A server on TikTok is yet another woman who has shared that wearing pigtails earned her more money in tips. Exotic dancers have posted on TikTok indicating that they’ve tried the trick, which has resulted in more gratuities, and a Texas Roadhouse Server went viral after stating that wearing the hairstyle at work earned them more money as well.
TikTok user Scarlett Green (@rescarded) writes in a text overlay of the viral video: “Why do you always wear pigtails when you bartend?” She lip-syncs her answer towards the end of the nine-second video: “Men are stupid and I don’t respect them.”
She further delineated her point in a caption for the video, writing: “because old men love some pigtails and a little country accent more than they should.” She also added the hashtags “#gross…#oldmenarecreepy” to the post.
It appeared that throngs of other TikTokers on the platform agreed and employed the same method themselves.
“Yess girl get it. Same hairstyle tonight at work,” user @browndogbackstitching wrote.
Another user named Monday wrote, “Pigtails and the word ‘y’all’ go a long way at the steakhouse I work at.”
“The way I make more than double the max tips when I wear pigtails with a pink lip,” J said.
“I explained my husband why all the servers on our local bar were wearing pig tails, he was like WHAAAT???” user Lily Marina said.
Although there were a lot of users who admitted to the undeniable gratuity-earning power of the pigtail, many also expressed their disdain for male customers who made comments about how much they enjoyed the hair style.
“Got told 3 times by the same old man at work today that he ‘juSt LoVeS piGtaiLs on GiRls,'” commenter Ashlee Fritzler said.
Some even said that the height of the pigtail could also have a dramatic effect on one’s tips, i.e. not all pigtails are created equal.
“Have you done the high pigtails? I feel like those would be even more effective lol,” a user suggested.
There were other TikTokers who offered up other tip-gripping hacks, like adding some flair to one’s hair.
“They also have a thing for bows. Always made more money with my bows,” user @PettyPotatoChip remarked.
The Washington Post wrote about this particular pigtail phenomenon, stating that there are numerous servers getting “creeped out” by this revelation. The article recounted the experience of 21-year-old Grace Velez, who said she earned $140 in tips in a single day after putting her hair into pigtails, whereas she usually receives anywhere from $40-$75.
Several other women who worked in the food service industry recounted similar results, and the article writes it’s because “creepy” men are intrigued by younger-looking girls, with some even purportedly flirting with female employees and asking if they’re still in high school.
The piece also included commentary from a Hooters waitress who said that servers at the franchise refrain from wearing pigtails as “it sexualizes little girls.”
The idea of “strategic flirting” isn’t uncommon in the workplace, and much has been written about the practice in a variety of different industries. Some, though, have argued there’s a difference between a woman choosing to flirt as a means of manipulating conversations to her own benefit or career improvement, as opposed to being told by her boss to be more winsome so male customers spend more money.