The Daily Mail vs Hooters by Tim Ward
This is a guest post by the wonderful Tim Ward.
Hooters, and one jug
I, like most people, would love to ignore the Daily Mail. But as someone with a degree in journalism and a love of all things moronic, it’s impossible to keep away from the ignorant, ill-informed and cloaked racism of the Mail.
Today is no exception. They have an article on Hooters. Now if you don’t know what Hooters is, it’s an American chain of fast food restaurants-cum-sports bar.
What makes it popular is the waitresses are attractive women wearing shorts and tight tops. But it’s no more revealing than what you’d see worn by a gaggle of girls stumbling into a Vodka Revolution on a Saturday evening.
Liz Jones visited the Nottingham Hooters (currently Britain’s only branch) to report. And despite wearing a beaming smile in every picture, as well as no bra, she hates the place. It’s disgraceful. These girls have been forced into it. They certainly didn’t apply for the job fully aware of what was involved, and now they are here they must be chained to the place, else they’d quit.
For the first time ever...I agree with Liz Jones here. What a waste of a Friday night for her. What a horrid place! I thought she wrote the article well. I can sense the underlying horror that I would feel if I had to go to that place too. - julie, london
“I’m sat on a high stool at a small table, plasma screens are oozing sports programmes around my head and there is a grubby plastic menu in front of me that is littered with pictures of fast food.”
So, like most bars serving food then?
“There is the thump, thump, thump of awful music in the background, competing with the braying of table upon table of men: young men, old men, students, office workers, football supporters… “
Again, music, in A BAR?! Outrageous. And “braying” men? Really? Braying? Are you sure they aren’t just sat around chatting?
“Weaving between the tables are young women bearing enormous, overflowing jugs of beer and steaming piles of food. I keep beckoning the wrong waitress, as it’s so hard to tell them apart.”
The comment about it being hard to tell them apart sits directly above a picture of Jones with two waitresses, one of which is clearly taller and wearing a different top. The fact you can’t tell them apart is not Hooters’ fault.
I can certainly tell apart Jones’ disappointing chest-cushions sadly sans bra. This isn’t really the issue.
Christ, we’re only three paragraphs in.
A little further down and there is a picture of the restaurant with customers and staff. The caption: “Perfect stag do venue: The waitresses in hot pants serve their predominantly male customers”.
- Number of stag dos in the picture: 0
- Number of customers: 6. One of which is a girl. Hence the word “predominantly”
- Number of men oogling the waitresses: 1. And that’s the one sat with the girl.
How disgusting. Poor Liz, having to go there and be subjected to such degradation and filth. These poor girls are being used and exploited and they dont even know it. How terrible forcing them to wear such a sleazy uniform and asking them to parade around in it - Julia, Norfolk
“Orange Lycra shorts, low-cut T-shirts with Hooters’s slogan ‘delightfully tacky’, white socks and plimsolls and, of course, a wide smile are all obligatory – it is just so awful.”
Every picture of staff shows them all wearing black shorts, their work uniform and tights. Didn’t mention tights did she?
“I imagine this is what a dirty old man deems sexy: semi-exposed breasts and buttocks, but a hint of the schoolgirl, too.”
I’m sorry? A hint of schoolgirl? If anyone can point out this ‘hint’ of schoolgirl that’d be great. Is it the ‘girl’ bit?
“There is nothing intimidating about these women, which, I think is the point.”
What?
Jones goes on to interview some of the enslaved girls:
“Does she not feel exposed, knowing all these men are looking at her bottom and cleavage? ‘I feel quite covered up,’ she says. ‘This is no worse than what you see young women wearing here in Nottingham, out shopping or clubbing.’
This is true, but that is their choice. Here, exposing your thighs and cleavage is compulsory.”
Well, only compulsory if you decide to work there. At which point you surely know what is expected?
“I had thought I would find the waitresses to be predominantly Eastern European.”
Got to make sure you keep Daily Mail’s agenda in there somewhere.
“I ask Kimberley if her boyfriend knows what she does for a living. ‘Yes and he doesn’t mind.’”
Liz Jones once again displaying her holier than thou attitude. Jealousy, I suspect, knowing full well that with her looks she wouldn't even get a job interview. - Grumpy Old (Tolerant of other people) Fart, Swansea
“I join a table of young men for pudding. The men are here on a stag do. Rob, wearing a Viking helmet and a beer bottle holster, is the groom.
Does his fiancee know he is here?
‘Of course she does. It was the Hooters brand that drew us in. But the girls aren’t busty enough. I’m disappointed, to be honest. In the U.S., the girls have all had boob jobs. In the UK, the breasts are natural.’
It’s not enough for the girls to expose their cleavages; men expect the breasts to be plastic, too.”
No. Not ‘men’ Liz, a man. One man.
“There is now a generation who, thanks to internet porn and places like this, expect women to be petite, big breasted, with sooty eyes, bodies as hairless as a billiard ball and, above all, smiley and compliant.”
I’ll let that “hairless as a billiard ball” comment sink in.
“I stand outside Hooters in a puddle to have my picture taken. A group of young men leave the bar. ‘Wooo hoooo,’ they yell at me.
‘We’d say “show us your tits” but you haven’t got any!’”
See, my comment earlier about her breasts was just for this pay off.
And I’ll leave you with one of Liz’s final lines…
“This is not a lapdancing club. But because Hooters is so brazen about its sexism, I think it’s worse.”
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© 2012
If you’d asked nicely you could have had a photo of me in a Hooters outfit. Not that anyone really wants to see me in a low cut bra.
Great article, SaC!
I think this filler piece is a little out of touch with the modern world except, oh yeah, it’s the Mail. It’s not even a topless bar for Christ’s sake, it’s a tacky semi-sexy bar, with no real difference to any other except it has a modern hiring policy. At least there’s diversity and a high female working population!
And you’re also right, what a crap pair of knockers. That’s why she’s got a face like a slapped arse, she’s fucking jealous!
Also, if she took a photo of 6 customers with only 1 female customer, that would have taken an enormous amount of effort. It’s always a pretty even mix when I go there.
I am a girl, I’ve had birthday parties and work dos at the Nottingham hooters, as it has a relaxed atmosphere, good food, great prices, and shows the sports I like. There are restaurants in town with more revealing uniforms for their waitresses, these girls are wearing t-shirts for goodness sake, what is revealing about that?!
Also, all you can eat chicken wings on a Monday night for £6. Those are the only type of bird me and my friends (male and female, gay and straight) tend to go there for!!