Woman claims she was kicked out of Wetherspoons pub for inappropriate top
A woman says she was left embarrassed after claiming she was kicked out of a Wetherspoons for wearing an inappropriate top.
Mollie Wood said she was told by a male manager she would not be served because her cleavage showing was "equal to a man being shirtless".
The 20-year-old claimed the bar boss - who was in his 30s - told her he had refused service all day to blokes without tops.
She said she and her pal Amy Lee, also 20, wouldn't be served either because they were dressed unsuitably.
Both pub-goers were dressed in black halter crop tops, ankle-length skirts and trainers as the country basked in 28C heat.
The tech worker explained how she and a pal had headed to The Back of Beyond pub in Reading, Berks at 8pm on Sunday.
According to Mirror: "The pair wanted to grab some food after watching England beat Croatia 1-0 in the opening Euro 2020 match."
She said both she and Amy were let in by the female bouncer where they also checked into NHS Test and Trace and showed their IDs before heading out to the garden."
Mollie, who lives in Reading, explained: "We got halfway walking through the pub when a male manager shouted for us to stop.
"He said 'You can't come in here, you're dressed really inappropriately and it isn't suitable. You can't be wearing a top like that'."
And when Mollie questioned him as to why her clothes were "inappropriate" he told her it was "because that's like a man being topless and we've been kicking topless men out all day", she claimed.
Mollie explained how she and Amy quizzed the manager over the dress code, but couldn't get a straight answer as to whether there was one.
Mollie said she later researched online and could not find anything that pointed towards a Wetherspoons dress code.
She added that she had also been served in the same pub earlier that week, wearing exactly the same top.
"I was just really embarrassed," Mollie said.
She added: "We'd been in four pubs earlier that day and never been denied entry.
"I told him how sexist it was to compare me to a topless man.
"I was wearing a top. I wasn't topless."
After discussing with Amy and calming down away from the pub, they both decided to go back and complain about the way they had been treated.
But when they arrived and raised a complaint, Mollie claimed she was met with more comments and rudeness.
She said: "He was holding the bridge of his nose and huffing, and he turned his back to us when we were speaking about it."
Mollie explained how they also asked the female bouncer why she let them in if they were dressed so "inappropriately," but didn't get a straight answer either.
She said: "I've got a larger chest. Even if I wore a turtleneck you'd still see a very noticeable shape.
"My boobs are always going to show because I have them and there's nothing I can do about that."
Mollie said she was further shocked after sharing the video to TikTok and receiving a barrage of comments from women saying they had similar experiences.
Eddie Gershon, spokesman for J D Wetherspoon, said: "Two female customers visited the Back of Beyond pub in Reading on Sunday evening at approximately 7.40pm.
"Shortly after entering, the customers were politely asked to leave the pub as, on consideration by the pub's management team, their dress was not, in this particular case, in accordance with the company's guidance to pubs on appropriate customer dress.
"What may be considered appropriate dress is invariably a matter of individual judgement and whilst no offence was intended to the two customers by the request to leave the pub, we support the approach of the pub's management team in this instance."