Somewhere in Florida, a teen wishes that she could toss a pile of pixie dust in the air and make everything better. But she won't be able to do it dressed as Tinkerbell.
April Spielman, 15, was refused entry to an Orlando Walt Disney World theme park while wearing a Tinkerbell costume. Spielman was stopped by security guards at the front gate of the Animal Kingdom, WKMG reports.
Spielman said she wanted to wear the costume in order to make her boyfriend's first trip to the magical theme park truly special. The teenager explained to the local news outlet that she went through the crocodile pond in order to be able to please her significant other. Spielman reportedly spent two hours transforming her eyes with green eye shadow, and another 60 minutes emulating Tinkerbell's youthful "bun" hair style. The would-be Disney character also sprayed her entire body with glitter and painted her nails lime green to complete the effect.
But the costume violated Disney guest policy, which is available for public viewing on the company's website. Disney prohibits guests from wearing "adult costumes or clothing that can be viewed as representative of an actual Disney character." The ban on Disney dress-up is not in place for children under the age of 10, according to the unofficial website WDWInfo, which contains information for tourists planning their trips to the theme parks.
Disney has a long history of strict dress codes. Disney encourages its employees to maintain a "clean, natural, polished look" that eschews "cutting edge trends or extreme styles." It was only in June of 2010 that female employees were able to expose their arms and legs at work, with shorts and tank top-style shirts, the Orange County Register reported. The 2010 changes also allowed male workers to wear untucked shirts for the first time.
In February of 2012, the company again updated its clothing policy. Under its new rules, Disney allowed its male employees to grow beards, according to the Los Angeles Times.
But none of these changes helped Spielman, who was given a free t-shirt and "FastPass" tickets to skip ride lines as compensation for her troubles.
"It just broke my heart," the teen told WKMG, as tears rolled down on her face. Speaking more about the land that purports itself to be the place where dreams come true, Spielman lamented, "It ruined my dreams because I just wanted to be Tinkerbell."