Up until 2001, Disney employees used to share underwear. That is a correct statement, as disgusting as it sounds, but there is far more to it than meets the eye. Sure, the dress code does sound extremely strict, and by all accounts it is, but the definition of underwear is not when it comes to this policy is really rather loose.
We’re all familiar with the need for uniforms. They identify a workers employer, and occasionally their occupation. Nurses, police, utility workers and military personnel are among the most easily recognizable workers to don a uniform for their work. Disney employees too have uniforms, and they are among the strictest that you will find. They are so strict in fact, that until 2001, Disney employees shared underwear. But why? It’s not exactly a piece of clothing that you can see, or is it?
According to reports, the reason that Disney employees had to share underwear was due to the fact that the underwear owned by employees had a tendency to bunch up under the external clothing, ruining the required look. The provided underwear wouldn’t do this as it was specially designed. Plus, it was laundered by the company every day, so they weren’t exactly wearing a dirty item of clothing. But as we’ve already said, even though this sounds disgusting, the terminology of underwear is a loose one.
The policy itself was directed towards undergarments. Those are the pieces of clothing that you wear under clothing, and possibly over standard underwear. There was no policy banning standard underwear. Employees could wear any or no item of clothing over their delicate areas.The policy was designed to not only maintain the look of the external costume, but to also retain the cleanliness of it too. As you could imagine, some employees would not bother wearing standard underwear, exposing the corporate provided undergarments to their private parts. It would also possibly expose the costume to sweat and other “things” that we find less than desirable.
