DO as I SAY NOT as I DO

From the perspective of an extremely stubborn and confident woman in the food service industry:

Yes yes yes, every waitress knows how TOTALLY annoying male customers can be no matter what kind of service industry you are employed in. I (anonymously) would like to proudly say that I am a Hooter's Girl. 

Due to the fact that I am a college student and involved in many Women's Studies course, there are a range of feminists and within that range, somehow, jobs such as mine always seem to be brought up. Yes I get that I am perpetuation the stereotype. Yes I get that I am objectifying myself. However, on one hand, why can't I use it to my advantage? Before they turn around, I will have used their money to pay off my loans and be ahead of them in more than one aspect. 

That being said, sometimes it is overwhelmingly tiring. I do have a personal gift to befriend the customers by not giving them the chance to be objectifying. However, sometimes their other head takes over for the one on top of their shoulders. It was not until later that I learned that other people suffered this same tired feeling, and it's actually called something. 

Emotional Labor.

Emotional Labor is a very real, very annoying thing especially as a waitress in a more entertaining environment. 

I have come up to customers to deliver, let's say, a beer and constantly gotten complaints that their waitress wouldn't "sit and talk to them". But we all know in Texas Road House you just want your waitress to just go away instead of asking if you want your half full raspberry tea refilled. However, we don't get a pay check for this...only tips. The image Hooter's wants to give off of fun-going happy women has to be expected but not paid for?

This really stuck out to me the more I stuck with the company and I get too aggravated to clearly type out how real this is. I've had managers not schedule girls on bar shifts because they don't smile enough. Basically now because she wasn't doing something she didn't get paid for in the first place, now she actually has less income. Are you frustrated yet?

Don't get me wrong, I have gotten so many unexpected opportunities from this job and more real friends that I could ever ask for. I've written professional proposals to Corporations for managers, hosted meetings with fellow head staff, learned leadership skills that evoke efficient and happy work environments where everyone feels heard and important. 

But let me ask you this, when was the last time you heard or told a male waiter that he should smile more? Is smiling now designated as feminine? And if my $2.35 that I get paid as a waitress is for delivered the food to the table, where's the pay for my face muscles and flirtatious giggling?

Bullshit.