Montreal's Muzique Nightclub Posts 'NO FAT GIRLS ALLOWED' Invite On Facebook
Muzique nightclub in Montreal is feeling the heat after posting an invitation on its Facebook page that included the message "NO FAT GIRLS ALLOWED!!!!!!!!!!" the Montreal Gazette reports. The invite, for the birthday party of one of the club's partners, was posted last week but deleted over the weekend--after the fete had taken place.
"We didn't even realize (the comment) was there until a couple of days ago, and it was too late to retract it because the event had already happened," Muzique's communication and marketing staffer John Jay told the Gazette, adding, "It was taken down as soon as we found out about it...It was someone thinking he was funny." Jay is even considering posting an apology.
But it seems Muzique prides itself on its elite clientele. From the club's website:
Opening its doors in the fall of 2009 Muzique has redefined velvet rope exclusivity, positioning itself as the flagship for all things fabulous in Montreal's high-end party scene.
Attracting a bevy of models, actors and young financiers every weekend to experience Montreal's most extravagant and exclusive events for the mature and distinguished. The awe-inspiring interior is the perfect backdrop to truly experience the city's sense of late-night joie de vivre.
Stefano Apostolakos, a Montreal club promoter, told the Gazette: "Everybody knows. (Clubs) are selective," and "(Discrimination) comes with the right to refuse entrance." He remarked, "They'll never tell you you can't come in because of your looks. But at the end of the day, that's what it comes down to, usually. It's the sad truth."
Salon's Tracy Clark-Flory also sees the sad truth, writing that she was outraged about the entire situation until her friend and "co-author of 'Lessons from the Fat-o-sphere,'" Kate Harding wrote in an e-mail:
Frankly, I find it refreshing to see a 'no fatties' policy made explicit -- at least now no fat girl will ever have to deal with well-meaning friends trying to convince her she's being ridiculous and oversensitive when she says she can tell she's not wanted at that club. Lots of private businesses discriminate based on looks -- and in many cases that's their right -- so at least if they're open about it, nobody has to participate in the fiction that they treat everyone equally.