A new Canberra bar has set house rules that forbid men from approaching women, but is this just another example of Australians being told what they can and cannot do?
Maple Bar, a new upstairs level of existing Treehouse Bar, deems men cannot approach ladies and, “if a gentleman is lucky enough to be approached by a lady, he speaks to her as if he would speak to his mother.”
This line is taken directly from Neil Perry’s famous Rockpool Bar & Grill, who felt it necessary to remind their guests of the house rules with “silly season approaching” in 2012.
“It’s not a way to discourage men to approach ladies,” owner Mike Kadinski told Daily Mail Australia in total seriousness despite his rules literally indicating the exact opposite.
“If there was an honest gentleman who approached a woman and asked to buy her a drink and she looked comfortable, none of the bar staff would have a problem with that,” he added.
The bar, who is apparently aimed at older adults capable of making their own decisions, also has a dress code which dictates men must wear a formal shirt, pants and jacket, and smart shoes. Women must similarly be in ‘elegant cocktail dress’ or ‘dressy separates’.
“So many ladies go out there and put so much time a and effort in to getting dressed up, and then you get a guy who thinks it’s okay to put a t-shirt on with a pair of thongs,” Mr Kadinski said.
Just an aside – I’m not sure which bars he normally frequents but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen anyone in a bar in thongs.
As is to be expected, the internet had different reactions to the rules, with some embracing the thought of an uninterrupted girls’ night, and others rejecting the insinuation all men are sleazes.
Of course, a common reaction was to blame feminism for the male owner’s decision, like this gem:
“Get off your pedestal. Guys and girls get along just fine without feminism ruining the world like Hitler!”
Look, I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure dictating what people can and cannot do based solely gender is the exact opposite of the feminist agenda.
It will be interesting to see how heavily the bar policies this rule change, and we can’t wait for the rules regarding same sex pick up techniques…
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