We then dressed one member of the pair in a hoodie, T-shirt, jeans and gym shoes. (As one woman from a previous study told me, “We could walk in naked and no one would care.”) We focused on men, since women’s attire is rarely scrutinized for compliance with dress codes. We selected six male college students – two African-American, two Latino and two white – to seek access to urban nightclubs in Austin, Dallas and Houston. But is there evidence of systematic preferential treatment of one group over another? Sociologist Pat Rubio Goldsmith and I decided to find out. There are plenty of anecdotes and media reports of discrimination involving bouncers and nightclub dress codes. They wanted to see if the bouncers would let the white friend in wearing the same jeans. He and his white friend exchanged baggy jeans. In a noteworthy example of differential treatment from 2009, an African-American patron was rejected from a nightclub in Chicago on the grounds that his pants were too baggy. ![]() Other patrons argue that bouncers use dress codes to deny them access, while granting access to white patrons who are wearing the same type of clothing. Owners reject this argument, saying that patrons can simply change their clothes. Some say the dress codes themselves are discriminatory because they ban clothing worn by minorities. In recent years, African-American and Latino nightclub patrons have alleged that bouncers simply use dress codes as a reason to not let them in. Still, some nightclub patrons complain of discrimination. Tricia Rose, an Africana studies professor, notes that these clothing items are often associated with hip-hop culture.ĭress codes banning this type of attire at nightclubs are legally permissible as long as they discriminate against only clothing and not against people on the ground of race, color, religion or national origin. One owner told me, “We had to institute dress codes we started having trouble with drugs and stuff.” Others claim they limit what people wear in order to create what they vaguely refer to as “a certain atmosphere.”Īccording to a previous study I conducted with sociologist Kenneth Chaplin, clothing like baggie jeans, hoodies, sweat pants, gym shoes, plain T-shirts and necklaces are among the items banned regularly. Many post their dress codes clearly by the door, while others leave it to the bouncer to announce.Ĭlub owners, citing safety concerns, point out that banning particular clothes can limit trouble. The use of dress codes can create an air of exclusivity and make one club seem more desirable than another, an important distinction in a highly competitive, US$19.8 billion industry.īeyond their use in upscale nightclubs, dress codes have become commonplace at a variety of clubs and bars across the U.S. They set a standard – usually more formal dress – and let potential clientele know who’s welcome and who’s not. If not, they deny it.īut do bouncers enforce dress codes equally for all patrons? Or do bouncers – subconsciously or not – sometimes look beyond the clothes when deciding whether or not to admit someone?Īs a sociologist who studies urban nightlife, I explored this issue in my recent research, in which my colleague and I dressed men of different races in the same clothes – and then dispatched them to nightclubs across Texas to see what would happen.Ĭlub owners of upscale nightclubs have long used dress codes to signal status. If the bouncer deems the clothing appropriate, they grant access. ![]() They must decide whether a patron’s attire meets the nightclub’s dress code. ![]() While Starbucks managers may be called upon sometimes to evaluate their customers’ appearance, bouncers at urban nightclubs are tasked with this responsibility on a nightly basis. When videotape surfaced of two men being arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks for loitering, some criticized the store manager, questioning whether she wrongly evaluated the men as criminal because of both their race and the way they were dressed.
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