Definitely you - some of the most friendly people I know have fun with their hair, change it up frequently, etc.

Plus, how many people often talk about how CMs that go above and beyond help make their trips special? That is very different than "aren't supposed to be noticed" - they are supposed to stand out and add to the trip. They aren't servants or machines that should stay out of the way

I know some of the best CMs I have encountered have expressed more personality and passion - and if this change let's them be more comfortable doing that and being their "true selves" then this will only make the guest experience better, IMO at least

 

[JoeCamel]

Honestly I don't see the big deal with some of these changes as long as they don't look sloppy and unkept. I will be honest my last visit there which was last week I was surprised at the amount of morbidity obese and sloppy cast members. If I were leading the Disney union I would be advocating for better health care and pro health care programs before getting men the green light to wear earrings or nail polish. A gym membership and a nutritionist would do some of these poor souls a heck of a lot especially in the covid era. I am not saying you have to be a size 2 but if your weight causes you to sweat profusely and causes difficulty breathing you should work to improve that. I saw several cast members who fit that description last week.

I would be very surprised if those things were not available to cast members. You can lead a horse to water....

 

[mgf]

Back in the day...remember, I’m outdated...cast members weren’t hired to sell hot dogs or cupcakes, they were hired to play someone selling hot dogs or cupcakes a very specific way in a very specifically themed area. Obviously the concept was to provide a total experience. That was unique. Disney had a specific model and goal they were attempting to produce. It was so successful that hospitals, in an attempt to raise their patient satisfaction, began to mimic that Disney model. And it worked. It was all about creating that special and specific experience.

I don’t think anyone can deny that experience has changed over the years, and for many it has changed for the worse. That’s fine. It’s Disney’s business to run..... Again, that is 100% Disney’s choice.

....Disney just doesn’t go to the lengths it used to, and that’s okay. It’s also okay to not like it.....

This is a really good summation of why I think the middle ground is so hard to find anymore in the Disney fan community. I think just about everyone recognizes there has been a decline in quality but is divided about the "why". What you state right here is the real reason many fans perceive such a huge change in the product. The corporate culture has shifted not because of DEI initiatives or because tattoos are now allowed or wokeness or whatever but because Disney as a business has allowed its own service experience to weaken.

There are tons of exceptional companies, non-profits, and public organizations that deliver tremendous experiences to customers while employing evolving and incredibly diverse workforces - and diverse in very open and public ways. They are successful in delivering that experience because of the corporate culture they maintain and the training, empowerment, and commitment to mission of their employees. It has nothing to do with dress code or hair length or nail polish or political affiliation. It has everything to do with passion and drive to deliver the best possible product with the best possible team.

This is not an attack on CMs at large. Even a majority of employees performing at the highest levels cannot overcome a discarded corporate culture.