I’ve been to Hooters once in my life. I walked into the restaurant and instantly asked myself why I was supporting an establishment that promoted and supported sexualizing women.

I find it funny that when most people think of Hooters the first thing that comes to mind isn’t even the food; it’s the waitresses. I’m sure that this is the case for many others as well. They have branded themselves with, again, sexualizing women. 

If you’ve never been to Hooters and are unsure of what the uniforms consist of, it’s pretty much just tight-fitting tops, and very short bright orange spandex shorts. 

It can be assumed that the reason for these super shorts is that they are meant to appeal to or attract the male eye. 

Hooters has been known to discriminate against larger women. This can be seen by the type of women that they hire. They all have similar, slim body types. 

According to thebalancesmb.com, a 132-pound waitress at a Hooters in Michigan was fired because her body type did not fit the “appearance standards of a Hooters girl.”

So while they’re sexualizing one group of women with a consistent body type, they are simultaneously discriminating against another group of women that isn’t “society’s ideal.” 

Not only is there a bias towards women who are not the ideal body type, but Hooters also refuses to hire a whole gender for their waitresses. There are no male waiters at this restaurant. 

Fox News reported that Texan Nikolai Grushevski filed a complaint against Hooters for refusing to hire him as a waiter simply because the position was only to be filled by women.

It’s crazy that we continue to eat at a place that disregards an entire gender as well as weight class. In this day and age, we need more inclusivity.

So, the question that we must ask ourselves here is: is it morally right to eat at Hooters?  

The answer is clear: no.

The reason Hooters is as popular as it is is because of how they’ve marketed and branded themselves; with their waitresses. This is a problem on society’s part, the staff’s part, as well as, of course, Hooters’ part. 

It’s important to acknowledge that it is the women’s choice to work there. The restaurant is infamous for the workers’ attire, so the women already know what they’re getting into when they apply. However, regardless of that, Hooters is still promoting the objectification of women.

They are pushing an agenda that we have been trying to erase for so long: the idea that women are merely here for others’ pleasure and to gaze upon.

You might think to yourself that the tasteless outfits are simply meant for you to celebrate and appreciate the women figure, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

The outfits are also getting progressively worse. Recently, a TikTok from a Hooters waitress blew up. In the video, she was showing the new bottoms, and they are practically underwear. The worker was not happy with the updated uniform.

The toxic establishment is exploiting femininity. In a time when the feminist movement is at its prime, you begin to wonder why things like this aren’t pointed out, and why Hooters hasn’t changed its ways.

To be blunt, Hooters is incredibly overrated. Why are we eating at a place where the quality of food is not very good and they dehumanize women?

There is no reason why they should still be in business. Think about it, when have you ever heard someone say “Hooters is my favorite restaurant”?

If you’ve ever been to Rainforest Cafe, you know that they have all kinds of animatronics to entertain their guests. That is quite literally equivalent to the waitresses at the disreputable establishment; they are merely there for entertainment. 

This reinforces the objectification of women, and the restaurant is basically selling sex while they’re selling food. 

Also, why is it considered to be a “family restaurant?” People bring their entire families, including their children to dine at Hooters. 

There’s a line at the things that people should be exposed to depending on their age. There should at least be an age limit on the people who can go there.

As a society, we need to take a step back and re-evaluate the businesses and ideas that we are supporting.