A sign has been erected outside a deli near Perth and Aussies have a lot of opinions about it. Shops located close to a beach will no doubt be used to customers coming in fresh from the sea and sand with very little clothing on.
But this deli has clearly had enough and has banned people wearing “G-string bikinis” from entering. Those with “bare bums” have been instructed to “please cover up” before entering.
Aussie etiquette coach Kate Heussler told Yahoo Lifestyle that this is a perfect example of “time and place”.
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“Beachwear belongs at the beach,” she said.
“In cafes, delis and shops, a cover-up is standard courtesy – for comfort, hygiene perception and a family-friendly environment.”
But that’s not how a lot of people saw the situation.
Channel 10 newsreader Narelda Jacobs posted a photo of the sign on social media and felt the deli’s policy was unfairly targeting women.
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“Inside, shirtless men appeared quite welcome,” she wrote.
Others agreed, and said these policies are usually skewed to one sex and not the other.
“Why is this only addressed to ‘ladies?'” wrote one person.
“Revolting,” added another.
“Misogyny disguised as ‘female decency,'” said a third.
Some even joked that because the deli directly called out women in G-string bikinis, men wearing the same small garment might be allowed.
But Kate said it’s “classic false equivalence” by saying that women aren’t allowed wearing G-strings while shirtless men are.
“[Narelda] is comparing a shirtless man to a woman’s uncovered bottom. They aren’t the same level of exposure,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“The valid critique is the sign’s tone.
“The mistake wasn’t the venue having this rule; it was making the rule feel personal to one gender.
“Address behaviour, not a demographic.”
Kate Heussler said the sign could have been better worded. Picture: Instagram/Kate Heussler
Kate suggested what the deli could have written was something along the lines of “Customers, please cover up before entering”.
“That keeps it respectful, inclusive and instantly less inflammatory,” she added.
While there were many who were outraged over the sign, some backed the business’s approach.
“It’s their place of business… it should be ok for them to say what grosses them out,” one Aussie said.
“We cover our hair when visiting a temple. We cover our shoulders in an Ashram. If these folks don’t like looking at butt cheeks, then shouldn’t it be ok for them to say that?” wrote another.
This isn’t the first time that what women wear on the beach has been policed.
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Youth charity founder Ian Grace penned a letter back in 2024 urging the Gold Coast mayor to ban G-string bikinis.
He was moved to action after seeing females, both teens and adults, attending his charity events in a bikini with their “bums out”.
“Two family events away from the beach, you’ve got these almost naked young ladies there with their bare bum [out] completely. Enough is enough,” he told Yahoo Australia.
He said men’s swimwear wasn’t “particularly erotic”, but felt that women who wore small bikini bottoms were “demeaning” and “cheapening” themselves.
His campaign caused the opposite effect.
The #freethepeach walk kicked off at Kurrawa beachfront, with dozens of locals donning their skimpiest swimwear to advocate for the right to wear what they want at the beach.
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