By Jessica Checkland

If you’ve seen the news about the Amplifier Capitol dress code fiasco, the girl in the photo is me.

This all began when our manager made a post changing the uniform policy and informing the bar girls that we had to hand in our male shirts and wear the female shirts.

“To our amazing bar ladies… one thing that has slipped for a while is the tolerance of girls wearing the men’s uniform shirt while on bar – from next week I will be taking your men’s shirt back back from you and replacing it with the ladies bar uniform shirt – let’s work together to get the dress code back to where it should be. This is compulsory✌️”

If you haven’t seen the photo the male’s shirt is a scoop neckline t-shirt with baggy sleeves and a loose fit whereas the female’s shirt is a thicker material, with a v-neckline, fitted sleeves, and a slim fit. In the past, I was given a choice and I decided to have one of each. After wearing the female top for a while, I became extremely unconfident and uncomfortable with the comments and stares I was receiving from male patrons. While these people were often dealt with and escorted out, it still made me feel unsafe walking to my car after work in the early hours of the morning with my cleavage showing and men yelling vulgar things at me on the street.

Dealing with my negative self-body image, I began to wear the male shirt. While working at Capitol, I noticed only 2-3 girls in the entire venue who wore the female shirt (and good for them! If they feel confident and comfortable in wearing the female top, that’s their choice.) However, for the majority of female employees, the male’s top was preferred for comfort and safety. I know a number of girls were harassed, groped, and objectified by male patrons even wearing the male’s top so the female top was out of the question. Also, a lot of girls with larger breasts felt extremely confined in such a tight top.

When I was notified of Capitol’s new policy, I privately messaged the manager:

“Hi _, I was wondering maybe if instead of having to wear the woman’s top (which is too tight and the material is too thick) if I could just have a slightly more fitted men’s shirt? I really don’t feel comfortable wearing that shirt and having guys stare at my cleavage and I don’t feel confident enough to wear such a tight top. I also know a few other girls at work wear the men’s top for these reasons too.”

To which he responded:

“Hey Jess ☺ thanks for your msg – unfortunately the answer is no – the ladies do have to wear the ladies uniform which has been set out by the company a long time ago.”

So, basically a flat ‘no.’ I am in no way blaming the managers for any of this because they are just the messengers for the higher-ups. Following this, a majority of the girls posted in the “Amps Bartenders” group chat that they were NOT comfortable with the uniform with comments like “boys … their uniforms aren’t sexist”, “I hate the ladies’ shirts…they’re tight and uncomfortable”, and “I don’t like my boobs on display.” In response to this, the owner of Capitol Corp (David Heaton) said, “if you don’t feel comfortable in the uniform then you are welcome to find employment elsewhere.” Another employee and I felt this was blatant sexism and she decided to make a post on the page sharing her views and this post also served as her resignation. Her post was removed by management immediately (but not before a few people had the chance to screenshot it) and she was removed from the page. I decided to quit following this because of the complete disregard for our safety, our feelings and our rights. After quitting, I posted a photo on my private Instagram showing the difference in shirts for a few friends to see how bad it was and from there it got shared around the internet and blew up to what it is now. Before leaving the “Amps Bartenders” group chat I posted a photo of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s policy on ‘Dress Code’ which clearly states as an example:

“An employer’s dress code requires female employees to wear revealing clothing but this does not apply to male employees. This could be sex discrimination.”

After posting this, I removed myself from the group chat and was removed from the Facebook page. David saw my post and changed their policy back to allow females to wear the male’s shirts only after I sent them a photo showing that the change was against our human rights. As it stands, four female employees have quit Capitol because of it. There’s been a lot of backlash and I honestly didn’t expect it to happen. I didn’t expect my photo to go viral and I didn’t expect it to receive so much positive feedback. And I’m glad Capitol Corp has realised their mistake and sorted out their policy. I know for some of the lovely girls still working there that their current employment is short-lived until they are able to find another job because unfortunately a lot of them do not have another other source of income. Capitol Corp, nor any of my employers, have not issued an apology to me or any other current staff or ex-staff members regarding the issue.

As of now, the only thing that current staff have heard from David is a reminder about the company’s social media policy which was uploaded onto the staff page as a warning to not get involved. I’ve had many news channels and journalists message me about the situation (and no, I will not be doing any interviews). All I wanted was for Capitol Corp to change this policy for our safety and comfort. I’m glad they have realised their mistake. From this, I’d like to see Capitol Corp address a lot more than just this one issue simply because of the publicity it received. My advice: listen to your hard-working staff (and your paying patrons) while you still have them!

I’d like to thank all of those who have supported me and stood up for what is right. I’d also like to apologise to the staff (including the amazing DJ’s) who have felt the backlash of this incident; the Capitol staff members have been a second family to me (and always will be) and it’s unfortunate things ended this way. I wish all the lovely and hard-working staff all the best and I hope things improve soon.