Food service uniforms and the symbolism(s) of wearing a mask

Abstract

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, ‘essential workers’ in the United States – including nurses, delivery drivers, grocery clerks and waitresses – bore the brunt of extreme scepticism over public health measures such as lockdowns and wearing facemasks. Conflicting messages from the president, the Centers for Disease Control and state and local governments turned mask mandates into political battles. Some businesses chose to require masks for employees and/or customers, but others refused to allow them as part of the uniform. This article focuses on a specific category of employees – food service workers, typically women and people of colour – in order to highlight how employers made decisions about masking early in the pandemic and how individual workers were affected by the turmoil. In the United States, employers have tremendous power to decide how employees are (and are not) allowed to dress. For many businesses, uniforms are part of the company’s brand identity. When employees at Starbucks wear their iconic green aprons with the Starbucks logo, they embody the company in their interactions with customers; changes can be made, but they happen more slowly than changes in mainstream fashion. Testimony at public hearings on mask mandates has revealed deep concerns about religious freedom, government intrusion, scientific knowledge and the cost of medical care (since the United States does not have universal healthcare). When businesses decide whether masks should be required, allowed or forbidden as part of the dress code, it is not just a public health decision but a branding decision with short-term and long-term consequences. Even before the pandemic, face coverings were largely associated with criminals, political activists (such as Occupy and Antifa) and ultra-conservative Muslims.