1. Tip your server.
First of all, in any restaurant you go to, please tip your server. I know, the whole "restaurants pay their employees $2.15/hour so that the food can be cheaper" sounds fictitious but stiffing your server is not likely to change that policy. Most of them are either struggling college students or people that desperately need the flexible schedule, meaning they probably have much more to deal with than we know about.
2. Look but don't touch.
That rule applies anywhere in life. Don't touch people unless they consent to it. Some people are afraid of germs, some people don't like affection on any level, and some people just do not want to be touched. Not even if it's a harmless arm-around-the-shoulder or half hug. Always ask. And yes, no means absolutely not.
3. Have some cultural sensitivity.
If you happen to find one race more attractive than the others, then that's great for you. Just be aware that it means you find certain physical features commonly seen among a culture to be visually aesthetic. Not necessarily that you're culturally aware or that in feeling that way, you are an avid supporter of diversity. It's perfectly acceptable to be enthused about someone's culture but don't let it escalate to the point where you're assuming a specific country of origin or even overlooking the fact that the person you're talking to may be American born and the culture obsession coming from a stranger may be straight up creepy.
4. Do not underestimate others.
The stigma that Hooters' girls objectify themselves with their spandex uniforms and visible cleavage often seems to be taken advantage of by Hooters' customers. The girls know their worth and don't think of themselves as anything other than waitresses in cute uniforms but customers often talk to the girls as if they lack intelligence. Is it because we wear push-up bras? Is it because we wear spandex short-shorts?
Personally, I entered the gifted accelerated learning program in the second grade, I graduated from high school with both a high school diploma and an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma, I took enough college-level courses in high school that I entered as a sophomore, and I took on such a rigorous amount of courses in my first few semesters of college that I was classified as a senior by the middle of my second year.
I have worked with girls with bachelor's degrees from Wichita State University, some pursuing master's degrees, quite a few college student athletes, and I even worked with a female airman, who held such a confidential position that she could never speak of her job functions and relocated for a promotion.
On another note, Hooters has a year-round tuition reimbursement program, so obviously they want their employees to succeed. For a company whose female employees make up about 75% of its workforce, Hooters emphasizes the importance of education and growth for its employees, showing the world what it really means to provide equal opportunities.
Next time you want to say something to imply that your waitress is dumb, let's hear about your accomplishments.
5. Flaunt it.
If there's one new thing I've learned from working at an image-based company, it's that wearing a uniform that is meant to flatter your body should not be shameful. Our location is across the street from a Papa John's and in a few instances where we've had pizza delivered to us, we've met some nice guys and girls but then there are a few who will refuse to make eye contact with us.
Not in a shy way, where they duck our eyes in fear that their eyes will stray and they'll accidentally stare elsewhere, but the kind of cold avoidance that screams judgment. I'm not going to tell you what to do, but just remember, we're embracing our looks and we happen to make some nice tips because of it, so is anyone losing here?
I've heard the argument that we're "selling our bodies" countless times, but this is an obviously a choice. You sign a contract allowing your image to be a factor of your employment, essentially to allow the company to promote itself with your image. That sounds like marketing to me. Maybe even modeling, I mean, we recruit girls for annual bikini calendars, if they're interested. Don't let anyone make you feel ashamed of what you were physically blessed with.
6. Wear it, work it.
Hooters attracts visitors from all over, allowing me the opportunity to meet a number of different characters. Among the many customer-told anecdotes, there have been a few miraculous near-death experiences. I once met a doctor who moved back to Kansas from his practice in Las Vegas because he suffered a car wreck and was pronounced clinically dead for a short period of time. Then there have been life-changing tragedies.
I met an entrepreneur who admitted to being a workaholic who found it so much easier to not trust in others to the extent that he ran his own manufacturing company for about 13 years, up until he lost a close family member and realized what he had been missing out on. Now he spends frequent weekends at the lake and sometimes week-long hikes in Colorado. Both stories ended with a "life is short, enjoy it while you can" mantra.
That could be the moral, yes. But that's expected. Instead, I say that if there's anything to be learned from this, it's that you should wear that dark lipstick, regardless of what season it is. Wear that pair of boyfriend jeans, even if your boyfriend doesn't like how they flatter your body. Wear that pair of heels out, even if all of your friends want to wear flats. Life is too short to let others influence even your smallest decisions.
7. Not everyone will love you, and that's okay.
When customers don't immediately assume that all Hooter's girls are capable of doing are their hair and make-up and bother to ask whether I am a student or not, the first question that follows is regarding my major. Over the past two years, I changed majors three times. I started with accounting, then economics, and now human resource management. More often than not, customers have some sort of negative commentary on the topic.
College is the time to figure out what you want to do in life; who you want to be, what you want to do, how you want to impact the world. So, who do you think you are to tell growing students, who still have so much to discover about themselves, what they should or shouldn't do? Also, I don't recall ever asking for your opinion, do you?
Ultimately, there will always be someone who criticizes your choice in major. There will always be someone that questions your new hair color. There will always be someone that doesn't like your taste in music. There will always be someone that does not accept you for your decisions.
That's okay. You do what you need to do to grow, succeed, and thrive in whatever you're passionate about. They'll regret ever even asking.
8. Love yourself.
Like I said, not everyone is going to love you. That being said, with 75% of the company's employees consisting of females, the issue of body objectification comes to mind. With that, we think about the fact that women are ridiculed, not only at jobs where their image is a crucial factor, but in general. Women and girls are taught that they need to be more conservative for the sake of men and boys.
We live in a society that teaches girls how to not get raped, rather than to teach boys to not rape. I recently saw a Facebook post addressing the recent "clown issue" that essentially criticized the general public for overlooking the issue of women feeling unsafe in public due to strange or disrespectful men. Have you ever been told that you can't do something because you're female? Or that you shouldn't blame men for looking at you the way that they do because of what you're wearing?
Has anyone ever criticized the body shape that you were born with? Not only do women come in all different shapes and sizes but they should not be body-shamed, they should not be slut-shamed, and their concerns should not be overlooked. That being said, the best thing we can do is keep fighting these "movements" and stand up for ourselves. Never let anyone put you down because of your body shape, never let anyone make you feel like you need to change, and never let your concerns be lost in a world where not everyone understands the issue of gender oppression. Love yourself so that you can fight for yourself.
