Casino waitresses agitate over high heels policies

Angie Wagner

Monday, June 18, 2001 | 10:41 a.m.

High heels and cocktail waitresses go together like neon and buffets in this gambling city, but a group of women wants Nevada to give the casino tradition the boot.

"Sex sells," said Charlotte Arrowsmith, a cocktail server for 32 years. "High heel shoes are for the visual purpose of pleasing men."

While they might be easy on the eyes, Arrowsmith, 54, and other cocktail servers say years of wearing heels have turned their feet into anything but sexy. They complain of bunions, corns and bone spurs.

About 50 cocktail servers and supporters rallied Friday in front of the Venetian hotel-casino to protest the failure of state legislation that would have forced casinos to let waitresses with medical conditions wear different shoes.

Carrying signs reading "Kiss My Foot" and "Dangerous Not Sexy," the protesters quietly picketed on the sidewalk and handed out leaflets to passers-by.

"It's an exploitation of women," Arrowsmith said, explaining that the Venetian was chosen for its high visibility on the Las Vegas Strip.

Under Senate Bill 23 sponsored by Sen. Maggie Carlton, a waitress at a Las Vegas casino cafe, casinos could have been fined $5,000 for not letting a cocktail server wear different shoes if she had a doctor's note saying she should not wear heels.

The legislation never made it out of a committee, but rally organizers say they're not giving up. The servers' statewide Kiss My Foot campaign aims to make wearing high heels a choice.

Most casinos require a 1-inch or 2-inch heel, although some allow flat shoes.

"If somebody wants to wear it, fine, great," Mary Cunningham, 46, and a cocktail server for 22 years, said Friday. "But you shouldn't be made to wear it if your doctor says this is crippling."

Cocktail servers in high heels have been synonymous with Las Vegas for decades, and casinos admit it's part of the image they want to portray. But Arrowsmith and Cunningham, who both suffer from foot ailments, say high heels are fine for younger cocktail servers, but problems will begin as servers get older.

Casinos question why legislation is needed to force casinos to make exceptions for servers with medical conditions.

"I think the overwhelming majority of employers understand when medical needs call for it, that some policies need to be relaxed," said Alan Feldman, spokesman for MGM MIRAGE.

Arrowsmith and Cunningham say that's not exactly true. They say they know women who have had to quit their jobs because casinos wouldn't budge on the high heels policy.

"I don't believe the average customer even looks at my feet," Cunningham said.