The Disney Look - PART THREE
Here is the third and final post featuring scans from Sue B's 1987 copy of "The Disney Look", where long hair, long fingernails, long earrings, long mustaches, and other long things are VERBOTEN!
The drawings look like men you might see in an old Sears catalog. Which is probably essentially the appearance they were going for, neat and tidy, appealing to middle America. I'll miss my big mutton chops, but hey, I can always grow them back when I become President.
Oh-oh! I don't like the looks of these guys, especially Lex Luthor. He's no good! I can hardly imagine a cast member with a full shaved head at the park, and yet... it might be acceptable today.
If you were lucky enough to work in an office rather than "onstage" you still had rules to follow. The pink jacket on the lady in the lower photo is a little too daring, if you ask me! What's wrong with gray? Or brown? I'll accept ecru in a pinch. I guess 1987 was a bit late for me to wear my Nehru jacket, but it would have slayed. Bu, did you know any of the people on this page or the next?
I guess Smiley Guy is an ad man. "We'll tell folks that United Air Lines is the best way to come to Anaheim! Is my grin trustworthy?". I'm relieved that the ladies are not wearing earrings that dangle; think of the children!
I suppose that a place like Disneyland that regularly employs many hundreds of people a year (and thousands over a limited span of time) has to establish hard and fast rules so that there can be no argument or discussion. "This is how it is. If you don't like it, you can work at Knott's Berry Farm, where it is Hell on Earth!". Because people like to see how much they can get away with! Especially young people, am I right? And maybe they appreciate the discipline on some level, since it applies to everyone.
Is that a Sklarquote?? Or did Walt really say that?
I was going to omit this nearly-blank page, except that it shows that it is from 1987, in case you needed proof.
Many thanks to Lou and Sue for scanning all these pages (and doing such a nice job, I didn't have to crop them or anything!), I hope all of you enjoyed reading about The Disney Look.
15 comments:
Major-
Well, so much for my flared sideburns. And I had them trimmed so perfectly, too.
Thanks to Sue and The Major.
I don't really have a problem with these personal appearance rules, and I'm sure I would just "go along to get along"; no big deal. BUT!, the (rather big) part of me that rebels against authority would be throwing an inner tantrum! And that, in turn, would bring out the imp in me to somehow skirt the regulations... just because.
And, like it was discussed in the previous "Disney Look" episode, people surely know what they're getting into when they decide to apply at a Disney park.
I guess that's a PotC costume that the CM with the two kids is wearing? He's the cleanest and dapperest pirate I've ever seen. (And I see them all the time in grocery stores and such.)
Thanks, Sue, for the scans. And thank you, Major, for the commentary.
Gee, these pages seem much more exhaustive in detailing what is acceptable and unacceptable, than the previous pages we've seen. Maybe that's because the people who the other pages were directed at, were going to be given an company costume, and the "office" people were wearing their own clothes. Still, I think I would rather join the military, because I think it would be less strict than this. ;-) I would love to know if employees are still given a book like this, or if they are just told to go to an employee website for the dress code......or to use the cast member "App." I am also wondering if the policies are as strict today, as they were 38 years ago. We know about them now allowing beards and mustaches, but I wonder if they have loosened up on some of these other regulations. For example, can a female today, who works backstage in an office, wear two necklaces that do not "blend easily with one another." And that brings up another question. Just who was responsible for making the decision whether or not two necklaces "blend easily with one another," back in 1987. It seems like that would be subjective. And men can wear an open sport shirt or turtleneck sweater under their sport coat........and that's it? What about any other kind of sweater, like a crew neck? It HAS to be a turtleneck sweater, or else no sweater at all? Sheesh!
Back to the Knott's standard of grooming, I had a friend who showed up at work one day, and hadn't shaved. His beard was blond, so the stubble didn't show up maybe as much as someone with darker hair. Our direct supervisor didn't say anything to him, but our supervisor's supervisor paid us a visit, saw his unshaven face, and she made him clock out and go to a nearby 7-Eleven to buy a razor, so he could shave before clocking back in.
In contrast to that, after working at Knott's for 4 years, I developed a skin infection on my face, from a razor "nick." Both my doctor and my dermatologist were prescribing different things both internal and external/topical, to try and clear it up, but nothing seemed to be working. They were both pretty baffled, and expressed it openly to me. It was kind of a scary time for me, and my dermatologist even told me kind of bluntly, that I might just have to "live with it" for the rest of my life. It took more than a month for them to finally find something that actually worked. During that time, and even after it cleared up, my dermatologist recommended that I only shave every other day. It turns out that I have VERY sensitive skin and shaving every day was irritating it and "opening" up the skin with "micro" cuts. So for the next three years that I continued to work at Knott's, and even to this very day, I have never shaved two days in a row! And I have also never had an employer or supervisor call me out for it, including my supervisor's supervisor at Knott's (the same one who called out my friend), and I saw her many times over the next three years that I continued to work at Knott's.
I suppose if I had been working at Disneyland, they would not have allowed that, even with a written medical excuse. Maybe they would have moved me to a position backstage, or maybe my employment would have been terminated? If that had happened, I would have asked, "Uh...okay, but before I clean out my locker and leave, do you mind if I rub my face against yours?"
Thank you, Major and Sue!
1987…that’s the year I would have started working at Disneyland…if I’d applied…and been hired.
Wait - tube tops are unacceptable office wear? I’d have to replace my entire work wardrobe…
Note that there are no standards for undergarments…or that they are even required.
Thanks, Major & Sue!
"What could be better show than letting me wear a handlebar moustache?" Had to ask my boss the same question.
And that is why I wouldn't work at Disneyland even if the Disney Parks were a major passion of mine.
Thanks, Lou, Sue and Major.
Obviously a lot of thought went into these rules. Some of seems pretty draconian, but even Draco had a purpose behind his rules.
Disney’s House, Disney’s Rules. Seems like a reasonable trade-off.
I remember at one of my jobs, one of the office assistants was disciplined for exotic and revealing outfits. I wasn’t involved, so I don’t know what was said or done, but the event was widely discussed among the employees. People were generally in favor as she made a lot of the older men uncomfortable as we didn’t know where to look when interacting with her. Awkward.
Thanks Sue and Major!
JG
I find it interesting that my fellow alumni bemoan the standards of today...whatever they are, much in preference to what was required of us in the 70s. There was a sort of pride such that we now call ourselves part of the first-generation of Disney employees (1955-1980). The common joke at the time was if you had this look in Orange County you were either a Disney employee of a marine out of El Toro Airbase. Yes, we tried to skirt the rules a bit...one even stuffed his pony tail into his canoe cap and always wore a hat. But he was a summer seasonal. We'd always be after that hat on his head. The interesting thing is that many of us have maintained the look. And those that liked to skirt the rules have trended to the looks. And that POTC CM doesn't look unusual to me one bit! As for undergarments, well...they were considered necessary 'unmentionables'. However, when I conducted my ROP classes, I took a few moments to express to everyone the importance of such attire, not only as part of the Disney experience, but also as a point of professionalism going forward in any job situation. And definitely not on Dick Nunis'...or John Cora's watch!! KS
Nanook, what about my mullet??
JB, I know what you mean, working for Disney, one should probably expect fairly conservative standards as far as hair and clothing go. And I think you’re right, that has to be a PotC costume on that guy, he just had a bath!
TokyoMagic!, I understand why they’d have to be so specific with their rules - people always want to push the envelope. I’m sure the rules were developed and added to over the years as new trends arose. As for joining the military, maybe it would have been great for me, but having some guy yelling at me all day doesn’t inspire! My Navy dad said he regretted not encouraging my brothers and I to go into the service. Oh well. I am almost positive that the clothing and grooming rules have changed since today’s booklet was published, based on what I saw just months ago. Not that anybody looked unkempt, but there were a few people who would have probably surprised guests years ago! I’m sure there were supervisors who ultimately decided what was OK and what was not, and there were probably some supervisors who were a tiny bit more laid back than others. I wasn’t sure Knott’s had a similar, strict standard of grooming. Your friend with the blond beard should have been sent to prison! ;-) Argh, just thinking about your razor nick is making me itch! I’m glad you finally healed up! Hey, if you’d been moved backstage at Disneyland, you could have worked your way to the top!!
Chuck, I still wear tube tops to this day, they’re just so comfortable.
Steve DeGaetano, luckily for you, your boss already had long golden curls, so he couldn’t say much.
K. Martinez, I guess I’ve always looked fairly conservative, even though I remember my mom complaining about my “long hair” in high school! It wasn’t that long.
JG, I kind of agree, nobody HAS to work for Disney, and as I said to JB, one should expect a certain standard. I’ve worked in a number of offices, and there always seems to be one or two women who love to look extra glamorous! I never complained, but I guess it made some folks uneasy.
Bu, I’m sure a lot of the rules arose during the 60s “hippie era”, when the culture changed so drastically compared to previous decades. Cool that you recognize some of the people in this booklet! While I generally try to look somewhat presentable (!), I can’t claim to be Mr. Neat and Tidy. But I bathe once a month, at minimum! I wonder how much of a staff the costuming department now has? It surely has to be much smaller than it once was, but there must still be somebody who can alter and fix clothing. I sure wouldn’t be able to hem anything myself, or if I did, it would look horrible! I can barely sew on a button. Red marks on your document, it’s like high school all over again. But on those days that you got a smiley face and a gold star, you were in heaven!
KS, things always change, and attitudes towards certain grooming and dress standards evolve. I do think that most Disneyland cast members still look nice and neat, I can really only recall one or two who made me look twice, and they were not messy - they just had some different looks. I think it’s fun that the canoe guy with the pony tail could just tuck it into his hat and go on with his job!
The gentleman in the costuming sample room shown on page 13 is Tom Jacobson. I believe he just recently retired. It’s interesting he’s shown holding an America Sings costume … next to an Inner space , PeopleMover costume … as 1987 all these 70’s costumes were completely re-designed. Tom worked with the main bunch of costume designers but stayed on after they retired. Tom went to Paris and helped source suppliers for the costumes being fabricated for Disneyland Paris …there’s a more involved story , but about the time the designers returned to the USA , the company was preparing to relocate the core of Disneyland wardrobe to Florida - after being based at Disneyland since the beginning. Lots of designers were asked to retire or relocate to Florida or they might be given jobs in other departments ..
I think many of us who had to meet a certain grooming standard got used to it and appreciated the professional look enough to carry it over into “unregulated” life. It’s been 12 years since I had to get a haircut, but my hair is even shorter now than it was for most of my military career; the only concession to my civilian status is a beard (and I keep that short). Well, a beard and a slowly expanding midsection…
Major, the military isn’t always some guy yelling at you all day. Sometimes it’s a gal.
I was thinking back to my office job in 1987. The men had to wear business suits and the women had to wear business suits or tailored dresses. Everyone looked professional and 'sharp,' and even our office was beautiful -- with fresh flower arrangements at the lobby entrance and in a couple other spots. No one minded dressing-up, as it was still very common then...and everything was a bit classier, IMO. Those days are long gone. *sigh*
"Many thanks to Lou and Sue for scanning all these pages (and doing such a nice job. I didn't have to crop them or anything!)...."
Ha, Major....you mean unlike when I sometimes scan really late at night - all cockamamie and 'flopped'? :op
Glad you enjoyed these. I love everyone's comments and related personal stories.
The common joke at the time was if you had this look in Orange County you were either a Disney employee of a marine out of El Toro Airbase.
KS, you just reminded me of something. I was going to the park a lot in the eighties, and I would often get asked by cast members throughout the park if I was a cast member.....or, they would just assume that I was. The odd thing about this is, it continued even after I grew a mustache. It happened so often that I had one friend that was even kind of bothered by it.....I still don't know why. But it is kind of odd that they didn't see the mustache and rule out "cast member" right away.
Sue, you reminded me of something I was going to mention in Part 2 of this series of posts. My mom was a school teacher, and the female teachers at her school were required to wear dresses up until about 1971, At that time, they told them they could now wear pants, but they couldn't be "separates." They had to be a part of a coordinated pantsuit. I'm not sure when they relaxed that rule. I just know that by the time my mom retired, she was still dressing nicely, but she would comment about just how relaxed the dress code had become, and she'd say, "These days, you can't tell the teachers apart from the students!" At that point, many of the teachers were wearing blue jeans and tennis shoes! You'd think they'd take some pride in how they look, and at at the very least, put on a pair of "black lace blue jeans"! ;-)
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