Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

[Radiobarry]

As we know, it's just about anything goes now for guests grooming and attire at Disneyland.

But I'm curious about a part of "Yesterland" that isn't discussed much.

That is, the fact that before 1970, men with hair that basically didn't meet employee standards (or at least be well above the shoulders, or little or no facial hair) were not allowed into the
park even as paying guests.

And there were also strict guidelines for messages adorning jackets and t-shirts and the like. I wish there was more of that now, but...

My cousin Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys (who even played in a Disney movie - the Monkey's Uncle) - and I went to the park in 1968, and we were turned away because of the length of his hair.
We were told that if he'd had his SAG card, they would have let him in...

I recall that there was a hippie (Yippie?) invasion of TSI in 1970, and soon after the hair guidelines were dropped.

I assume it was Walt's idea to enforce the original standards.

Anyone with thoughts or ideas on this? This is part of Disneyland's past that gets very little discussion.

--Barry

[Tom Chaney]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

Hi Barry!

Well, 1955 was a different time, wasn't it. Even Uncle Walt would have been turned down as a CM because of his cookie duster!

I've previously posted some photos that I took in 1955. One shows a gentleman wearing a suit and tie at Disneyland. We don't see that so much anymore.

I don't have a problem with the relaxed dress and grooming standards of today. Society is different. I would draw the line at clothing with suggestive or obscene words/logos. I'm very amused with a shirt that I own that (in the Disney signature font) says "Malt Whiskey"... but I would never wear it to the park.

"In olden days a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking,
But now, God knows,
Anything Goes. "

[Disney Wrassler]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

I think there should be some standard today still. Like no really baggy pants, no profane/sexually explicit clothing, and if a person has bad tattoo's they should wear something that could cover them.

[Radiobarry]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

I think there should be some standard today still. Like no really baggy pants, no profane/sexually explicit clothing, and if a person has bad tattoo's they should wear something that could cover them.

Agreed. And I have read here about people wearing shirts with either profanity or thinly veiled profanity, which I'd certainly rather not see.

But my purpose here is to find out about why the policy existed in the first place, and how its repeal came about.

I'd like to know if anybody here was ever turned away, or knew of anyone that was turned away.

Remember, we're talking about mainly the 60's here, and there were alot of young men with long hair...

As far as CM's...my hair was shoulder length and I had to cut it to go to work at DL in 74...And supervisors would regularly nag us....one liked to say...get it cut before you come in tomorrow, or else keep the motor running!

And the sign said "Long-haired freaky people need not apply"
So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said "You look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do"
So I took off my hat, I said "Imagine that. Huh! Me workin' for you!"

Song: Signs - Five Man Electrical Band - (1970)

--Barry

[BFJen]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

Disney has every right to give a standard to employees (and I'm greatful that they do!) - Frankly, I've walked away from food places because the kids behind the counter look questionable.

As for guests, I guess the right to refuse service is everywhere. I just wish that people would have more class and dress decent - have some respect for people around you.

[Disney Wrassler]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

I see what your saying now Barry. Maybe when I talk to my aunt next I will ask her if she has seen this happen when she worked at Disneyland. She was there for about the first 10 years or so.

[princedalton]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

I was told that JEANS weren't allowed into the park either during its beginning...funny huh

[Radiobarry]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

From snopes.com...

Disneyland's appearance code for employees, instituted in the 1950s, prohibited male cast members from sporting mustaches, beards, or long hair. Back when the code was implemented, facial hair was perceived as conveying a negative image to many Americans, who associated beards and mustaches on young men with beatniks, un-American activities, and -- in the 1960s -- hippies. Disney's philosophy was that customers preferred park workers to be wholesome and well-scrubbed, and some of the same appearance restrictions they placed on their employees were applied to other park guests as well. (For example, Jim McGuinn, future founder of the Byrds, was turned away from Disneyland in 1964 merely for sporting a Beatle cut, and at one point women wearing halter tops were also prohibited from entering the park.)

The event that changed this is generally thought to be the infamous "yippie invasion" in August 1970. Hundreds of anti-war protestors stormed the parks gates and caused general havoc (there are pictures of Anaheim police in riot gear on Main Street).
Someone planted a Viet Cong flag atop the Matterhorn, and they staged a sit-in taking over Tom Sawyer's Island. The dress and hair codes, as I understand it, were relaxed after that.

--Barry

[Neverlandtink]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

I've wondered if the dress code has been completely dropped in recent years. I remember several times in the late 80's to early 90's I saw guys told by security that they would have to turn their offensive shirts inside out and then purchase new shirts once inside the park. Has anyone seen that happen recently?

Also, do they still have dress codes for Grad Nites?

I know it wouldn't work, but it would be nice to see some kind of dress code at Disneyland. Although, I'd sure hate to wear heels all over the park!

[maelstrom]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

I think they should have a dress code in the parks currently. I definately don't need to see clothes with curse words or sexual images on them (they wouldn't really bother me, but there are a lot of kids at the Disney parks), ladies who cannot seem to appropriately cover their private areas, etc.

It's funny to look at what was considered inappropriate in the 50s and 60s and what people get away with today. We don't even blink at a man with long hair or facial hair. That's nothing compared to what goes on today.

[MickeyMania]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

By the time I got old enough to make a statement (and know what the heck I was saying,)I think most of that had passed. I think it was more of a catch-as-catch-can kind of policy, since I do remember men with facial hair as guests, but they looked more like Walt than, say, Charlie Manson.

[VeganPrincess]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

My cousin Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys

:ot: but......OMG....Is Brian Wilson really your cousin?!!! I'm only 16 but I love the Beach Boys. They had a concert at the F & W Festival in Epcot and I would haved loved to go.

[LlamaLover]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

:ot: but......OMG....Is Brian Wilson really your cousin?!!! I'm only 16 but I love the Beach Boys. They had a concert at the F & W Festival in Epcot and I would haved loved to go.

I have to agree that the Beach Boys are one of the timeless bands that EVERYONE has to love or they are dead inside. Such an amazing sound and so many classic songs that make you smile every time you hear them. We knew you were super cool Radiobarry but now it is confirmed that it runs in your veins!

[aimster]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

Barry, that is so cool Brian Wilson is your cousin. My mom is a HUGE Beach Boys fan so I grew up listening to their music as well.

[Radiobarry]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

^^^ ^^^ ^^^
Sorry it took so long for me to get back to this thread but thank you for the kind words.

We can talk Beach Boys elsewhere or in PM if you like...

Back on topic...

Does a business truly have the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason? Could they, at least legally, start enforcing those same grooming and clothing standards today if they wanted to?

(Granted it would be a logistical and PR and most importantly financial nightmare)

--Barry

[DisneyDarian]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

Does a business truly have the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason? Could they, at least legally, start enforcing those same grooming and clothing standards today if they wanted to?

(Granted it would be a logistical and PR and most importantly financial nightmare)

--Barry

Yes Barry, I believe Disney could. There are legal precedents for dress codes being enforced at certain upscale restaurants and private clubs. (Jacket and tie required for male guests and evening attire for female guests.) As far as hair length standards for men you would be walking out on legal thin ice, as it would be a gender specific standard possibly opening the door to sexual discrimination lawsuits.

Determining what exactly is profane, obscene or non-family friendly is something the Supreme Court has wrestled with in vain for years. Free speech seems to have won out over decency. In evitably, you will have one racial group or another complain they are being singled out for enforcement of the guidelines more strictly than other racial or ethnic groups. But there is a solution.

However, if the dress and grooming standards were clearly posted in the parking areas and at the entrances to the Parks many individuals would voluntarily comply. There are a number of shops in Down Town Disney where appropriate clothing can be aquired.

The process of enforcement could begin by sending the annual passholders a mailer listing the new dress and grooming guidelines. Then the signs could go up sometime later in the parking lots and at Park entrances. These guidelines should be strictly enforced and photos taken of each offender and filed away for possible future legal defense in the event an individual wishes to sue the Disney Corporation.

Obviously some people will just refuse to comply. The want to be as vulgar and disrespectful as possible, or maybe they might have issues with authority. Whatever. They won't be returning to Disneyland and that helps the overcrowding. Those undesirables who won't be coming back are probably the same individuals responsible for most of the vandalism and damage to the Park anyway. As a result there are big savings in Park repairs. Another bonus!

I would allow beards and moustaches though. (Since my heart attack on Main Street, I have a machine that helps me breath at night. The facial hair provides and nice buffer between my skin and the mask so I don't get blisters on my face.)

What should be done about piercings? Remove them or cover them with tape or band aids?

[Disneyland Daddy]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

Relaxed standards and SLOPPY are two entirely different things.

I was in Gibson Girl a few months back and a girl had her long ponytail in a hair net, but she had this long strip of bangs - about the length of her ponytail - hanging out in front of her face in a curl - and while it might be her 'style' it didn't make sense as to why she was wearing a hair net since I could be victim of a 'hair' in my ice cream just from her 2 foot long bangs.

This should have been noticed by a manager and fixed right away.

[stuporfly]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

There's an episode of the Monkees that was filmed in 1967 that makes reference to this. If I remember correctly, Micky Dolenz turns to the Wolfman and tells him to get a haircut or they won't let him in to Disneyland.

I hadn't heard about the Yippie invasion, which I find fascinating.

I just took my 4 1/2 year old daughter to Disneyland for the first time on Saturday, and while I didn't see any fashion choices that offended me in the crowd, I did hear some language that even if I weren't a father would have seemed inappropriate for a family-oriented theme park.

[Disneyland Daddy]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

There's an episode of the Monkees that was filmed in 1967 that makes reference to this. If I remember correctly, Micky Dolenz turns to the Wolfman and tells him to get a haircut or they won't let him in to Disneyland.

I hadn't heard about the Yippie invasion, which I find fascinating.

I just took my 4 1/2 year old daughter to Disneyland for the first time on Saturday, and while I didn't see any fashion choices that offended me in the crowd, I did hear some language that even if I weren't a father would have seemed inappropriate for a family-oriented theme park.

As far as language choices, I know what you mean. If we've been in line and I do not care for the crude language going on before or behind me, I will kindly address it and ask that they refrain from that sort of talk. If it does not happen, I'll take it to a CM. I don't use that sort of language, and I'll be darned if I'm going to wait in an HOUR PLUS line listening to it.

[TikiRoomLiz]

Re: Yesterland Grooming Standards...For Guests

I do think that there should be some type of dress standards for Disneyland - such as no tops where women are spilling out of their clothes nor being able to see a guy's boxers.

As for Grad Nite, I went in '92 and we were required to dress nice (NO tennis shoes, jeans or t-shirts or we would be refused entrance). I recall gettting off the bus and seeing some girls who looked like they were going to Prom. Now, living right next to a high school, this year on my way to work I saw the students coming back from Grad Nite dressed in jeans and t-shirts. So I'm thinking that the dress code is no longer enforced for Grad Nite anymore.