Door dwarf ad causes big stink

The Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square has been given short shrift by the ad watchdog after being slammed for running a recruitment ad for “door dwarfs” – to create a team of Britain’s smallest bouncers – in the London Metro.
The ad, which went on to state “We welcome applications from those under 4ft 10 inches”, sparked a single complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority that it was offensive to people of restricted growth.
In its defence, the Hippodrome Casino claimed the tradition of employing people with dwarfism began more than 100 years ago at the establishment and that the ad not only reflected that heritage but also offered employment to those who may have had difficulty finding work elsewhere. It said it had advertised for “door dwarfs” because that was exactly what it required and that the term “dwarf” was not considered offensive by people with dwarfism.
While the ASA said it understood that some individuals were likely to be offended, it noted the CAP Code did not prohibit the advertising of any (legal) employment opportunity.
However, it strongly objected to the use of alliteration in the term “door dwarfs” and the text made the position look like a novelty and therefore mocked people of restricted growth.
Ruling that the ad was likely to cause serious offence to people of restricted growth, the ASA banned it from running again. The regulator also told Hippodrome Casino to take care when advertising employment opportunities in the future.