Ladies Night: Make Sure You’re Dressed Right

All my life I thought being a lady equated to having manners and dressing appropriately, the same applies to being a gentleman. According to some bars and clubs though, being a lady means wearing high heels and a dress otherwise I’m not allowed in their establishment. Gentleman on the other hand can wear whatever they want and walk on in, proving despite it being 2017 there’s still a double standard.

To give some context to the situation, the other night my friend and I were heading out to a bar where it happened to be ladies night. Upon arrival we were refused entry because we weren’t wearing heels or dresses. Their dress code stated that for the sake of the promotion we didn’t fit the part. As we sat on the bench while we watched woman after woman be turned away, we noticed man after man gained entry. No one stopped them to say they didn’t fit the dress code presumably because having a dress code for men would be preposterous. To further add insult to injury had I been male or had my outfit been adorned by a man my entrance into the bar wouldn’t have been prohibited.

Now, I don’t know if the people who create these dress codes have ever worn heels or a dress, but having spent many a night dancing in heels let me tell you it’s not easy and you don’t just feel it the next day, it’s instantaneous. Additionally, most people bar hop meaning that on top of dancing they’re moving from bar to bar. In favor of protecting my feet and some “unintentional” grabbing when I’m in a dress sometimes I prefer to go the more casual route. Or I guess in this case what a gentleman can get away with wearing.

To be fair, I understand that some establishments have long standing dress codes. I respect those on a certain level, a benign one, but I get you want your joint to look classy. Nevertheless, much like the ridiculous dress codes schools have, the requirements for girls at these places is more restricting than that of guys. While gentleman are asked to look respectful, ladies are given a specific set of requirements that sometimes includes the type of heel they can wear to the length of their dress.

If a place tells me I need to look “nice” before being allow entry than I’ll look nice, but I can’t guarantee that heels or a dress will be a part of the equation.

Not only is this ridiculous in the fact that women must look a certain way, it’s insulting and sexist to think that all women own stereotypical females clothes. All this isn’t including the cost of the outfits. Although the club in question was doing a promotion it doesn’t excuse places who enforce these rules all the time. Having a dress code is one matter, whereas having one that enforces sexist stereotypes is another.

The next time I am not allowed in a club or get ridiculed for taking my heels off to walk home, further risking the well-being of my feet because some dress code required I’d wear heels all I’m going do is hand them over and insist they take a walk in my shoes.