Katie Haywood claims she was "discriminated" because of her "body size" in a London nightclub. Photo / TikTok
Katie Haywood claims she was "discriminated" because of her "body size" in a London nightclub. Photo / TikTok
A young British woman has lashed out at a venue after claiming staff "discriminated" against her for wearing a revealing outfit because of her "bigger" body size.
Katie Haywood said she had "dressed up nice" to attend a friend's birthday at a fancy London restaurant/bar when she was approached bysecurity as the group attempted to enter.
The 21-year-old – who was wearing a pink bra with a cut-out skirt that flashed her midriff – claims staff said her outfit was "too revealing".
Luckily, her skirt was actually a dress which Katie then pulled up to cover her stomach as directed.
She was also handed a denim jacket that she was forced to wear all night despite the current record summer temperatures in the UK.
However she noted none of her "thinner" friends, who were all wearing equally as revealing outfits, faced the same difficulties she had.
Katie has since taken to TikTok to detail the experience in a string of videos, claiming she was only forced to cover up "because of my body type".
Katie claims she was the only "thicker" woman in her group - and the only one to be targeted for their outfit despite all of them wearing "revealing" clothes. Photo / TikTok
Her story prompted an outpouring of support from social media users after her initial video went viral and was viewed more than 2.4 million times.
However there were some who claimed her outfit wasn't "appropriate" for a restaurant, leading Katie to respond, sharing images taken from the venue's social media accounts where other patrons are wearing skimpy outfits.
"First of all, it's actually a restaurant/club for adults. Maybe my outfit wasn't 'appropriate', but I didn't post it because of what I wore, I just used it as an example to add to the story and make it make sense," she said.
She shut down claims her outfit was "inappropriate" by showing photos of other women who had attended the venue ... Photo / TikTok
"The reason why I posted this is because of the discrimination I literally received because of my body type," she continued.
"The fact the staff said, quote unquote, 'You need to hide your stomach,' when my other friend's stomach was out.
"It was to do with my body type, not just what I was wearing."
In another video, she labelled the people who called her outfit "inappropriate" as "dumb", sharing a string of photos of other scantily clad women inside the venue who hadn't faced the issues she had.
"This argument is so stupid. All the girls I am about to show are all gorgeous, but I need to show this as a point to shut these people up because they are irritating me.
"That is only some of what is tagged at the nightclub's location. Now, I wore something very similar to that, so do you wanna come at me again saying it's all beachwear and stuff?
"It doesn't matter what I wore, as I am sure these girls had a lovely night."
Many praised the young woman for calling out the "poor behaviour" at the venue, telling Katie she looked "amazing" in her outfit.
"People get so pressed when bigger women have the confidence to wear something that's revealing. Like why? This girl looked gorgeous," one said.
"Girl, you looked beautiful. This is how we all dress in clubs. Either we all get to wear that type of outfit, or none of us do," another commented.
As another wrote: "You looked amazing. It's so poor that management and staff treated you like that."
Others said Katie "nailed" her response to critics, stating she "had a very valid point".
Many social media users took to the nightclub's Instagram page to flood its comments section with their outrage over the situation.
On one post, captioned, "For the foodies, the music lovers, the cocktail aficionados and chasers of good vibes," one person declared: "Not for everyone tho [sic] is it?"
"You forget to add that it's for fat phobics," one furious woman wrote.
"For the foodies" – but only the petite ones, right?" another fumed.
And one person said: "I think an apology is needed for the poor girl your staff made incredibly uncomfortable in your establishment because of her weight."
News.com.au has contacted Katie for further comment.
