Plus-Sized Student Accuses Bar of Size Discrimination, Does She Have a Case?
A 21-year old student at the University of Iowa is accusing the local hangout, Union Bar, of size discrimination because its staff berated her for her weight and forbid her from dancing on a table/stage with the rest of her thinner friends.
When she asked the security guards why they wouldn’t allow her onto the platform after her friends and others had been permitted, Ramos said they told her it was because she “was not pretty enough” and because she was “obviously pregnant.”
Ramos said the experience left her embarrassed and angry. She said she has heard from other people who’ve had similar experiences and is considering filing a complaint with the Iowa City Human Rights Commission.
“It made me start questioning myself and thinking, ‘Are my friends so much better than me?’ I know they’re thinner, but those bouncers made them seem more valuable,” she said.
Anyone with a bit of empathy and awareness of how the world works when it comes to the way society values women’s bodies probably sees where Ramos is coming from. There are many establishments that treat anyone considered unattractive like trash, all over the country, and they do it every day. She should be upset, and even if her being treated poorly because of her weight isn’t particularly surprising, it’s got to sting and is certainly unfair.
But I do have to wonder how the story of a college girl who wants to fight for her constitutional right to dance on tables made it out of Iowa City to national news outlets. Ramos did move forward with her Human Rights Commission complaint, a process that has fallen flat since the group informed her that there is no size discrimination law in the state of Iowa. She has organized a rally in front of the bar to draw attention to the poor treatment even though the bar’s owner insists that he would never want anyone treated that way in his establishment. She is doing the right thing.
However, is her case the one that will change weight discrimination laws?
No words for this …
Ok I am for weight discrimination laws. In regards to this particular incident we are talking a night club. Where individuals go to pick up hot guys and girls. Egos are made at clubs. Looks matter here, why do think its called the meat market? Don’t go to clubs if you don’t want to be judged based on looks.
I don’t go to clubs because it’s a freaking competition…it’s like being in the lion’s den and people act like uncaged animals who are in heat, i just hate it. It’s not even close to real life to me. Lounges and bars…it just depends on the crowd. Some crowds are just so focused on wowing everyone and looking good. Nah son.
also “Are my friends so much better than me?’ I know they’re thinner, but those bouncers made them seem more valuable,” she said.”
This is the reality of being a female in our world. Your immediate worth is based on your looks…it’s incredibly heightened in the club/bar scene.. BUT i’m happy she’s fighting this….She doesn’t see herself as less than and either way SHOULD NOT be treated as less than.
If people don’t want to look at her dancing because they think she’s unnattractive then DON’T LOOK. But to deny her the right to even have a chance to dance and allow her other friends is stupid. I don’t know if she has a case but I wish her luck.
I honestly don’t think that she will be successful in her pursuit. People are still going to visit the establishment. I would assert that it may have also been a safety issue and the owner would not want that kind of liability. I know that individuals who are considered overweight are routinely discriminated against. I would support her if I felt she was fighting for something to advance the cause of those who are genuinely facing an injustice (i.e. denied employment or service because of her weight)
Her feelings were hurt because she was not allowed to dance on a table! In life we are not going be appeal to everyone. Someone is always going to be better or prettier but it’s how we handle the rejection that shows who we truly are. If she truly is overweight, she could use it as a teaching moment to develop the motivation to become healthier (she could write a book about how being rejected motivated her to adopt a healthier lifestyle). If she is not overweight and is happy with her weight, then she should not let the encounter change her perception of herself and she should go to another establish that will allow her to dance on their tables. Just my opinion.
Ditto.
It just seems a little silly to make such a fuss over not being allowed to dance on a table. Yes, it was rude that the security guards made inappropriate statements about her weight (and they should be reprimanded for that), but her case just makes a mockery out of true discrimination. Perhaps she should talk to people who were actually denied “opportunities” such as getting hired for a job, being able to move into a “good” neighborhood, and being able to send their children to decent schools, just because of they way they “looked”.
This is where it starts. Why wait until someone is denied an opportunity? By then it’s too late. Discrimination, regardless of what the circumstances are, is wrong, and if it slips by in a night club, it can slip by in a diner and then in a doctors office and then in a meeting (incidentally, all of these places are also workplaces and it’s just bad practice to discriminate against your clients).
Aw shucks, a post about weight.
*grabs fufu and injari bread to munch on and sits beside african mami*
Ladies and Gentleman …. lets get ready to rummmmmbbblllllllllllleeeee!
Make space girls
*grateful grabs some fufu*