Is this restaurant's ban on stilettos, low-hanging pants, and plain white T-shirts racist?
The rules that are causing controversy. (Photo: Courtesy of Brittani Mechele)
A North Carolina sports bar is catching flak for insisting that patrons follow a strict dress code and set of behavioral guidelines. Also: No balloons.
As local affiliate CBS 17 reports, the newĀ Kickback JackāsĀ location in Durham, N.C., has sparked controversy by posting a sign informing the public of its ban on certain types of dress. The banned items include stiletto heels, backpacks and large bags, sleeveless undershirts, pants and shorts that hang below the waistline, plain white T-shirts and other oversized tops that fall past the thigh, and any attire ādeemed offensiveā by management. Patrons are also forbidden from modifying their clothing once theyāve entered the establishment.
The restaurant, which is located at a local mall, also comes down hard on ānegative attitudes [and] behaviorā and āoffensive language.ā Management also reserves the right to ban anyone at their discretion.
While the crackdown on foul language hasnāt raised much fuss, many locals are concerned that the restrictions on dress have racial connotations.
Brittani Mechele, whose photograph of the rule posting has gone viral, told Yahoo Lifestyle that the restaurant isĀ āin a predominantly African-American part of town.ā
āDurham is essentially a largely African-American/black town that is undergoing a sweeping amount of gentrification,ā she noted.Ā
Others worried that the rules were targeting its black clientele.
āThe first part sounded OK, but it just got, to me, more discriminatory,ā diner Laurie Washington told CBS 17.
āThatās typically younger African-American-type attire,ā she added.
āJust put a sign up that says āWHITES ONLYā [because] thatās exactly what it seems,ā a Facebook commenter responded of the policy.
āPretty much no black people,ā read another comment.
But others have defended the rules, noting that the restaurant is privately owned. Supporters say that the rules arenāt racially motivated but are simply designed to avoid unruliness.
āIn a family atmosphere other than just a sports bar, I think profanity should be restricted in any public place,ā customer John Baucom told CBS 17.
āThe way they wear their pants and exposing certain parts of skin or whatever, I think that should be a managerās discretion as far as [being] offensive to other people,ā he continued.
A Kickback Jackās representative told the news station that the rules apply to all of their locations, not just the one in Durham. In the meantime, some angry customers are posting their complaints about the policies on that locationās Facebook page.
People are posting comments about the dress code on the Facebook page for the Kickback Jackās in Durham, N.C. (Photo: Kickback Jackās via Facebook)
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Woman praises āheroā who stood up to fat-shaming seatmate calling her a āsmelly fattyā during flight
Men wearing makeup says bar denied him entry because āmen need to dress like menā
Female student suspended after protesting schoolās dress code crackdown on bra straps
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
