MONTREAL - Although a Montreal nightclub is distancing itself from an invitation on its Facebook page that specified "NO FAT GIRLSALLOWED!!!!!!!!!!" people familiar with the local party scene say clubsregularly -if not so overtly -discriminate based on looks.
"Everybody knows. (Clubs) are selective," said Stefano Apostolakos, owner of SMAN Productions, a Montreal promotions company.
A nightclub that wants to attract a certain kind of crowd will neveropenly turn people away based on weight, he said, but if people don'tfit in with the club's look, a bouncer can still find some excuse toturn them away -whether it's a long wait time, an expensive bottleservice fee or claiming the club is at capacity.
"(Discrimination) comes with the right to refuse entrance," Apostolakos said in an interview.
Nightclubs can openly turn people away based on age or dress by setting age minimums or dress codes, he explained.
The invitation was posted last week on the Facebook page of Muzique, aposh nightclub on St. Laurent Blvd., and included the ban on "fatgirls," followed by the emoticon of a winking smiley face..
The party was to celebrate the birthday of one of the club's partners onSaturday. The invitation was taken down on the weekend.
"When I saw it, I freaked out. I was livid," said one plus-size woman whoreceived the message as a member of Muzique's Facebook group.
Speaking on condition that her name not be used, the woman said her weight hasnever stopped her from going out -but she won't be visiting Muzique ifit discriminates against people who are overweight.
The management at Muzique said the comment was an accident and they are thinking of posting an apology.
"We didn't even realize (the comment) was there until a couple of daysago, and it was too late to retract it because the event had alreadyhappened," said John Jay, who oversees communication and marketing forMuzique.
Jay says it was the party planners who posted the event invitation, not himself or the owners.
He added that a friend of the club's partner thought it would be funny toadd the line to the event invitation as "an inside joke."
"It was taken down as soon as we found out about it," Jay said. "It was notan intentional thing. It was actually an accident. It was someonethinking he was funny.
"We don't think it's funny at all."
After the invitation went up, a handful of Facebook users expressed theirdisapproval. One user copied and emailed the event listing and thecomments to The Gazette before they were taken off the Internet.
"I found it immature and ridiculous," Joanelle Dufresne told the Gazettein an email. She posted a reaction to the invitation on Saturday.
Another Facebook user wrote: "Is there going to be a weight scale at theentrance? What's the maximum weight to get in? Frankly, I thought I hadseen everything until now."
Shant Kojakian, who owns the Montreal promotions company Look Kool, said weight is not much of an issue at nightclubs.
Race tends to be more of a factor when it comes to selecting people at theentrance, Kojakian said, adding that he's never seen a bouncer tell apotential customer he or she was too fat to get in.
Of course, nightclubs want to attract a certain kind of clientele -people who arewell-dressed and will spend money inside, Apostolakos and Kojakiansaid.
"They'll never tell you you can't come in because of your looks," Apostolakos said.
"But at the end of the day, that's what it comes down to, usually. ... It's the sad truth."
