I have a student that consistently asks me if she can use the bathroom about 15 minutes before the day ends. This student is diagnosed ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) so she has a few special passes for different things like that. However, after her asking me to go for the 5th day in a row, I had to ask.
"Sarah (student's name is changed), what's up with this new bathroom schedule? Why are you going to the bathroom every day right before school is out, and why are you in there so long?"
My students are blunt so I was expecting something like "I'd rather be outside smoking a cigarette than sitting in your class," or "I'm dying of boredom so I go make phone calls in the bathroom."
That's not what I got at all.
"I have to get ready for work, Maura. I don't have time to go home and get ready."
"Well, what do you have to do to get ready for work?"
This is where I start getting angry, actually not angry, but I can't seem to find the right word to express my infuriation.
Sarah works at Hollister. This job requires things of her. Let me make the list along with my implications.
1. You must look like you just got out of bed and you are just naturally beautiful. (Because you are not naturally beautiful?)
2. This means that you cannot wear eyeliner or any make-up besides foundation and mascara. Look like you aren't wearing make-up... (But wear it because no make-up would be scary.)
3. You can only use 5 sprays of hairspray in your hair. Remember, it needs to look like you didn't try. (But try, because we don't want a mess.)
4. You need to keep your bangs out of your face, but you can't use bobby pins or barrettes. (So, figure it out. I don't know how you are going to manage that.)
5. Wear only our clothes and make sure that your shirt is low cut. (Because cleavage is a ladies most useful attribute.)
6. Make sure your blemishes (i.e. pimples) are covered. We don't want them showing. (No teenage hormonal issues or anything around here. We don't want to deal with it. It negates effortless beauty.)
7. Flirt with the male costumers. You need to make them feel good about themselves or they won't buy anything. (Sex sells...that's all I have to say about that.)
8. When summer comes, you need to tan so that you can spend some shifts at Water World wearing our bathing suits. (You better look good in it. The goal is that we want it to sell.)
Here's what you need to know about Sarah. She is a lovely girl and really does fit the mold of the magazine definition of pretty that our society has created. She told me she got this job because of her flat stomach and pretty face. Sarah thinks that all of these things are ridiculous, but she was completely confused by my outrage. She thought I was mad at her for working there.
Is our society moving backward? Is the woman of the 90's who took control of her sexual identity gone, or did she really ever have any control? Does Sarah not understand that everything this job is requiring of her is not right (don't worry, I'm not done talking to her yet)? What is going on with this current generation that it doesn't even occur to a girl with ODD to defy these regulations?
My problem is twofold. One, they are sending a really skewed message of beauty. Two, and most importantly, they are not letting Sarah decide what beauty is. They are requiring her to fit their definition. I would not be discouraged if these were all things that Sarah chose on her own. I am upset about her lack of choice. I know some people may say that she does have a choice -- find a different job. But in reality, it's not that easy. She's a student at an alternative high school with a criminal record who, despite rehabilitation, can't find an employer that will give her a chance. And, that's besides the point.
Every woman should have the ability to choose where they want their identity as a woman to lie and my involvement in women's rights movements comes from the belief that every woman needs equity in having the options available to her to define her identity.
Any corporation that takes away this choice or doesn't provide an equitable playing ground is corrupt.
Hollister claims that they promote diversity. Diversity and inclusion are key to our organization's success. We are determined to have a diverse culture, throughout our organization, that benefits from the perspectives of each individual. Thank goodness they have a diverse culture (if they even really do) because they sure are lacking in their ideas of diverse body style!
And I refuse to believe them when they say, "Hollister is the original Southern California lifestyle brand, laidback and effortlessly cool..." Effortless? BULLSHIT!
And how do I try to counteract this problem? Teaching Girl's Literature. Trust me, I understand the importance of teaching our youth about these issues (that's an entirely different rant), but I'm starting to be scared that the image of woman is moving so far backwards in its progression that we need to do more than just educate.
lovemaura
9 comments:
I totally agree!! btw - I love the way you think!!!
Hmm...strange. I worked at Hollister back in 2003, and although they "suggested" the natural make-up thing, and you were required to wear their clothes (which really was no different than wearing a uniform at any other job), the requirements were not quite as overblown as the ones you're describing. They did scout employees by having managers recruit and take Polaroids of "attractive" people shopping in their store, but like I said, not quite as stringent standards. I quit when a manager started sexually harassing me, and apparently before the new employee rules were put in place.
I agree that the particular image of women the brand promotes (and this includes their ads as well as the standards they require of their employees) is one that is detrimental to female image in our society. It encourages women to dress, act, and view themselves as nothing more than sexual objects, and rewards men who have the view that this is all women are for thinking so.
HOWEVER. It is the decision and choice of the women who work at Hollister to do so, and they are aware upon taking the job what will be required of them. It isn't as if they work there for six months, and then are suddenly told what the expectations for them will be. They willingly take the job knowing the image they will be expected to represent. In this respect, it isn't much different than taking a job at a Hooters, or taken far enough, at a strip club. It is a shame that there are so many women out there willing to demoralize and demean themselves in this way for a job at a retail clothing store, but the truth is: they do it willingly. No one is forcing their hand. There ARE other jobs out there, and were they morally opposed to the standards upheld by Hollister and companies like it (like Abercrombie, which owns Hollister, and expects similar things from their employees), they could quit and search for another job. Or never take the job in the first place. But they don't. I think this is the real tragedy. Companies and businesses like Hollister, Abercrombie, and Hooters will always exist. What disturbs me is that there are so many women out there willing to work for them.
P.S. I also think it is important to say that to my fault I did not research her claims. I have taken her word for it...
Jess, Thank you for the comment! Love the perspective you bring to what I'm trying to expose.
At the end, you make your point stronger than I did. I do wholeheartedly agree that my student could leave the job she's at and refuse to work there if she felt it was unfair. My concern here is that it has never crossed her mind that it is not okay. She thinks these rules are just an annoyance and that they are part of having a job. She's just so grateful to be working at all that she doesn't even question them.
This is where my fear lies. What am I doing wrong as a teacher, what are we all doing wrong as a society that she isn't questioning this?
Here naïveté towards this situation proves that women don't have an equitable playing ground. If so, she would have known to question the regulations, and then decide to keep the job if it's something she can stand by.
Does that make sense? Did I explain myself clearly?
I agree that women do not do things to help their cause, but I very much disagree with the comment that it is your student's fault, or even her educated choice. A major flaw of the 2nd and 3rd waves of feminism (academic feminism) is that women turn and point the finger on each other rather than recognizing that a girl or woman might not have had the same access to empowering education that they have.
Your student might be old enough to feel uncomfortable with what's going on, but she obviously was not educated or empowered to make a decision that shows respect for herself. That is not her fault, and she does not deserve to be judged for that. It is the responsibility of other women to stand up for girls like this when they are young, to teach them what truly empowered, self-respecting woman looks like before she gets sucked into the machine.
Too often women blame other women, or use them as scapegoats for what they dislike about society-as a result, they abandon each other and belittle behavior that is not dominant (male-like) in essence, it is not better than male chauvinism.
Yes, we are backsliding because too many post-feminists believe they have done their work and assume that everyone has had the same opportunities as them to catch up. There is still so much to be done, ladies! We must work hard and work together.
what an unimaginable load of horseshit that store is. i cannot believe they're actively, knowingly, and willingly doing that to young people.
i think you really nailed the true point of all this when you said that they're not allowing young people to determine what beauty is for themselves.
nice work, lady. love it.
And Maura, your point makes absolute sense to me! Don't take anything I've written as being a condemnation against your student-- I haven't met her, and obviously don't know all of the circumstances surrounding why she's at this particular job. I'm mostly speaking in generalities here.
I don't think it's necessarily a failure on your part as a teacher (from what I've read of your blog, I think I would have LOVED having you as a teacher, and that anyone could benefit from you) that's causing this at all.
chaosfemme, I agree with you to a degree that some of this can be attributed to the lack of "empowering education," as you put it. However, I'm relatively certain that regardless of the ridiculous standards Hollister, etc. are "forcing" on their employees, a job there is extremely cushy compared to one where Maura's student may have to work were she to leave there-- such as McDonalds, or similar lower-level jobs. Unfortunately, actions have consequences, and even someone with a criminal record who is trying to turn around his/her life will have difficulty finding employment. In most of these lower-paying, easier-to-procure jobs, there is some sort of sacrifice the employee has to make. In the case of McDonalds, it may be lower pay, having to work harder, always smelling like french fries, etcetera. And in the case of Hollister, it is having to wear low cut tops and brand yourself as a sexual object, the trade-off being that you don't have to work as hard as you would at a different job. Believe me, having worked at Hollister on the sales floor, you have to do very little other than stand there, look pretty, and fold some jeans every once in a while. It is an EXTREMELY cushy job. In my opinion, this naivete and seeming lack of awareness of the moral pitfalls of subjecting oneself to these sexual standards is partly due to our failure as a society to teach our children the lesson that nothing comes for free. Warning lights should be flashing in anyone's head who has a job where they do nothing but stand and smile-- "What is the tradeoff here?"
There is a choice that is made by everyone, regardless of education level: "What am I willing to sacrifice to be able to work less, have my work be easier, have a job closer to my house, [insert job desire here]?" It's sad that our education system and social media have left us with a whole young generation left ripe for exploitation, but I can't blame just the system for these failings. I believe that our country has been fostering the idea that in some way or another, we are "entitled" to be able to have a comfortable life while doing very little work and putting in very little effort to deserve it. Parents (and schools) are unwittingly teaching this to their children through an ideology I like to call the "participation trophy" system, where in order to spare a child's feelings, we award the "winners" and the "losers" in any contest with the same prize at a young age. It drains incentive to actually strive to deserve that prize when you grow up being taught that you will get it regardless of how much effort you put in.
I guess my point is that until we teach our youth that a comfortable life, filled with whatever possessions and luxuries we might desire, comes only with hard work and determination, this will continue happening. There will be young girls, who looking for a way to put less effort into their jobs, will be exploited both sexually and emotionally by corporations like Hollister. Sex sells, and it always has. This is in no way a new phenomenon, but the new generation's addiction to convenience and rampant sense of entitlement have certainly made it more prevalent.
[Note: I apparently got a little impassioned there, and typos abounded! Sorry for the need to re-post. :-) ]
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