(OPINION) ETH – In further efforts to advance diversity and inclusion, Disney has now announced that they permit their staff and cast members at theme parks more freedom to express themselves — which includes the wearing of gender-flexible costumes.
The announcement came via a blog post last week, from Josh D’Amaro, who is a chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, who announced a new addition — “Inclusion” — to the company’s “Four Keys,” the long-standing tradition of promoting Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency at its parks.
D’Amaro stated that the decision aims to “cultivate a culture of belonging” at the company and guide its efforts to “realize our rich legacy of engaging storytelling, exceptional service, and Disney magic.” Among the changes coming as a result of the new key is a reworking of the policies that guide how cast members can dress at work.
“Our new approach provides greater flexibility with respect to forms of personal expression surrounding gender-inclusive hairstyles, jewelry, nail styles, and costume choices; and allowing appropriate visible tattoos,” D’Amaro wrote. “We’re updating them to not only remain relevant in today’s workplace but also enable our cast members to better express their cultures and individuality at work.”
This announcement follows Disney’s recent decision to scrub from its employee dress code handbook all references to gender. “Moving forward, we believe our cast, who are at the center of the magic that lives in all our experiences, can provide the best of Disney’s legendary guest service when they have more options for personal expression — creating richer, more personal, and more engaging experiences with our guests,” D’Amaro continued.
These changes also reportedly followed a recent advisory that Disney published to acknowledge supposedly racist “stereotypes,” “negative depictions,” and “mistreatment of people or cultures” in classic films such as “Dumbo” and “Peter Pan.”
