Ghetto Superstar?

Poor, poor Melody Morales, the 21 year-old former Hooters girl, could not get a job at the more upscale Hawaiian Tropic Zone near Time Sq. She was told by managers that she was ghetto and didn't speak white. I must say that being a waitress there pays very well. The annual salary for a scantily-clad waitress is $130,000. I agree that she has a great body. She chose to apply at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone, because the Hooters uniform was too restrictive for her. She was so upset with the interview process that she is suing for defamation of character.

I am not so heartless that I would condone such pejorative comments. The managers could have expressed themselves in a more respectful manner, but as incendiary as the some of comments may appear, the underlying concerns are quite clear. Ms. Morales may have the body for this job, but she does not possess the verbal acuity needed when interacting with customers. She is Hispanic, mainly half Puerto Rican and half Dominican. Her accent and verbal skills are the issue. I should also note that the Hawaiian Tropic Zone does employ Hispanics and Latinos. Even though, the Hawaiian Tropic Zone is an equal opportunity employer and cannot discriminate based on race, color or creed, they can heavily scrutinize whom they choose based on appearance. She kept repeating how beautiful her body was, instead of acknowledging that personality and verbal skills are an important factor in this position.

The managers were wrong in how they responded to her, but the underlying concerns are appropriate and Ms. Morales needs to understand that some positions require a certain level of refinement, not just a nice body. I expect that she will lose the lawsuit. She'll have to prove that words truly wound.