Does Santa Monica Give a Hoot?

I would like to hear from readers--particularly women--about a little debate that’s been going on in Santa Monica, a town that has such a bond with women, it’s even named after one.

An actual debate was held Saturday morning at a Santa Monica restaurant, which is exactly what this entire situation is about--a Santa Monica restaurant.

To be specific, Hooters.

Hooters is a nationwide chain of casual dining establishments on the same order as a TGI Friday’s or a Planet Hollywood, with a couple of visible differences:

One is the name.

Neither of those other competitors, nor a Hard Rock Cafe or a Bennigan’s or any similar place I’m familiar with, bears the name of a popular (or unpopular) slang word for women’s body parts.

Then there are the servers.

Young women bring the food and beverages to the tables. Women only; no men. Attractive women in very tight, white T-shirts.

A situation that has Santa Monica residents and other people saying one of two things:

“That’s disgusting.”

Or, “So what?”

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When I first saw a notification for Saturday’s debate, I read that it was going to be sponsored by the Alliance for Survival and Hooters.

That confused me for a minute, until I realized that these were two separate organizations.

The L.A. Alliance for Survival is an activist group run by Jerry Rubin, 55, a Santa Monica resident who’s interested in causes like homelessness and the environment and discrimination, and who isn’t eager to be looked at as some kind of too-sensitive, too-PC kind of nut.

“ ‘Why are you protesting against Hooters?’ ” Rubin remembers people asking after the restaurant opened Feb. 24, when he stood outside carrying a handmade sign that read: BOYCOTT.

“ ‘What are you, some kind of prude? Some kind of Jerry Falwell?’

“Hey, I’m no prude,” Rubin says. “I’ve modeled nude for art classes at Santa Monica City College. I’ve gone to nude beaches. My wife can tell you I’ve got no hang-ups about this kind of thing in general. I just think what Hooters is doing is derogatory and exploitative and that this is about sexism and job discrimination.”

Back when it was first heard that Hooters was planning to open a place on Santa Monica Boulevard, a lively exchange developed among civic leaders, company reps and private citizens.

Rubin recalls one in particular--a city official pressing a co-owner of Hooters about the name. It went like this:

“What does Hooters mean?”

“Well, we have an owl as a mascot.”

“Is that what you intend it to mean?”

“Well, people can take it for whatever they want.”

It was at that point that Rubin himself spoke up, declaring to everyone in the room in graphic terms what Hooters was intended to mean.

Compared to some places, Hooters is pretty harmless. Almost wholesome, in fact. But before one could come to Santa Monica, Rubin says, he tried to initiate a dialogue between the community and the company, but was unsuccessful. He thinks folks need an explanation why people who wait on tables must be of the same sex and be young and voluptuous to boot.

“Say there’s a trained food server who needs a job really badly,” Rubin says. “Say she’s turned down simply because of her build. Have you ever heard anybody who goes to a restaurant ask, ‘Could I please have a more attractively breasted server?’ No, you just want to say, ‘Where’s our food?’ and ‘Have a nice day.’

“One of the Hooters owners says they go for a ‘cheerleader’ image. Hasn’t he heard they have men and women cheerleaders now? Everything about the restaurant’s image is outdated.

“They call their servers Hooter Girls. I’m sure they’re all very nice women. I know getting a job is hard. But it’s also hard for a lot of men and women who shouldn’t have to meet some specific physical standard just to serve food.”

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I was reminded of the years when an airline flight attendant needed to measure up to certain age and appearance qualifications. That shouldn’t have been the case, and it no longer is.

Rubin’s willing to hear both sides. For Saturday morning’s debate at the restaurant, Hooters’ advocates included restaurant manager Sunday Barbaros, a former Hooter Girl, while the anti-Hooters panel included Suzi Schroeder, an 18-year-old college student.

Here is how Rubin feels, and how he thinks more women should feel:

“They’ve got a day now called Mother Take Your Daughter to Work Day. What would some poor woman at Hooters have to do . . . tell her daughter, ‘Oh, honey, you’ve only got mini-hooters now, but if you grow bigger, you can work here someday, just like me’?”

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Mike Downey’s column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Write to him at Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles CA 90053. E-mail: mike.downey@latimes.com