I’m the first openly transgender Hooters girl – my coworkers were totally shocked
A groundbreaking waitress becomes the first-ever openly transgender woman to work as a Hooters girl.
Erica Carosella says she was laughed at for dreaming of working there, but she’s proven her haters wrong.
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When Erica came out as transgender at age 14, her Hooters ambitions were rejected by her teachers.
“My two teachers laughed and were like, ‘Yeah, like that’s going to happen,’ or something like that,” said the Oxford, Pennsylvania, resident.
“When I graduated, I wanted so badly to prove them wrong.
Determined to defeat her doubters, she landed the role five years later, at the age of 19.
But at first she kept her sexuality a secret, insisting it had “nothing to do” with her work.
“The reason I initially decided to sign up for Hooters was because I remember in high school I told some classmates that I wanted to be a Hooters girl,” the now 23-year-old said.
“And before you know it, I’ll be the first transgender Hooters girl.
“It wasn’t even a goal for me, I just wanted to let people know that I could do it and that I could do it well.”
She decided to keep her true identity a secret from the vast majority, as she believed she still met the requirements to wear the iconic orange shorts and white tank top.
“I didn’t feel the need to tell the company I was transgender because I’m a woman, and it had nothing to do with my work ethic or ability to do my job,” she said.
“I was already far along in my transition, my documents like my driver’s license and birth certificate.
“Everything reflected me as Erica and a woman.
“Everything they hired me for, like my experience, my work ethic, my appearance, matched what they wanted at that time.
“I checked off every item on the list, but none of it had to do with the fact that I am transgender.”
THE TRUTH COMES TO LIGHT
During her time at the popular restaurant chain, Erica shared her secret with her closest colleagues, who were astonished.
She is very happy with her job and receives many positive responses from her regular customers.
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But she admitted that clients sometimes crossed the line with inappropriate touching.
Erica decided to reveal her secret on TikTok when her Hooters store was temporarily closed.
There she claimed to be the first openly transgender woman.
NO MORE JOB
Before her big reveal, Erica said her job was safe once the branch reopened.
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But when the doors finally opened again, the radio remained silent, while her colleagues were welcomed with open arms.
“My manager always thanked me for my hard work,” she said.
“I kept looking good and the customers loved me, so I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t hire me again, but you can guess.
“I tipped at every table. The only time I got ripped off was when a girl paid and thought I was flirting with her boyfriend, which trust me, would never happen.”
Erica did not give up and went to the restaurant in person, but there she was told that she had to register again.
Caters News has reached out to Hooters for comment but has not yet received a formal statement.
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