First of all, I’d like to contend that I have nothing against the Hooters Corporation as a whole. I believe that with proper security and management, Hooters can be empowering for the girls who work there. I have always been a positive representative of Hooters, promoting the brand as a Social Media Ambassador on Facebook and even making my own HootersGirlsOfKnoxville Instagram page on my own time without pay.
(This picture has been removed because a Hooters Girl was deeply offended by her photo being visible in the screenshot even though she submitted it to my public Instagram page… 🙄 The same girl who was upset that I reported a manager physically abusing a girl to Human Resources and got him fired. Figures. More on that later.)
However- when plagued with unprofessional, inconsiderate, and both verbally and physically abusive managers, Hooters can quickly become a living hell for its employees.
It has already been scientifically established that “breastaurants” such as Hooters and Twin Peaks May be psychologically damaging to the women who work there. The study, conducted by UTK grads Dawn Szymanski and Renee Mikorski finds that “female servers in these types of restaurants … because they feature scantily clad servers—felt that they had less power and control at work.” Female servers who participated in the study expressed feelings of sadness, anxiety, degradation, confusion, and guilt. The link to this study is provided below.
That being said, I believe that some of the managers at my previous Hooters location preyed on that pre-existing female insecurity. They did things that they knew were wrong. They mistreated and disrespected their hardworking female employees. They certainly underestimated my self respect and determination.
Now that I no longer work for Hooters, I’m willing to share the stories and situations that I’ve witnessed there that should not be overlooked. I refuse to just walk away and allow anyone disrespect the girls who still work there and will work there in the future. Hooters of Merchants Drive is not properly representing the ideals of the Corporation.
There is a lot to put together and type out, so bear with me. I’ll be posting the details of several situations in increments.
In the meantime, follow my new blog to get updates when I post something new! I love to write and I’ve decided this will be my new journalistic/creative outlet.
Thank you,
Jada Lea 💘
Link to UTK Study: https://news.utk.edu/2017/07/18/study-working-breastaurants-damaging-womens-mental-health/
Jada Lea 
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