Cooper Allin managed to have one beer before his night took an unexpected turn because of his mullet. Photos / Facebook, Channel 7
After months of lockdown, Perth resident Cooper Allin was looking forward to his first drink in a bar, having just turned 18.
But he was refused entry, in a move that he claims he was "discrimination".
The Scarborough local believes he was discriminated against … because of his haircut.
Allin sports a mullet.
"I had one drink with my mother and then a couple of friends and I decided to head over to El Grotto," the frustrated Allin told 7NEWS.
But once he arrived, the bouncer's disregard for his choice of hairstyle became obvious.
"He said, 'no mullets allowed'," Allin recalled.
The teenager was pretty cut about it – but not cut enough to get a haircut.
"To have one beer and get told, 'No, you can't come in because of your hair', was a bit devastating," he said.
"I reckon it's a bit silly I mean, it's a mullet, heaps of people have mullets."
Many Aussie pubs have a dress code, though it's more unusual to have a hairstyle code.
Allin knew there was a possibility of getting kicked out, as he was wearing thongs and a T-shirt – though he never thought his hair would let him down.
"I was more concerned about my pluggers (thongs) but he (the bouncer) wasn't too fussed about that," he said.
"I wasn't there to have a haircut, I was there to sink frothies," he said in true Aussie fashion.
Australian Hotels Association WA told 7News that it's perfectly legal for bars to set and police their own dress standards.
"There are venues that are mullet friendly. So it's just a question of finding the right bar or club that likes mullets," AHAWA chief executive Bradley Woods said.
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