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 Message 5593 of 22774 in Behind the Bar
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Subject: Re: Bartending and Appearance/Weight
From: coopmancity
Posted: Sat Jan 1. 2005, 01:53 UTC
Followup to: "Bartending and Appearance/Weight"  by Wroughtirony  (Thu Dec 30. 2004, 18:21 UTC)
I really don't have an answer for you except to just keep trying different 
places until you land something better.

If you think you have it bad where you live, try getting a job bartending in a 
club in Las Vegas!!! I went to visit a few friends of mine who live up there 
and bartend as well. One of the clubs we went to had only super hot staff. One 
of the friends I was with told me how he had applied at that club when he 
first moved up there and the manager told him straight out that they only hire 
bartenders who have had MODELING EXPERIENCE!! Can you believe that sh*t??

Coop


I recently had a series of very disturbing experiences that have made 
> me really think about how much one's appearance affects one's ability 
> to get a job as a bartender.  
> 
> A bit of background- I'm a young (early 20s) female bartender living 
> in Austin, TX.  I have about two years of experience bartending in 
> both a college town and in the French Quarter of New Orleans.  I 
> attended an excellent bartending school (they do exist!) and passed 
> my exams with flying colors.  I have a whole page of references that 
> will all tell you I'm one of the best employees they've ever had. I 
> have serving experience as well as bartending experience.  I am 
> fairly attractive I'm told.  However, I am five foot four and I weigh 
> almost 150 Lbs.  I'm not obese by any scale and I'm told I wear it 
> well- most people wouldn't believe I weigh much more than 135.  But 
> nobody would call me skinny either.  
> 
> After a two month long search, I finally landed a job tending bar 
> full time at a low-volume hotel bar.  I worked there several months 
> before the hotel was sold, and was hired on by the new company.  The 
> F&B manager was not.  After he left, as well as some of the wait 
> staff, my manager told me that he had to fight to hire me because the 
> F&B manager had wanted to hire Sandy (who was hired as a waitress and 
> left at the changeover) instead.  Sandy was goregeous, vapid, and had 
> no service industry experience whatsoever.  She had only attended a 
> bartending school a few months prior.  (this school has a dodgy 
> reputation.)  The F&B manager had seen my resume, but not seen me in 
> person.  The two fought it out for a week, telling me there was a 
> problem with my background check, and finally my manager lied and 
> told the F&B manager that I was prettier than Sandy.  I was hired.  
> 
> I would dismiss this as just one asshat manager, but then...
> 
> Last night I went to a poker tournament at one of the bars that never 
> called me back for a second interview.  I had thought it odd, because 
> the manager I talked to wanted to hire me on the spot, and told me he 
> guaranteed that he would call me for a second interview.  He said 
> they had over 300 applicants for 15 positions, but that I was at the 
> top of his list.  When I walked in, I found out immediately why I 
> wasn't called.  There were probably at least 14 women working there 
> as cocktail waitresses and bartenders.  NONE could have weighed more 
> than 125 Lbs.
> 
> 
> I realize that men want to look at beautiful women when they go out 
> drinking, and that thin women make more money for the bar, but does 
> my experience and talent mean absolutely nothing compared to the 25 
> Lbs between me and a size six?  Should I be upset or just accept it 
> as part of the industry?  Are there places where "ugly" women like me 
> can work?  Are there bars out there where good bartending is the most 
> important thing?  How do I find them?  Has anyone else out there had 
> similar experience?
> 
> I'm looking for work now (the hotel bar gig is not paying the bills). 
>  does anyone have any suggestions?  Sorry for the long post, but I'm 
> pretty frustrated.


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