The design is dedicated to the Disney legend, Janet Wolek from Walt Disney World Creative Cosmetology Hair and Makeup Designer (1951-2014).
The theme is the most well known makeup designs and hair designs that Janet Wolek was given credit for significantly contributing all of the design to. These characters mostly were fx related; the examples I chose where Evil Queen, Mad Hatter, Maleficent located on the chest; whom Janet's designs were redesigned and used at the parks world wide from 1995-2018. On the stomach is Cruella Deville whom Janet's hair and makeup design was used at the parks world wide from 1995-2018. The left leg represents the Animal Kingdom Mickey's Jamming Jungle Parade; whom Janet designed all the makeup for in the parade. The right leg represents Liver Lips from the Country Bear Christmas Show; whom Janet redesigned his Elvis pompador in 1994.
The wig used in this body paint was designed and styled by Janet Wolek; and is one of the last of her designs still in existence. It was created in 2011 and has held up for 10 years. This is a testament to her skill and creativity. The mask that the model holds also was created by Janet Wolek and entered in a Walt Disney World cast member competition/challenge in 2007 made from a mask given as a children's activity at the Italian Pavillion at Epcot Center. Cast members were given a mask and asked to decorate it.
On the back of the model is a portrait of Janet Wolek and her Walt Disney World name tag. Janet Wolek was born in Syracuse, New York and was recruited for Walt Disney World Creative Cosmetology when Disney-MGM Studios opened in 1989 to work on the Dick Tracey Live Stage Show. She quickly migrated to Audio Animatronics hair and makeup at the Magic Kingdom in 1990 and worked at all three themeparks; before being promoted in 1995 to the Walt Disney World Creative Cosmetology Design Team. In this year is when the creative headquarters for Disney Parks & Resorts for hair and makeup moved it's home base from Disneyland in California to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Janet Wolek was hired as the Designer for Epcot Center and later added Animal Kingdom, Disney-MGM Studios Star Wars Weekends (during the prequel years), and Disney Cruise Line ships to her design responsibilities. During the period in the mid 2000s when Pixar began creating a majority of new Disney characters that where not human or required hair or makeup, the Creative Cosmetology Design team was downsize and Janet Wolek moved into a supervisor position and was quickly promoted into management; where she was the Department Head for Magic Kingdom Attractions; Parades, and Character Entertainment. It was during this period her work won an emmy for the Christmas Parade and her contributions to Santa Claus makeup design revolutionized the way makeup artists approach American Santa Claus makeup. Janet retired in 2009 after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Which she recovered from and lived until 2014. Only 2% of women with her form of lung cancer survive and go into remission. While Janet was a Creative Cosmetology Hair and Makeup Designer; the company awarded her the highest award a cast member can achieve; the prestigious Partners in Excellence Trophy. This award is now known as the Walt Disney Legacy award. She also received a letter of recognition by president Barack Obama for her service as a volunteer for local theatre and local hospitals in central Florida. By doing so, Janet earned the Bay Street Players in Eustis, FL thousands of dollars in grant money. At the time of Janet's retirement; the remodel of the Hall of Presidents attraction and the new President Barrack Obama were her final contributions to Walt Disney World Cosmetology and closed a 21 year career with the company. Her other record, is for the period of 2007-2009 the Wolek family made history while her son, Ron Wolek became department head of Disneyland Cosmetology in California and Janet Wolek managed the Walt DIsney World Magic Kingdom Cosmetology department at the same time. It would mean a lot to our family if while honoring the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World; you also posthumously award and credit Janet Wolek as the entry instead of Ron Wolek and recognize her contributions to Disney makeup history. Her achievements are worthy, because until Janet's talent and persistence paid off; women were not given opportunities and thought of as only hair dressers at the Walt Disney World makeup department and the Hollywood entertainment industry. Infact, untill Janet Wolek became a Creative Cosmetology Designer; Walt Disney World outsourced their special effects makeup to male artists in Orlando. Those artists and their sophanist prejudice felt the women in the cosmetology department were not makeup artists and continued to demean their skill. After Janet's groundbreaking achievements regarding Star Wars prosthetics and other characters; now Walt Disney World no longer hires male artists to do special effects makeup and relies on their existing team of talents cosmetologists. The creative cosmetology department at Walt Disney World is among the most talented and rarely acknowledged hair and makeup teams in the world of entertainment and one of the few predominantly female majority departments. Prior to recent history, makeup departments in the entertainment industry in America were predominantly male.
Thank you for choosing to pay tribute this year with a makeup competition dedicated to Walt Disney World.