For nearly 40 years, Hooters has been one of the most successful and recognizable restaurant chains in America and all around the world. They’re known for their hot wings, cold beer, and of course — Hooter Girls.
Recently, the company announced changes to the Hooter Girl’s infamously iconic uniform . The outcry from employees as well as the public has been disturbing, thus forcing Hooters to rethink their strategy.
Hooters began as the brainchild of six Florida businessmen.
Back in 1983, the six friends got together to come up with a new and innovative idea for a restaurant.
And most of it boiled down to one thing in particular:
They wanted to ensure that none of them would ever have to worry about being kicked out of a bar ever again.
It’s been nearly 40 years since that fateful meeting and Hooters is still going strong.
Since that time, Hooters of America LLC has evolved into one of the most recognizable and successful restaurant franchises on the planet — with more than 420 restaurants operating in 29 different countries.
There’s also a separate subsidiary known as The Original Hooters Group.
While not as large in stature, The Original Hooters Group still boats a total of 25 separate locations in the cities of Chicago, New York, and Tampa Bay. Their branding is nearly identical, although the companies are not the same.
Recently, Hooters of America LLC announced that they’d be making some changes to the Hooter Girl uniform.
The Hooter Girls are usually made to wear an incredibly tight-fitting t-shirt or halter top, along with a pair of equally tight booty shorts.
The new uniforms look a lot less like shorts and a lot more like underwear.
Hooters of America sent out an e-mail statement explaining that “The new uniforms were the result of a collaboration with Hooters Girls. These uniforms have been worn for months in several Texas markets and have received overwhelmingly favorable reviews from both Hooters Girls and customers.”
There were other girls, however, who felt that the shorts were innapropriate.
Many of the girls who voiced an opinion asked to remain anonymous, for fear that they might be fired for voicing their opinion.
One such girl told Yahoo! News:
“The girls with more meat on their bones, it kind of just rides right up. You have a wedgie all the time.”
Another Hooter Girl by the name of Giselle Nguyen took to TikTok in order to voice her disapproval.
Giselle (who goes by the TikTok handle @ggnguyen) has made several videos that as of right now have been viewed millions of times.
She begins by showing off the way that the old shorts looked and fit.
Then, Giselle snaps her fingers to reveal the look of the new, much shorter shorts.
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The old shorts were by no means perfect, but by comparison, they can practically be considered modest.
Whereas the newer shorts come with a much higher cut and leave practically nothing to the imagination.
Since Giselle and her fellow Hooter Girls have begun sharing their photos and videos, the public outcry has been abundant.
One of Giselle’s TikTok followers commented “Girlll[sic] that literally looks like the type of underwear i’d[sic] wear on my period .”
Another user wrote, “Girl stay safe that’s all I gotta say.”
In response, Hooters of America LLC has saw fit to amend their original statement.
“They can determine which style of shorts best fits their body style and personal image,” the statement read.
The representative went on to say how the Hooter Girls were the company’s “most valuable asset.”
Pun intended? And that they remained committed to empowering women.
“”We’re excited to see a national trend toward self-expression and inclusivity that bodes well for our marketplace,” the statement continued.
The statement concluded by reiterating how the company considers the Hooter Girls to be their brand ambassadors and that they’ll do all they can to continue to foster a safe supportive working environment.