HighlightsA 63-year-old woman was refused entry to a hotel due to her face tattoos.The Colley Hotel defended its policy as necessary for client safety.Facial tattoos must be covered unless they hold religious or cultural significance.Becky Holt, ‘Britain’s most tattooed woman,’ relates to the discrimination.
The 63-year-old woman toldNews.com.auon Wednesday (October 16): “The staff were looking at us — I am used to people looking at me and it doesn’t bother me.
“But when I asked for the menu [ …] Security was standing behind me and the manager said I was being refused entry because the owners have a policy against facialtattoos.”
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An Australian woman claimed she experienced the “humiliating” refusal to enter a popular waterside venue due to her face tattoos
Image credits:Salty Locs – Dreadlocks Adelaide
After struggling with alopecia, causing her to lose a significant amount of hair, Kerrie got a mandalatattooalong her hairline and a sea creature design on her neck for her 60th birthday.
Kerrie further recalled: “It was a bit of a shock to my character to be refused entry. I was gobsmacked.
“I wasn’t angry, I felt a bit humiliated. It was so unwarranted and unjustified. It’s not a reasonable cause.
“I dress well. I’m not troublesome. I am always respectful and I’m well-known in Glenelg. I was just really shocked.”
According to Kerrie, Colley Hotel’s policy is impossible to enforce, noting that some people have tattooed eyebrows, eyeliner, and lip liner.
A spokesperson for the venue subsequently told theAdvertiserthat pubgoers were allowed to have facial tattoos if they either covered them up or had religious or cultural significance.
They said: “We totally respect personal expression, tattoos – a lot of our staff have tattoos – and we embrace body art, especially body art that reflectscultural significance, individuality.
“We just ask that neck, face tattoos be covered along with anything that may be aggressive or explicit in the same way that some people might have colorful language on their knuckles.
“So our policy is in place to ensure that all of our guests, community members, and families feel safe.”
Image credits:thecolleyhotel
“No intimidating, aggressive, or offensive tattoos or clothing are permitted. Please note that persons with facial tattoos are not permitted to enter the ven.”
Kerrie slammed claims that her facial tattoos could be associated with “gang activity” as she wrote onFacebookon Monday (October 14): “ I’m well known in my community and not involved in anything that this Hotel has a problem with.”
She added: “It’s a very discriminating policy and excluding individuals that have collectively been placed in a stereotypical group.
“I have facial tattoos because I can and love them. They are neither aggressive nor offensive.
“Tired of stupidity in this world. Just ban specific persons, not specific groups, none of which I belong to, except that I have facialtattoos.”
According toBecky Holt, also known as “Britain’s most tattooed woman,”discrimination based on a person’s permanent body ink art isn’t uncommon.
She toldBored Pandaon Wednesday: “I have faced rejection and it’s not a nice feeling! Such a shame [Kerrie’s] had to deal with this too.”
Becky Holt, AKA “Britain’s most tattooed woman,” has since exclusively reacted to the incident
Image credits:becky_holt__
She recalled: “Me and my friend who has face tattoos were rejected from a restaurant. They tried to tell us they were full, which they very obviously weren’t.
“We just told them they were incredibly rude to judge us and said we didn’t want to spend our money there and went somewhere else.”
When asked how Becky would usually deal with such behavior, she revealed: “I always say, ‘I don’t care that you’re not tattooed so why do you care if I am?’
“People just need to stop being so judgemental because we’ve chosen to cover our bodies in artwork.
“It has no impact on anyone else lives so I don’t understand why these people care. Maybe these people should try having a tattoo themselves. Live a little.”
Beckyfurther shared: “It really is a shame that in this day in age, people are still judged for their appearance.
“Tattoos are an art form and a way we express ourselves as humans. It doesn’t make us dirty or badly behaved which is what I’m assuming these hotel owners must think.”
Bored Pandahas contacted Colley Hotel for comment.
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Renan Duarte
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