“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome.”
Disney made the announcement today that they are updating the dress and style code for cast members as part of a wider effort to make its employees and Guests feel even more welcome at their Disney theme parks!
Josh D’Amaro wrote in a blog post for Disney Parks Blog today:
We want our guests to see their own backgrounds and traditions reflected in the stories, experiences and products they encounter in their interactions with Disney. And we want our cast members – and future cast members – to feel a sense of belonging at work.
That means cultivating an environment where all people feel welcomed and appreciated for their unique life experiences, perspectives and culture. Where we celebrate allyship and support for each other. And where diverse views and ideas are sought after as critical contributions towards our collective success.
But as with everything we do, this starts with actively listening, learning, and working with our cast and guests to imagine the possibilities.
Per CNBC News, the new guidelines will allow cast members to show off tattoos and style themselves in costumes that are gender inclusive. The company will also provide more inclusive products like costumes for people in wheelchairs, LGBTQ Mickey ears, and revamp attractions in the parks to feature more diversity.
These new guidelines are a result of Disney asking their cast members how they can better cultivate a culture of belonging, and many cast members responded suggesting the addition of a fifth key: the key of Inclusion (every Disney Parks cast member is familiar with our longstanding tradition of The Four Keys – Safety, Courtesy, Show and Efficiency – which have guided Disney’s approach to guest service for more than 65 years).
Josh D’Amaro also states:
We’re bringing the spirit of the Inclusion Key to life across our business. We’re reimagining our attractions to be more inclusive, like upcoming enhancements to Jungle Cruise and new adventures with Princess Tiana. We’re celebrating the diverse and inspiring stories of our cast and fans with creator collaborations and exciting experiences, like The Soul of Jazz exhibit at Walt Disney World Resort.
Disney has always had a pretty strict dress code for cast members including gender specific rules when it comes to hair and jewelry so this is a big and exciting change for Disney and their employees!
CNBC also reports that “Costuming, too, will be more gender inclusive. Cast members will no longer have to choose between a male and female look based on what part of the park they work in. They will now have a wider range of costume options.” Cast Members in the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land are currently able to mix and match different clothing pieces to create their own personal look, so we imagine the new dress code will be more along those guidelines going forward.
You can watch the full announcement in a video from Disney here:
You can read Josh D’Amaro’s full blog post on Disney Parks Blog here!
