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View Full Version : Reality Shapes Disney Garb - Los Angeles Times, 2/9/06



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Darkbeer
02-09-2006, 07:09 AM
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-costumes9feb09,0,253378.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california

QuikQuote: The first clue to Disney's costume makeover hangs in an upstairs hall: a photo montage of thin 1966 employees next to snapshots of more recent "cast members," who come in a smorgasbord of shapes and sizes. Nearby, a conference room displays sketches of five new costumes. One shows a more chaste tour guide ensemble worn by a gray-haired woman in her 50s. "You'd have never seen that 20 years ago," said David Koenig, author of "Mouse Tales," a behind-the-scenes history of the Magic Kingdom. Early tour guide slots were reserved for the prettiest young women, he said. Clad in jockey-style threads with velvet hats, riding crops and short plaid skirts, they escorted clusters of guests and VIPs around the park.

eryn
02-09-2006, 08:26 AM
I was definatly not surprised to read an article like this. In the media all the time are stories about how BIG our nation is getting!

millionairegirl
02-09-2006, 09:55 AM
$1,000 a piece for a TOT costume? I find that really hard to believe. Kind of like the Pentagon spending $200 for a hammer. No wonder the ticket prices keep going up.

Great article.

olegc
02-09-2006, 11:25 AM
$1,000 a piece for a TOT costume? I find that really hard to believe. Kind of like the Pentagon spending $200 for a hammer. No wonder the ticket prices keep going up.

Great article.

well, if you count all the costs involved (warhousing, manufacturer, customization, tailoring, etc) as well as you need to make a costume last longer than regular clothing since so many more people wear it - then I could see it go that high.

It's silly, but I could see it..

Ulysses
02-09-2006, 12:30 PM
I was definatly not surprised to read an article like this. In the media all the time are stories about how BIG our nation is getting!
No argument here -- and you see more and more 3X size shirts on sale for guests (although not nearly enough to meet demand). But anyone who works for the mouse knows the sizes on the costumes bear little resemblance to normal sizes found in retail clothing stores. A woman who wears a size 14 in "real life" is a size 18 or 20 (depending on which costume) in Disney sizes. You find that out on your first day on the job, when you blithely pick up a costume in "your" size and find out you can't squeeze in.

3894
02-09-2006, 12:58 PM
One shows a more chaste tour guide ensemble worn by a gray-haired woman in her 50s. "You'd have never seen that 20 years ago," said David Koenig, author of "Mouse Tales," a behind-the-scenes history of the Magic Kingdom. Early tour guide slots were reserved for the prettiest young women, he said.

I'm for equal-opportunity oggling of DL tour guides. Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and ages.

spacemountain85
02-09-2006, 02:11 PM
""Disneyland can't be as picky as it used to be," said Jamie O'Boyle, a theme-park scholar at the Center for Cultural Studies & Analysis in Philadelphia."

Awesome, how does one get to be a theme park scholar?

FantasmicFanatic
02-09-2006, 02:27 PM
No argument here -- and you see more and more 3X size shirts on sale for guests (although not nearly enough to meet demand). But anyone who works for the mouse knows the sizes on the costumes bear little resemblance to normal sizes found in retail clothing stores. A woman who wears a size 14 in "real life" is a size 18 or 20 (depending on which costume) in Disney sizes. You find that out on your first day on the job, when you blithely pick up a costume in "your" size and find out you can't squeeze in.


Very true. IN "real life" I am a Small or Medium shirt and a 32 or 34 waist. At DL, I was a Small or more often an Extra small shirt and a 36 or 38 waist, it was rather odd. Also, I would like to blame the food offered to CMs at CM eateries. Nothing healthy! All cheap and fatty foods!

FF

PragmaticIdealist
02-09-2006, 02:51 PM
Very true. IN "real life" I am a Small or Medium shirt and a 32 or 34 waist. At DL, I was a Small or more often an Extra small shirt and a 36 or 38 waist, it was rather odd. Also, I would like to blame the food offered to CMs at CM eateries. Nothing healthy! All cheap and fatty foods!

FF

Yes, Disney could solve much of its problem by changing the menus at the commissaries for the cast and crew.

Nancy
02-09-2006, 03:09 PM
Very true. Also, I would like to blame the food offered to CMs at CM eateries. Nothing healthy! All cheap and fatty foods!

FF


HERE HERE!!!!How about healthier food throught the park!!!

cfrith
02-09-2006, 06:02 PM
That is so sad (the fact that America is becoming so large). In the past year I have gained 20 pounds. Not sure if it's my metabolism (I'm almost 30 :eek:) or the medication I've been on but my doctor at my last appointment said she'd prescribe an appetite suppresant for a couple months (phentermine), I think I might just try it. Has anyone had any experience with it?

ToursbabeC3po
02-09-2006, 06:21 PM
When I hired into Disney I was a size 3 in there sizes but I was a size 0 In the real world. Because of my health problems I was on all kinds of medication the last two years and I went up to a size 16 Before I lost 60 Pounds. There were ALOT more size 3's then there were 16's.
I think People of all shapes and sizes should have the chance to work at Disney so I do applaud there efforts to make bigger size costumes. Would you rather have a Size 3 With an attitude or a size 30 with a smile on there face and Disney magic? I don't care about Size I just want good quality workers there.

adriennek
02-09-2006, 07:53 PM
That is so sad (the fact that America is becoming so large). In the past year I have gained 20 pounds. Not sure if it's my metabolism (I'm almost 30 :eek:) or the medication I've been on but my doctor at my last appointment said she'd prescribe an appetite suppresant for a couple months (phentermine), I think I might just try it. Has anyone had any experience with it?

You might want to try starting a new thread about this in the Lounge to get specific answers to this question.

Adrienne

3894
02-10-2006, 05:08 AM
Awesome, how does one get to be a theme park scholar?

Check out the bios of the people who work at that thinktank (http://www.culturalanalysis.com/docs/presskit.html)

SandraVB79
02-10-2006, 06:45 AM
No argument here -- and you see more and more 3X size shirts on sale for guests (although not nearly enough to meet demand). But anyone who works for the mouse knows the sizes on the costumes bear little resemblance to normal sizes found in retail clothing stores. A woman who wears a size 14 in "real life" is a size 18 or 20 (depending on which costume) in Disney sizes. You find that out on your first day on the job, when you blithely pick up a costume in "your" size and find out you can't squeeze in.

In real life over here I wear size XL, in real life overthere (USA) I wear size S/M, and that's the same with clothes I buy at DL! (I can tell you: I LOVE shopping in the US!!) :D


Next to that, each time I go to the US, I am amazed by the size of people, and the way everybody thinks it's just plain normal. No, you don't have to discriminate heavier people, but it's time people understand that that's a time bomb.
When I saw very overweighted small children, still eating hamburgers and fries and so on (and not 1, but a tray full of them!! :eek: ) I was... I have no words for that (or at least I don't know any English words for it)

It's just plain sad...

3894
02-10-2006, 07:19 AM
When I saw very overweighted small children, still eating hamburgers and fries and so on (and not 1, but a tray full of them!! :eek: ) I was... I have no words for that (or at least I don't know any English words for it)

It's just plain sad...

And Belgians are known for a low-fat, low-calorie diet? Let's see: world's best chocolate, excellent cheese, lovely white bread, lots of fabulous beer, and, according to the French anyway, "Belgian" fries. Surely, I am missing some foods?

I will agree with you that overweight children should be gently nosed toward healthy lifestyle choices.

ToursbabeC3po
02-10-2006, 07:57 AM
The reason people are so big in the USA is that they put MSG in our food. Not only does it make you more hungry but it makes you addicted to the food. A lot of products have it not just Chiness food here.
size - and calories - do matter. Cutting portions, and that means being aware when you're eating two to three times what you should, is one way to drop pounds without eliminating favorite foods or entire food groups.
And lay off the fast food America! The amount of fat in salt in 99% of fast food will put you in a early grave!

SandraVB79
02-10-2006, 08:09 AM
And Belgians are known for a low-fat, low-calorie diet? Let's see: world's best chocolate, excellent cheese, lovely white bread, lots of fabulous beer, and, according to the French anyway, "Belgian" fries. Surely, I am missing some foods?

I will agree with you that overweight children should be gently nosed toward healthy lifestyle choices.

You are not jealous of all the good things we have over here, are you? ;) :D
And you missed the Belgian waffles... :p

The thing is, we eat smaller portions than in the US. Here you can have a five-course meal, eat delicious things, but still be hungry when you leave (at least I usually am, and no, I don't stop at McD after leaving the restaurant) (as a matter of fact, I wouldn't even know where to find one here in Brussels... if I go to McD once every two years, it's a lot) (and when I go, it's during a layover at Chicago O'Hare airport, for a fruit yoghurt :rolleyes:). In the US, I only order a main course, eat half of it, and feel stuffed like a turkey on Thanksgiving.
We eat fries (once a week, or even less) and chocolate and other goodies, but in smaller portions than in the US.
We also eat different (no pancakes, waffles for breakfast (just once in a while as a "treat" with a special occasion), no chili fries, no nachos, no popcorn, etc etc etc)
A regular drink here is 20-30 cl (no free refills). In the TX, we bought 1/2 gallon fountain drinks....

Next to that, we "move" a lot more. Every day I have about 45 minutes of walking to do, when I go to work. During the weekend, I do grocery shopping without a car. es, a long walk, loaded with heavy bags, now that's exercise ;)
When I stayed with host families/ friends in the US (MA, TX and CA), the only distance I walked was from the house to the car, and from the parking lot to the door of the store or restaurant. That makes a huge difference!

And since "being overweight" is not at all socially accepted over here (just try to find clothes larger than a size 16 or 18/ XL!)(and sizes here are a lot smaller than in the US, that's why I LOVE shopping in the USA! I'll fit in a SMALL!!!!), people go quicker on a diet...

I don't think one can "blame" it on one thing (what you eat, how much you eat, what you drink (soda's are so bad!!!!!!!!), how much you move), it's a combination of everything together.

3894
02-10-2006, 08:58 AM
SandraVB79, none of your generalizations describe the way either I or my family live. Yet we are as American as ... I was going to say apple pie but, given the context, I'll say just a plain apple.

stan4d_steph
02-10-2006, 09:03 AM
Personally, I think those ridiculous riding-crop outfits are hideous and I'm glad they're going bye-bye.

RickW
02-10-2006, 09:10 AM
It's funny that this topic comes up just after I noticed an interesting costuming issue on my last visit. It seems that many of the cast members are wearing a big sloppy coat that is about two sizes too big. Perhaps they are trying to cover up their ill-fitting uniforms underneath, but it really looks bad.

One young lady server in the Blue Ribbon Bakery wore a huge pea coat that was not only too large but was really inappropriate in a food service situation. At one point, I thought our food was going to disappear down her giant sleeves. I couldn't even see her hands!

Another cast member in Soarin' also wore a coat with the shoulder seams at her elbows and her hands hidden by the sleeves. I'm sure that the show building is cold to work in, but I think management should encourage appropriately sized coats.

SandraVB79
02-10-2006, 10:18 AM
SandraVB79, none of your generalizations describe the way either I or my family live. Yet we are as American as ... I was going to say apple pie but, given the context, I'll say just a plain apple.

I'm sorry, I didn't want to generalize, all the things I described are things I lived through myself while staying with different host families/ friends all over the US.

evrythngwmn
02-10-2006, 10:38 AM
Yes, Disney could solve much of its problem by changing the menus at the commissaries for the cast and crew.

Well, the company's most recent give aways were fruit and water. Maybe they are catching on.

evrythngwmn
02-10-2006, 10:40 AM
It's funny that this topic comes up just after I noticed an interesting costuming issue on my last visit. It seems that many of the cast members are wearing a big sloppy coat that is about two sizes too big. Perhaps they are trying to cover up their ill-fitting uniforms underneath, but it really looks bad.

One young lady server in the Blue Ribbon Bakery wore a huge pea coat that was not only too large but was really inappropriate in a food service situation. At one point, I thought our food was going to disappear down her giant sleeves. I couldn't even see her hands!

Another cast member in Soarin' also wore a coat with the shoulder seams at her elbows and her hands hidden by the sleeves. I'm sure that the show building is cold to work in, but I think management should encourage appropriately sized coats.

Part of it is availability of costume pieces. For awhile there were not any pants in my size (that didn't have holes). I couldn't fit the smaller size and instead had to go for the bigger size. Same thing happened with my coat one year. They were out of my size. I tried on the smaller size but it didn't fit and had to go with the bigger size.

sambo
02-10-2006, 10:49 AM
""Disneyland can't be as picky as it used to be," said Jamie O'Boyle, a theme-park scholar at the Center for Cultural Studies & Analysis in Philadelphia."

Awesome, how does one get to be a theme park scholar?
Same way one gets to Carnagie Hall...