So, a while ago I wrote a post discussing an article I'd read about a New Zealand man who was turned away from a restaurant where he and his wife had wanted to have dinner, solely based on the fact that he had a lot of tattoos.  This poor guy was told that he 'didn't fit the target market', and the owner deemed him too heavily tattooed to dine there.  I'm sure after being turned away for such a superficial and discriminatory reason that the gentleman and his partner wouldn't have wanted to dine there anyway, however that's not really the point.  

I've never been to New Zealand myself, so I definitely do not have an informed idea of how people with tattoos are viewed by the general public, and how 'socially acceptable' tattoos are over there.  I've visited a lot of different countries in various continents though, and I know from personal experience that some people (mainly of an older generation), do tend to stare when they see people who are quite heavily tattooed, and I've come to accept this as the way things are in certain places.  So, it's nice to be able to say that I've never once encountered anyone giving myself or my partner discerning looks for being tattooed here in the UK. I've never had a negative word from a stranger, and if anyone has approached me about my tattoos, it's with a positive or genuinely inquisitive comment.  This is why I was completely shocked to read an article published in the Metro earlier this month about a man who was turned away from a bar in Warwickshire for having too many tattoos.  At Magnum Tattoo Supplies where we stock Ink-Eeze Purple Glide tattoo balm, we have a lot of love for the tattoo community, so we were surprised to hear about this tattooed gentleman's experience.. 

40 year old Darryl Timms and his partner Amanda queued for 45 minutes to get into The Fizzy Moon Brewhouse at 11pm on March 24, only to be told by a bouncer that he wasn't allowed in.  The bouncer stated; 'the management reserves the rights to admit people and we can’t allow people who have got as many tattoos as you in the pub”. Aside from the fact that this is discriminatory, it's extremely hypocritical, as the doorman in question was also heavily tattooed, which is another reason why I find this occurrence so dumbfounding. None of Darryl's tattoos are offensive, so there's no reason he should have been denied entry that evening.  

Tattoo lover Darryl who has been collecting tattoos for 15 years

 Although Darryl's girlfriend suggested the doorman 'get with the times' given that it's 2018, the doorman replied “I’m just here to do a job, I’m really sorry, it puts me in a bit of an awkward position”.  I think this makes the situation even worse, as I completely understand that the doorman had a job to do, and quite often in any job role, employees are faced with a case of 'don't shoot the messenger', but I'm sure in this situation it was the bouncer's call.  I think it's terrible that in this day and age people are being turned away from enjoying a quiet drink based on the way they look.  I've been in plenty of bars where there are people (without tattoos) who are behaving dreadfully starting fights, arguing with staff, and doing all sorts of things that are against customer policy, and half of the time they aren't even thrown out, so it's such a shame that this gentleman and his girlfriend were denied entry based on Darryl's appearance when all they wanted was a quiet drink. 

The owner of the establishment responded by saying; "By law pubs and bars can refuse entry without any reason. For anybody who isn’t happy, I am always happy to meet with them to try and resolve the issue."  So, whether or not Darryl and his partner ever discussed this further with the owner I'm not too sure, but I really hope that the issue is now resolved for them, and that they enjoyed the rest of their evening elsewhere!  You can read the full article here: http://metro.co.uk/2018/04/02/man-turned-away-bar-facial-tattoos-7434362/?ito=social

If you've been in a similar predicament then why not tell us about it in the comment section?  We love hearing from you guys!  Don't forget, we now stock Ink-Eeze Purple Glide online, which is the perfect ointment for during the tattoo process, and also doubles up as a soothing aftercare balm, so whether you're a tattoo artist, or just a fan of tattoos, the perfect tattooing and aftercare solution is available here! 

Love Toni...

Blog & image credits:

http://metro.co.uk/2018/04/02/man-turned-away-bar-facial-tattoos-7434362/?ito=social

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