A few days ago, Disney announced they were updating the “Disney Look”, the appearance guidelines for Cast Members. Most notably, Cast Members are now allowed to show tattoos for the first time. We are now starting to see Cast Members at Walt Disney World embrace these inclusive updates.
Cast Member Windy was happy to pose for us, showing off her small arm tattoos as well as her double set of earrings. Windy told us she felt “liberated.”
Cast Members with tattoos like Windy’s would have previously been required to wear long-sleeves in the Florida heat. According to the new guidelines, tattoos that are smaller than the Cast Member’s hand, do not portray nudity or other inappropriate imagery, and do not violate other company guidelines are allowed. Tattoos are not allowed on the head, face, or neck.
As for jewelry, previously only one set of earrings was allowed. There are likely still restrictions to the type of jewelry worn to ensure that it is not obtrusive, distracting, or offensive, and non-ear piercings are still not permitted.
Glad I am paying premium prices for something I expect at Hot Topic and not Disney.
Have you seen the guests? Talk about bargain basement!
You’re more than welcome to cancel your pass because you’re upset that the work place for many people is being more accommodating for them. 🤷🏼♀️
So go work at Hot Topic then and leave Disney to the good folks….🤷♂️
so you’d turn down a doctor with tattoos?
Get over yourself. Seriously.
Okay boomer
Wish our guests were as nice to us as Hot Topic customers are to them, and that’s saying a lot.
By lowering the standards, they have cheapened the product.
If you don’t like it, ya best not go to the parks then.. ☺️ Leave the magic for others to enjoy.
I totally agree. When will the insanity stop?!!
Exactly right. Walt would have never allowed this because he want to Disneyland and Disney parks to stand out from the rest of the world. That will no longer be the case. What do you like tattoos or not I think they generally cheapen the atmosphere. I’m kind of surprised by the image of the cast member because I was under the impression that you could have one tattoo smaller than a hand size but apparently you could have your whole arm covered in tattoos smaller than an arm size as long as they were not connected. Again, just really disappointed that I can expect to see tattoos on cast members going forward. And this comes from a former cast member.
so you’d turn down a doctor if they had tattoos?
Yes
Sorry, didn’t realize we were products to you, explains a lot
Changing the standards to be more inclusive with the realities of today is not “cheapening”
I’m not sure how bringing the “realities of today” to the parks makes them better. When we go to the parks, aren’t we supposed to leave the reality of the outside world ? And… what’s “inclusive” about tattoos anyway ? It’s not like they’re, I don’t know, dreadlocks or Hindu bindis. Just trying to understand.
I’m not sure how this is “inclusion.” Your elective body modifications aren’t subject to the same principles which protect un-elective traits like race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. If Disney considers this inclusion and is actually serious about it, why are face and neck tattoos still banned? What is principally different about the location or size of the tattoo?
I can goto the County Fair if I wanted to see that. My 2 cents, if you don’t want to have to hide your tats work elsewhere. I was pretty sure employment was at will from both parties. Would be like Movie theaters keeping the lights on during a movie because some people might get scared. Enough already.
I completely agree with you. This is not worth the money we spend at Disney.
Disney, Guests pay you premium pricing for not only an exceptional experience but for CM standards to be set well above the standard. How does this differ from Employees at your local McDonalds or Spencer Gifts at your local mall? Once again, you have managed to dilute and cheapen the Guest experience. Tragic.
What a joke. So all people with tattoos are equivalent to Employees of McDonalds or Spencer gifts? Not anything wrong with working at either place, nor is there anything wrong with tattoos. Fun fact. I have several tattoos. I’m an educator. I’m allowed to show them. Doesn’t affect the education being given even a little bit. I know many other educators, medical professionals, and people of various well-respected professions who have and show their tattoos. You know what it changes about the work they do? Not a thing. Don’t like the policy change? Don’t go to Disney. You will not be missed.
Hello Ben, I’m Ben too. I think I get your point about “not judging a book by their cover” basically, that a tattoo doesn’t make you a thug, and I’d agree with that. BUT… Disney Look is first and foremost about the SHOW aspect of the Disney experience. If you allow tattoos, then why not piercings? why not body modifications? In itself there is NOTHING wrong with them, but wouldn’t you agree that while I can picture a Pirates of the Carribean Cast Member sporting a tattoo, It’d be a little harder to feel the magic if the Main Street a cappella quarter were sporting the same tattoos ?
There’s a reason why a Disney park has been the pinnacle experience over the decades and that has been the high standards they expect of their cast members.
Now it seems they have abandoned that standard.
As someone else commented it looks like this CM should be working at Hot Topic, not a Disney park.
The potential employees should be asked to fit a standard of dress if they want to work there, not the other way around!
We did that once…. it was called the 70’s…
Glad to see these people get to be real people! That’s how you get the best talent. Happy cast members will mean they embrace their visitors more joyfully. Good move, Disney!
Sigh.
Look, here’s the thing. No one cared if you had tattoos or extra piercings, etc. We still don’t. You do you…at home. Or another type of job.
But, the reason the “Disney Look” was made was because being a “Cast Member” was more than just another 9 to 5 job. It is almost like a acting job in a lot of ways.
Walt had it so when you were “on stage” at the parks, in your respective area, you were in essence playing a part, not just running an attraction or selling popcorn.
If you were on Main Street, you SHOULD look like someone from turn of the century old-town America. And I’m sorry, but people from that time period didn’t have visible tattoos, or for that matter, any tattoos at all. They also didn’t paint their nails, let alone in non traditional colors like black or neon-whatever. They didn’t have “punk rock” hair. And so on…
Now, when they relaxed the rules for beards and such, that was fine. Why? Well, if you worked in Adventureland, then beards could fit that theme. Pirates, you know? Even some neat ones could work in Main Street, although, maybe not as much. But, in the end, it HAD to make some sort of sense.
Wendy the Cast Member already doesn’t work for the part she is playing “on stage.” You wouldn’t see this type of look in turn of the century America. This is not me trying to say she can’t have tattoos, bright colored hair/nails, etc. It just has to fit “on stage.” Why not try Tomorrowland or Adventureland, if you MUST keep these changes?
All I’m trying to say in this long, rambling explanation is either don’t change the Disney-look just to appease someone for a few hours on the clock, because I think we can all be adult enough to dress up and look the part if we have chosen the Cast Member life…OR if you are going to stick with these new rules, at least make it fit into the frame work that has made Disney a cut above all the other Six Flags and Universals!
horrible !!!
I am so delighted for all of the Cast Members and for my upcoming Disney revisit! We’re living in the future, where Cast Members are people rather than mass-manufactured dollies. Especially as a person with prospagnosia, the individuality of the people who make up WDW is going to make it a thousand times easier for me to enjoy my visit. Thank you for showing us the new Disney Look in action.
People who are upset about this are truly baffling to me. Hopefully the naysayers decide to stay home because of the “lowered standards,” making more room for the rest of us who realize that someone’s appearance has no impact on their ability to do their jobs or on our personal enjoyment of the parks! :)
Thank goodness we are progressing. 1955 was a long time ago.
looks horrible
To be honest, I would have just worn a long-sleeve since I don’t want a sunburn/or tan.
You don’t need to go to Disney properties if you are offended by this move. They are just tattoos and this is not 1950.
Hopefully going forward they won’t hire people with tatts. Lol I don’t have any tatts personally but think they look cool. But not at our beloved Disney World.. Geez
Clean-cut….noooooo…
We have to give into the world and let people look like
a bikers convention. No offense to bikers but if I wanted
to see this look…I would not go to Disney
Honestly…I will avoid these biker chicks…I mean…I mean
Cast members who are walking billboards of ink
I don’t mind the tats, but that barbershop quartet vest & hat don’t work with shorts.
Right! I didn’t even notice the tattoos until I read the article. I just saw the shorts and, then, the sock tan lines. Seriously… the sock tan lines look bad, but not quite as bad as the shorts with the vest & hat. Of course, I don’t have to work outside on humid 90 degree days in long pants, so I can be all NOPE about it.
I see nothing wrong with a bit of ink – as long as it’s not competing characters and maintains certain standards (ie no curse words, derogatory terms/symbols, or nudity)
Y’all realize cast members don’t make enough money to be held to your such high standards, right? Like a good majority of them are inexperienced, straight out of high school, and aren’t paid a living wage. For those of us who live Orlando, jobs in the hospitality industry and theme parks are basically all there is. Theme park employees are just regular ass people who go home at the end of their shifts. You should be grateful if they’re still smiling at you after the shit they’ve been through this past year and a half.
They make enough money to buy that ink, which is NOT cheap. They want to show it off, fine. Do it when they are not working in a place where I and others are paying thousands of dollars for a “magical experience”. This is not “inclusion”. It’s trashy.
WOW these comments sadden me. The point of Disney doing this is to be inclusive. If you don’t want a smiling Cast Member with a tattoo serving you than go! Disney doesn’t need guests who aren’t appreciative towards them and grateful for Cast Making Magic for you. Disney will easily refund your pass and other guests will be happy you aren’t there cuz the parks will be less busy. Times change. That’s why Disney is reapproaching so many of their attractions. Walt Disney even wanted us to “keep moving forward”. I can’t say Walt would approve of Disney now but I can say he would be happy with the motives and ideals by making this decision and the freedom of expression it gives the Cast. Cast Members aren’t robots they are people and should be treated as such. Sorry if that upsets you. Guest Relations is at the front of the park. Have a Magic Day.
Totally 100% disagree with Disney changing their appearance standards. It is a FAMILY destination and visible tattoos of any kind don’t belong. Period.
This isn’t even the worst of it. Wait until we see the men with nail polish and skirts.
I am all for inclusiveness. But as many posters have stated, CMs are playing a role in a show. Guests are paying to feel like they are in a magical place… not to have individual forms of expression rubbed in their faces. Tattoos are simply a distraction from the experience and is the reason why they were never allowed.
As a former CM from the late 90s, I worked with several guys who wore drag on their days off. But when they reported to work, they left the wig and makeup at home and resembled the clean cut look that our guests expected. They never once felt “excluded” and we were all the best of friends in our work area. But it boiled down to.. if you wanted to wear earrings, jewelry, enjoy some facial hair, etc., then you did it on your days off.
We all knew the expectations of the job when we filled out our applications.
Seriously?, What is the issue here?! My daughter was in college program twice. High standard to get accepted, she’s a hard worker and frankly, a little “square”. She looks just like what some of you are saying CMs “should” look like .. which is weird and sad to have to say AND she has a small tattoo on her ankle that she was always worried about because she so much wanted to work there AND follow the rules. Thank goodness they won’t be weeding out lovely, qualified applicants because somebody has a rose tattoo on their shoulder or something personal on their wrist. Get.over.it. There is a reason a lot of people think much of Disney fandom is toxic. These comments make me sad. Not too much Disney magic in all this negativity.
A small tattoo is one thing and completely acceptable. And you say it was on her ankle, which is easily covered by socks. HOWEVER, the tats pictured are NOT small and there are a few of them. The above picture is an example of being given an inch and taking a mile
Times have changed. There’s guests all over the parks with tattoos and I don’t go around crying about it somehow “cheapening” the product. Some of these derogatory comments should really be cleaned up. Unreal.
Disney always held their workers above the fads of the time. The hippie look of the 60s, the long hair rockstars of the 80s, the grunge look of the 90s, etc. Guests have always sported the extreme trends of the times… but Disney was marketed as a place separate from the real world – a place to get away from all that. Personally, I enjoyed being a cast member when the look was strict back in the 80s and 90s because I knew that not just anyone could “make the cut” to work there. We thought of ourselves as the cream of the crop of society. You look back at vintage pictures of cast members, and one could clearly see that Disney expected their workers to be well groomed and attractive. If you step into what you believe to be a magical place, would you expect to see someone representing Disney with a “in loving memory” tattoo on their arm? Or someone who looks unkempt because he doesn’t realize that he just looks plain sloppy in a long beard? Let’s be honest… this stuff detracts from the premium experience that Disney was always known for. I suppose the problem in today’s society is that everyone considers themselves as either a victim of something or they feel entitled… and all these corporations are caving in to accommodate that mentality. This is just another example of that, plain and simple.
Well said! Seems like now they just don’t care if they look like a Mardi Gras parade on Bourbon Street, complete with all the trash.
I will be canceling a family trip to Disney World this summer. This is not the Disney I want my niece and nephew to experience. Disney is no longer magical if we have to look at tattoos and piercings. Not spending $30,000 to fly across the country, stay at the Disney resort and go to the Parks just to see someone “express themselves”. I own Disney stock too and am very disappointed in the decision to cheapen the brand.
if you have 30k to spend and cancel over tattoos, then you don’t need it that bad.