THIS WEEK’S TOPIC: What do you think of servers who show skin to make tips and employee policies that encourage them to do so?

By AMY WILSON-CHAPMAN

Reporter

When I started working at a hotel here in Jasper I was told I had to wear a skirt. Oh yes, it was sexy (not). And those tights, if I was working for tips I would have said “Shoot me now,” because the skirt certainly wasn’t going to make me rich!

But, this hotel was trying to be the uptight classy establishment (unsuccessfully) by putting its female employees in skirts. I don’t know if you ever saw the old uniforms but they made us look more like puke in a bucket which proves skirts aren’t always the be all and end all of fashion for a girl.

In fact, in May – when I first started – my cold Aussie skin wasn’t so acclimatized and I couldn’t bear the thought of stripping off my thermals, never mind my trousers! Thankfully, I had a manager that saw the light and decided it would be okay for me to wear my pants just a little longer into the warm season.

Maybe it’s the Aussie in me, that thinks that flaunting your body for tips, in any profession, is just morally wrong. I don’t care if you’re male or female, but last time I checked tips were for good service and if the service isn’t, you know, related to bed-service, then I don’t see how having more skin showing would work in your favour!

If servers were more focused on filling up the water glass, ensuring everyone had what they wanted, and that orders were prompt and correct, maybe they wouldn’t have to flaunt their body parts like a steak in a dog trap being watched by a slimy lick-lipping animal.

At the end of the day, a uniform is just that, a uniform, and it should be one that doesn’t make people feel uncomfortable or uneasy in their job. I don’t know about you, but I don’t need to see a waitress’s personal parts when she bends down to pick up a napkin from the floor.

So, if a uniform is tailored to suit the position, and all the employees are okay with it, then sure it’s fine. But, if the underlying goal is to sell people like they’re walking sex objects then the uniforms are morally wrong, never mind intolerable.

By DANIEL Z. JACOBS

Reporter

I’m not looking to be an apologist for all the old creepers out there who love nothing more than ogling a young, attractive and gifted – physically speaking – woman, while out downing a few wobbly-pops. Nor am I interested in taking up the mantra of Larry Flynt, that sex sells. 

However, I am defending companies – specifically bars and restaurants – that require their female employees to wear skirts, sleeveless shirts and/or tank tops.

First off, waitresses are not the highest paid of people in the workforce, so if showing a little skin leads to bigger tips – which it most definitely does if you’ve ever been to a bar – then who is it really hurting? I’d hardly put scantily-clad waitresses in the same category as the ladies of the night wandering the streets of Edmonton. 

Second, a skirts-only policy is not really discriminatory. Bartenders are supposed to be sociable, outgoing (if not outrageous) and above all they’re trying to sell alcohol. It’s unlikely that someone not comfortable in their own skin, irrespective of their attire, is going to apply for one of the most sociably-challenging jobs out there. 

Third, as if female customers don’t like attractive male waiters, muscles bulging and sweet-talking! Please! If any discrimination is present, it is between the attractive and unattractive – which I acknowledge are socially-constructed categories. Unfortunate yes, unfair maybe, but really, what in life is completely fair?

Fourth, women bartenders and waitresses I know feel empowered by bilking extra tips out of shallow guys willing to spend money just to get a peak at cleavage. These smart women see it as taking advantage of the dumber and more superficial male species. Can you blame them? 

Finally, I’m sure I’ll get calls about being a pig, but I’m just calling it as it is. These skirts-only policies are not prostitution nor are they close to it. Skirts are simply a waitress’s best friend, just like tight shirts are a waiter’s best friend when it comes to making a little extra tip money in untaxable cash.