new thread
Hey guys, I think I should share this for your advise...
I recently moved to Florida, and Im looking for job, cuz I need one right now. I had been growing my hair now for 2 years (in October) I like it! and proud of it. It represents for me the goals that I have in mind and the ones that I had accomplished, and the longer it gets more to remind me of the efforts of it. Well, yesterday I went to Universal Studios in Florida looking for job. I filled out the application and waited till they call. Everything was fine (I was saying in my mind). All the entertainment and stuff. I began to read and BHAM!! one of the paragraph says:
Hair of different lengths, ponytails, or hair that covers one or both eyes is not acceptable. Hair may reach to the top of the wardrobe collar in the back, provided it is neatly trimmed. Side length should be no longer than the middle ear.
But ok, I said. Ima wait to see what they're going to say. So they called me and the first thing they said was: are you willing to cut your hair? I stayed quiet, and she kept talking, the sideburns may not reach the the middle of the ear and the goatee shall not be longer than than ½ inches. She said; would you like to apply then? I sadly said; No, I can’t cut my hair, but thanks I appreciate that. She with a big smile said: Im sorry but those are the rules of the company. I took my things and walked out of there. I really would like to work with universal studios, but I can’t give up to something that I started already, that means so much for me. Guys, I don’t want to cut my hair. Im still thinking why companies with such a great wide power, are still stock with this discriminatory rule? I would like to work in some place that I can feel comfort and take me like a person that I am and with respect!
Not only that. With the hope of not getting the same response, I went to Sea World, and guess what? I filled out the application and on one of those sheets, was the dress code attached. I began to read, and BHAM! The same discriminatory thing. So I get out of there.
I went to the car, and my uncle asked me, Hey, What happen? I told him everything was good. Im waiting for their response.. I had to told him that cuz, if I tell him that about the hair thing, Im sure he was going to make pressure to cut it, and start yelling , or by the other way, try to kick me out of the house, cuz im already having problems and I gotta move out as soon as possible. But first, find a good job to maintain myself, cuz I don’t have any more family here in the states. Well folks I have been visiting this web site like about a year and a half ago. I was trying to find a site like this. I had always like long hair, and in the journey several cuts I made. But finally I decided, to keep it long, and by fortune I this site. I have to say that your messages had helped me a lot in this journey. I will not cut my hair cuz is part of my philosophy, and cutting it, will be the same as ripping my arm off. So is hard but, I know I will find a job (and I hope) that doesn’t discriminate against me. This Tuesday I have an appointment at Disney World, and im kinda afraid that they tell me the same thing, probably yes. Folks, What I Should do before getting there, or if they tell me the same thing? Im thinking of hiding my hair length, or maybe cut it to collar length, (cuz my hair is in different lengths, so that (I think) will help to even it up) Well dudes,
I hope I get some advice of this! Thanks!!!!
PD: Im going to post some pics of my hair so you can tell me, or give me some advise if I need to trim it or not. For this day it has been 1 year and 11 months with like 4 trims already. But the part of the back is longer than the sides and front, should I cut to get ‘em all even up? Or wait? What u think?
Ahhh, and one more thing, sorry for my English, my grammar is not that good..
I think you should stop looking at the big "Plastic" crowd pleasers for a job. Maybe you can look in some local restaurants, that sort of thing. Put your hair into a neat ponytail before the interview and dress nicely. That's all you should need to do.
I lived and worked in Orlando at Disney for 15 years. I started with short hair but frequently tried several ways to "secretly" grow my hair out and hide it from supervision. Invariably, my various disguises proved too feeble for the smarts of the Appearance Coordinators and I was always found out. The consequence? Submit to being taken immediately to one of the on-site barber/beauty shops and have it trimmed "appropriately" or accept a 3-day suspension without pay and possible termination. (I always submitted to the haircut.)
Once, I did manage to grow an 8" tail (no jokes - it was popular then!) in the back before having it snipped off, so all in all, I thought the "game" was quite fun. I took my chances...sometimes I got caught, sometimes I didn't.
When it came down to it I accepted that I'd agreed to the appearance guidelines when I took the job and the choice to keep - or leave - my job was always mine. Some may consider that an unpopular stand, but my career was important enough to me at the time that it was worth adhering to their guidelines.
Not to be the bearer of bad news, but I think your chances of getting employment at Disney without cutting your hair are slim.
Good luck.
What is more important, your hair or employment at Disney World? If it's the job that you truly want then you can't change the world. It's either a haircut or look somewhere else. The Disney Coporation has it's rules, they aren't discriminatory or anything, it's just what they want/require. Simple as that. Plus, if it's discrimination then some of the big bugs in our government would fix that, wouldn't you say? But if it's left to go then that's just how things are. So again I ask, is hair more important than employment?
It most definately is discrimination; the only hitch is that is legal at this time. Anytime a company or business has different standards and rules for one person and not another, this falls under the defination of discrimination. Since Universal and Sea World and Disney probably don't require their female employees to have short hair above the collar and ears, this is discrimination towards their male employees.
As for the government, discrimination of many sorts have gone on for years -- until laws are passed. And these laws are passed piecemeal. Discrimination against black people went on for almost one hundred years after the Civil War and, only recently was the first step towards protecting the rights of gay men and women made by the Supreme Court. The government just hasn't gotten around to protecting men from discrimination towards what should be a purely personal choice such as hair length. Since this is primarily an issue of "image" and possibly "control", not an issue of whether a male employee's hair length will physically hinder him from the job, it should fall under the umbrella of Sexual Discrimination, as the female employees don't have to submit to keeping their hair at a short length, but the male employees do.
thanks for ur responses, and wot u think about the hair?
http://www.geocities.com/cibertony1/hair.html
Nice hair, I wish mine was thick like that. I couldn't see the differences in length with those photos, but personally I still wouldn't trim. I'd wait until the longest bit reached my goal length, then I'd trim half an inch every month (just where it's longest) until the rest caught up. That's just me though. What is your goal length?
As for the job situation, it'd be a shame to cut your hair and if I was in your position I'd choose hair over a job in a heartbeat. But obviously I am in a different environment with different priorities.
Let us know how everything turns out.
Matt
Hey Nebiros,
Sorry to hear about the Universal gig...and I guess you pretty much know that Disney is going to be no different.
It is a shame, but there may be another way to get in. What country are you from originally? You may be able to circumvent Disney rules by getting a job at the World Showcase in EPCOT working for your home country. I'm not sure, but maybe they have different rules. It's worth a try at least...or you could try out for a pirate role since you have the "Johnny Depp" look going.
To be honest, the jobs in the amusement industry are pretty boring anyway and not much advancement as far as a career goes. At best you might be able to go from Pluto to Mickey in 6 years.
If you're creative at all, develop that talent...creative jobs (graphic artists, filmmakers, editors, writers, etc.) usually don't have restrictions on hair length, provided that it's neatly kept. Some see it as a sign of someone who thinks "outside the box" and has imagination. I don't know if you've ever seen pictures of Disney Imagineers, but some of them have piercings and long hair. But since they are behind the scenes it's acceptable. I have a career in TV production and haven't had any problems at my job. Just keep in mind all places of business are not the same. Different rules may apply.
Other than the food service industry, most places want clean cut employees because they represent the polished look of the company. Plain and simple. They don't want to "offend" any of their guests but they sure won't hesitate to offend you.
So, and I don't really recommend this, you can cut your hair and go for the job...or keep your length and forget about Universal and Disney. You're young still...so broaden your horizons and shoot for something much better! And, again, if you're a creative person (and most longhairs are) see if there's an internship program for Disney Imagineers.
Good luck and keep it growin"!
Brett
Ok. Here is my take, as 'appearance based' discrimination suits are beginning to successfully change opinions of corporate employers.
Just a few years back, a woman who had a rather unsightly mustache was told she had to shave it or lose her job. She worked at a major airline, in customer service, where she was highly visible. They fired her. She launched a suit and successfully got her job back, with awarded monetary damages.
Save that document and bring it to the EEOC. Nine years ago, I had to sign the same document when I worked in Casino Surveillance. I totally blew them off. After 6 months of hair growth, my manager asked him when I'll cut my hair. I replied, "On the day I take a drink, which is never." Being 30 at the time, I felt I was too old to play their game, even if they were my employers. When they politely reminded me that I signed that document regarding my hair, I dared them to fire me. I also informed them that they could not legally enforce their hair length policy, document or not. Guess what? They valued my job performance more than their silly policy. So, I got to keep my hair and my job. I also believe my attitude and my age played a role more than anything else.
My advice: Don't work at Universal. Ponytail your hair, wear a nice suit, and head to the nearest Temp company. When I moved to Boston, that was what I did. Somewhere, they'll find a fit for you.
They can't get away with the hair length policy forever. I'm working in Information Technology, and vice presidents here treat me with respect. It takes time to change minds, so hang in there!
