Credit: DisneyAfter more than five years, Walt Disney World Resort has removed a gender-neutral skirt option for cast members working at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Employees at the Deluxe Disney Resort hotel debuted their new costumes this month.
Disney Look Changes From 2021
Back in 2021, Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort made headlines with the biggest overhaul ever of the “Disney Look” guidelines, which have outlined attire, grooming, and other appearance policies for decades.
The rules were based on Walt Disney’s vision for employees at Disneyland Park. They originally banned all visible tattoos, mandated differences in men’s and women’s uniforms, and imposed strict guidelines on hair color, painted nails, piercings, and facial hair grooming.
In 2021, Disney announced that it would loosen its guidelines to fit better with a changing culture and greater acceptance of different gender identities. The changes allowed some non-natural hair colors, select visible tattoos and piercings, and more freedom with jewelry and nail art.
The biggest change, though, was the removal of all gender-specific language from the Disney Look guidelines. Hairstyle, nail polish, and grooming policies apply to all cast members, regardless of gender. Employees of all genders are also allowed to wear any costume combination available at their location.
In contrast, previously, employees who presented as male were not allowed to wear dresses and skirts available to female-presenting cast members at their work locations.
This week, though, Walt Disney World Resort made a costume change that removes the gender-neutral skirt option for hundreds of cast members.
Disney World Removes Skirt Option For Cast Members
On October 26, WDWNT reported that cast members around Walt Disney World’s Polynesian Village Resort had debuted new costume shirts and pants. Unlike the previous employee outfits at the Magic Kingdom Resort Area hotel, this new look does not include a skirt option for workers who would prefer to wear one.
All of the new outfits consist of different colorful short-sleeve button-up shirts paired with the same khaki pants. Disney cast members wear a different fabric shirt depending on their work location: merchandise, Front Desk, Concierge, etc.
Cast members at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort previously wore floral-patterned tops with skirts or pants.
Employees told WDWNT that the costume rollout began on Sunday, October 25, and that everyone at the Deluxe Disney Resort hotel would debut new outfits in the coming weeks. As of Monday, October 26, cast members at the Capt. Cook’s Quick-Service dining location are still wearing Moana (2016)-inspired costumes that debuted in 2021.
Have you noticed any other costume changes around Walt Disney World Resort? Inside the Magic would love to hear from you in the comments!
