Hooters and the EEOC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hooters and the EEOC - Essay Example As found in Leonard, Steenberg, Howard and Mullins (1998), according to Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, "in those certain instances wheresexis a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ) reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business" (p. C-663) a company or entity's decision to hire based upon gender is not illegal or discriminatory. The EEOC has specific criteria within which these exceptions must fall, ironically one of the examples they listed was a Playboy Bunny. This brought to mind one questionWhat's the difference between a Playboy Bunny and a Hooter Girl The answer is simple; other than the tail and ears - nothing. Both are selling an image - that is their primary focus; food and drink, in both cases, is secondary. Perhaps the main problem was, Hooters attempted to hide behind the guise of a 'family oriented restaurant'. Several court cases defining the scope of BFOQ establish precedent for upholding Hooters right to require their front line staff to be female. In the case of St. Cross v Playboy Club, CFS 22618-70 the court held that "in jobs where sex or vicarious sexual recreation is the primary service providedbeing female was deemed a BFOQ" (Leonard et al, 1998, p. C-664). As previously discussed there is no distinction here.