# Catbert laughs in the background...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [February 18, 2005, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684 "2005-02-18T07:43:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/21 "2005-02-18T16:30:36Z")
What if one of the girls gets a boob job? I’m pretty sure they would accept that weight gain.
---
### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/22 "2005-02-18T16:33:40Z")
Let’s see, if she was 100 lbs she’d need 7 lbs of new boobs to go over the weight limit.
That’s a hell of a boob job.
If she’s of more average weight she’d need more like 10 lbs of new boobs - again, that’s one hell of a boob job. She wouldn’t need a tray - she could just set the drinks on her tits and carry them around that way.
---
### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/23 "2005-02-18T17:11:36Z")
> [@XJETGIRLX](#):
>
> The policy seems to be as flexible and understanding as possible. Exceptions are made for pregnancy and medical conditions, and even if you do gain weight you’re not fired outright - you’re given a paid leave for 90 days and a chance to lose the weight. Seems pretty fair to me.
Quick correction: according to the linked article, it is an _un_paid leave.
The article doesn’t make clear whether the 90-day suspension is a fixed length. Conceivably, the casino could be requiring that the employee stay out for the entire 90 days, to demonstrate that any compliance-related weight loss remains relatively permanent. Or they could be letting the employee go for weekly weigh-ins. Either way, asking an individual to skip one or more regular paydays, in today’s economy, seems pretty tantamount to a firing.
Any Jersey Dopers know if an employee on unpaid suspension is eligible to collect unemployment benefits?
---
### Author:  [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/24 "2005-02-18T18:17:32Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> Quick correction: according to the linked article, it is an _un_paid leave.
Hrm, guess I misread that. Well that sucks totally then. I still don’t disagree the company has a right to demand a certain ‘image’ from its staff though. I personally would never apply for a job like this, but if I did I would understand management’s point of view. I’ve held jobs where a portion of my getting the job was based on my ‘image’, although this image was not the same as in the article above. I think it’s fair to give the employees a period of time to comply with the standard, but I also think it would be decent of them to pay them during this time.
---
### Author:  [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/25 "2005-02-18T18:24:02Z")
> [@Broomstick](#):
>
> Let’s see, if she was 100 lbs she’d need 7 lbs of new boobs to go over the weight limit.
>
> That’s a hell of a boob job.
What if they used sand instead of silicone? What’s the volume of 7 pounds of sand?
---
### Author:  [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/26 "2005-02-18T18:28:59Z")
> [@Shade](#):
>
> Can you hire a porn actor based on looks? Yes.
> Can you hire a nurse based on looks? No.
Says who? As long as the “looks” in question aren’t related to the nurse’s race, color, religion, national origin or sex, someone wishing to employ a nurse may put whatever looks restriction on the employee s/he wants AFAIK. I’m not aware of any US jurisdiction that has made “lookist” discrimination in employment illegal, but if you can provide a cite I’m happy to be enlightened.
---
### Author:  [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/27 "2005-02-18T18:38:24Z")
> [@Shade](#):
>
> Can you hire a porn actor based on looks? Yes.
> Can you hire a nurse based on looks? No.
>
> You might not like these. I wish I could be hired as a porn actress, but unfortunately I’m male, and not spectacularly good looking. But I think you have to accept them.
>
> But in the middle ground, there’s doubt. A wrestler? A secretary? A shop assistant? A hooter’s waitress? A cocktail ‘babe’? An actor? Hence the ruckus.
>
> BTW requiring _under_ a decent weight is (a) stupid and (b) pit-worthy.
Have you SEEN Ron Jeremy? I don’t think men in the porn industry are required to be as good-looking as their female counterparts.
I can see both sides of this argument, but I don’t really agree with the casino. If a 6’ tall woman was worried about losing her job for weighing 138 lbs, I think there’s somthing wrong. I understand it may be based on the 7% rule, but as many Dopers have already pointed out, that’s a silly stick to use for measuring. On the other hand, letting the women use the facilities and paying for their weight management services IF they gain a little extra weight is actually kinda nice.
---
### Author:  [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/28 "2005-02-18T18:58:27Z")
I don’t have a problem with this policy per se, but it needs tweaking.
Firemen have to meet physical requirements. So do cops.
These girls are hired for their T&A, not their sparkling conversation skills or their Master’s Degrees. They are being paid to look pretty, smile, and not talk back to sleazy drunk businessmen.
The sad truth is that guys want their cocktail waitresses smokin’ hot, and in our society that means thin and pretty. It sucks, it’s not “fair,” but that’s just the way it is. Casinos know this and hire accordingly. If overnight the national standard of beauty changed to 5’2" 250 pound redheads, that’s who they’d hire.
Let’s take a 130 pound woman as an example. Maybe 7% is unreasonable, or maybe they could take into consideration a number of factors before deciding to fire someone. If she looks BETTER having gained 9 lbs, I don’t see why she should be fired. What if she’s really tall? (Certainly this 6 foot waitress is being shafted, no doubt.) What if she’s been hitting the gym a lot and has, over the course of a year or so, put on a good amount of muscle? Add that muscle gain to the water weight gain that most women get around their period and suddenly you’re over the weight limit. There are a lot of ways in which a 7% weight gain would be a positive thing not just for her health but appearance wise, too.
But yes, I can see why the casino is setting _some_ kind of standard. As long as casino patrons want sweet young things serving their cocktails, it’s in their best interests to provide them.
I do give them credit for at least trying to help their employees lose the weight. A free weight loss program and unlimited access to the spa is nothing to sneeze at, nor is a 3 month period of time to lose the weight, even if it’s unpaid. (It’s not like these girls can’t get a job at another cocktail lounge in the meantime.)
---
### Author:  [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/29 "2005-02-18T19:14:49Z")
The big problem with the 7% policy is that a person’s weight can fluctuate by up to 5% over the course of a day without affecting their appearance at all. I seriously doubt that they’re accounting for that.
---
### Author:  [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/30 "2005-02-18T19:48:39Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#):
>
> The big problem with the 7% policy is that a person’s weight can fluctuate by up to 5% over the course of a day without affecting their appearance at all.
Woah, no way. A pound or two, maybe, but a whole 5%? So you’re saying for a 100 lb person, their weight could vary up to 5 whole pounds based on what they ate, if they’re retaining water, etc? I can see a pound or two but a whole 5%?
---
### Author:  [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/31 "2005-02-18T19:50:31Z")
> [@XJETGIRLX](#):
>
> Woah, no way. A pound or two, maybe, but a whole 5%? So you’re saying for a 100 lb person, their weight could vary up to 5 whole pounds based on what they ate, if they’re retaining water, etc? I can see a pound or two but a whole 5%?
Tomorrow, weigh yourself first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening. You probably won’t see a 5% change, but 2-3% is fairly likely.
---
### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/32 "2005-02-18T20:19:36Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#):
>
> The big problem with the 7% policy is that a person’s weight can fluctuate by up to 5% over the course of a day without affecting their appearance at all. I seriously doubt that they’re accounting for that.
You’re shitting me.
That would be a 10 lbs weight change in _one day_ for me… I can see a pound or two, but no way 10 lbs.
---
### Author:  [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/33 "2005-02-18T20:45:33Z")
Unless I misread the article, the woman quit _in advance of_ being fired because she was afraid her weight would become an issue. That sounds like a stunt to me, not serious concern for her career.
Is there any evidence this is being done capriciously? Are women being fired for being too fat when - in actuality - they’re healthy and look good? How many people have violated their own business’s policies? Hell, I do it _daily_ and no one gives a crap. I don’t understand why y’all are so concerned about the policy being applied to women who are healthy and look sexy, because the managers of the casino aren’t about to fire employees who look good. It’s not like the rule is being enforced by robots or something - freaking out over the policy being too strict is really unnecessary.
---
### Author:  [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/34 "2005-02-18T20:52:24Z")
I’ve varied up to 7 in a single day. I’m 204 as of this morning, for the record.
---
### Author:  [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2005, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/35 "2005-02-19T00:15:31Z")
> [@Broomstick](#):
>
> You’re shitting me.
>
> That would be a 10 lbs weight change in _one day_ for me… I can see a pound or two, but no way 10 lbs.
It is a lot but not out of the question. I would drop 5-6 pounds during 2 hours of wrestling practice when I weighed 145 at the start. You do that and skip dinner you are easily down 6-7 pounds for the day which is close to the 5% figure.
---
### Author:  [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/36 "2005-02-19T01:09:16Z")
> [@Broomstick](#):
>
> That would be a 10 lbs weight change in _one day_ for me… I can see a pound or two, but no way 10 lbs.
According to NASA, the typical human eats and drinks 13 pounds of stuff a day, 3/4ths of it water. S/he also excretes/urinates/exhales/sweats about the same amount. So, depending on when you weigh yourself, a 10-pound drop in a day is not impossible.
_Keeping_ it off, on the other hand…
---
### Author:  [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/37 "2005-02-19T03:23:43Z")
The only thing I can add to this thread is that i’m sure if someone was underweight they could find a doctor to recommend that they gain weight…thus a medical reason for weight gain and a way to keep working.
---
### Author:  [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2005, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/38 "2005-02-19T05:22:16Z")
> [@rjung](#):
>
> According to NASA, the typical human eats and drinks 13 pounds of stuff a day, 3/4ths of it water. S/he also excretes/urinates/exhales/sweats about the same amount. So, depending on when you weigh yourself, a 10-pound drop in a day is not impossible.
>
> _Keeping_ it off, on the other hand…
Ahh, so you’re on the Hacker’s Diet?
Great book. I plan to implement it one of these years.
---
### Author:  [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2005, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/39 "2005-02-19T07:33:05Z")
> [@Excalibre](#):
>
> Ahh, so you’re on the Hacker’s Diet?
Trended weight down 10.6 lbs. after five weeks. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684/40 "2005-02-20T13:40:27Z")
> [@otto](#):
>
> Says who? As long as the “looks” in question aren’t related to the nurse’s race, color, religion, national origin or sex, someone wishing to employ a nurse may put whatever looks restriction on the employee s/he wants AFAIK. I’m not aware of any US jurisdiction that has made “lookist” discrimination in employment illegal, but if you can provide a cite I’m happy to be enlightened.
I’m sorry. I meant that “most people would consider it stupid and reprehensible and it probably should be illegal”, I didn’t know if it was specifically illegal. Sorry, I should have said that.
> [@Jaade](#):
>
> Have you SEEN Ron Jeremy? I don’t think men in the porn industry are required to be as good-looking as their female counterparts.
I was reflecting I stood no chance as a porn actRESS 🙂
> [@](#):
>
> I can see both sides of this argument, but I don’t really agree with the casino. If a 6’ tall woman was worried about losing her job for weighing 138 lbs, I think there’s somthing wrong. I understand it may be based on the 7% rule, but as many Dopers have already pointed out, that’s a silly stick to use for measuring. On the other hand, letting the women use the facilities and paying for their weight management services IF they gain a little extra weight is actually kinda nice.
I was meaning that right or wrong it seems inevitable that they are hired on their looks, which some people seemed to disagree with. I’m not sure about the specific poilcy, that could easily be stupid.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684.md?page=1)
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catbert-laughs-in-the-background/290684.md?page=3)