A friend of mine went out with some work colleagues one evening last week. They were to meet at a bar round the corner from the office for a drink before heading to a local restaurant for dinner, so that afternoon he'd quickly checked the bar's website to see if there was a dress code.
He was surprised to discover that not only did the bar request the usual no jeans, no trainers rule but they also operated a "face control policy". He was confused for a moment. What - it's their policy that everyone should have a face? Easily done, he thought - some people have two!
Apparently it goes a little deeper than that (dammit, I thought I was in there), with the bar reserving the right to turn anyone away that didn't fit their requirements, though, very charitably, they agreed to honour any previous bookings. Let's get this straight: if you turn up at their bar and they don't think you're pretty enough you can't come in, but if you book in advance you're good to go. What sort of weird logic is that?
When my friend told me about all this the next day I was horrified. I'm not much of a bar or club goer but it concerned me that it had all got so cliquey. It's one thing to ask people to wear shoes and formal clothes (though you won't catch me in those places) but judging people on facial beauty and turning them away if you disapprove? That's so many kinds of wrong. Worse, my friend told me he'd been worried one of his less-than-gorgeous female colleagues wouldn't get in and made a kerfuffle trying to persuade everyone to go somewhere else so she wouldn't be embarassed on the door. He was now worried she'd look at the website and realise why he was making such a fuss.
On the other hand, at least the bar in question are being upfront about it. I'm sure many more places operate a similar policy but hide it behind vague dress code requirements. Ultimately, bars and clubs are private establishments and it's down to owners to decide who they wish to enter. If you want to have the hot new place to see and be seen, implementing a beautiful-people-only rule makes sense, though if you want to make a decent profit perhaps it doesn't. Can we assume that rich, ugly men will always be welcome wherever they choose to go, though?
Have you ever been turned away from a bar, pub or club for fishy reasons? How did it make you feel? Do you agree with bars operating a "face policy"? And how do you feel about dress codes?
Image courtesy of james@mannequindisplay's Flickr stream.