Recently, I talked to a family friend who had just received a position as a waitress at Twin Peaks Bar and Grill. She is a community college student and part-time worker. She detailed for me an eye-opening description of the obligations that come with the job. She arrives to work, but before she is able to start her shift, she must be thoroughly checked by a manager on her appearance, head to toe, to be in dress code with the scanty uniform, and completed hair and makeup. After this, the waitresses are also weighed to ensure that they are in compliance with the weight limit.
To further the obligations, she explained how after a long shift if they wish to order food, the employees are required to order off a specific menu for their discount, a menu separate from the normal menu. This employee only menu is filled with healthy alternatives to the bar food and smaller portions.
Initially, every feminist bone in my body cringes at the thought of a woman employee who must be weighed in order to waitress, and who is ordered what to eat, and I immediately want to target all of these restaurants for hiring discrimination and harsh employee expectations; however, then I realize that it comes as the right of the business to stipulate what employees must wear, say, and act, and they are free to hire as they please, as part of their freedoms.
At what point do we give up the freedom and liberty to run a business freely in order to diminish possible discrimination?
Ultimately what we must consider is that the women who work at these restaurants don’t choose the job because they want to meet guys or because they are on their way to becoming a stripper. They are intelligent and outgoing and are specifically hired to keep good relations with loyal customers. These women are often working for a specific cause, usually to put themselves through school or as part-time work and sometimes while simultaneously supporting children.
Take for another example the employees at a chain like Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour in Southern California. At the parlor, employees are required to wear period dress of the late 1800’s, and must perform for guests with song and dance. Interviews include auditions for both dance and vocal abilities. Is this not the exact same scenario as the case with Hooters, Tilted Kilt, and Twin Peaks where employees are hired upon a looks, talent, and compliance with a company standards basis?
The women who work at Twin Peaks and the likes such as Hooters and Tilted Kilt know what they are giving up when they choose to work at those places. No one is forcing them into the job; they come to the job with an interview and application just like anyone else. Perhaps these women might be the most intelligent businesswomen for they can utilize their personalities and appearance to make more money than other waitresses may make.
What we need to realize as a society that views women as economically and socially equal is that women who choose to work at restaurants like Twin Peaks shouldn't be looked down upon or questioned for their job choice, and the restaurants themselves are entirely in the right to hire and maintain their employees as they please.
