On Jan. 23, the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts announced an update to its dress code and grooming policies. For the first time, male employees – known as Cast Members – at Disneyland and Walt Disney World will be allowed to sport well-groomed beards and goatees.
The policy change is the latest update in what is known as the Disney Look is scheduled to go into effect Feb. 3.
Betsy Sanchez, a Disneyland Resort spokeswoman, offered this rationale published on Around Disney:
"Disney Look guidelines are periodically reviewed in relation to industry standards, as well as the unique environment of our theme parks and resorts. While we are careful to maintain our heritage and the integrity of our brand, a recent review of our guidelines led to a decision that an update was appropriate at this time."
These changes apply to Cast Members who interact with guests in the parks and do not perform as face characters – as they may already have beards as part of their roles.
The update to the Disney Look, released to Cast Members via memo and published in part by Inside the Magic, specify that facial hair should be well-groomed, neat and professional. More specifically, facial hair should be no more than a quarter-inch in length.
Disney had long prohibited facial hair on its theme-park Cast Members, a policy that dates back to Walt and Disneyland’s early years, with a manual released in 1957. In 2000, the company revised the policy to allow men to wear moustaches. Other updates since then have included conservative braided styles for men and in 2010 pantyhose for women.
Also part of the changes is the institution of a “Casual Friday” option for Cast Members who do not appear on-stage, or interact with the public.
Read the full guidelines for Disney Look, although they have yet to be updated on the site.
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