Politician called out for wearing swimsuit top in supermarket

The Irish politician was kicked out of the supermarket for wearing a swimsuit. Photo / Twitter

A woman has shared her disbelief after being stopped inside a supermarket for wearing a swimsuit and a sarong.

Lynn Ruane is an Irish politician and took to Twitter to complain after a security guard told her to "wear a different top" the next time she shopped at the Dublin Lidl branch.

Ireland and the United Kingdom are currently experiencing one of the hottest springs on record, with temperatures reaching 27C.

In a series of tweets, Ruane shared how she had been told to wear a different top, telling the supermarket chain to "get a grip" as men walk around "in vests [(singlets] showing just as much skin".

Ruane said the experience left her feeling "so embarrassed" despite showing the "same amount of skin as you would wearing a little summer dress or tank top".

However, she later conceded in a tweet that she "berated myself" over the outfit when she came home and looked in the mirror.

Lidl has since responded to Ruane's complaint, tweeting that they were "sorry that this has occurred" as "this is not our policy".

The Sun reports that the security guard who spoke to Ruane was not employed directly by Lidl and was a third-party contractor.

"In an effort to manage social distancing there are increased levels of security in stores and many of these guards are not overly familiar with store policies," the store said in a statement.

"We have been in touch with the customer to apologise directly and we have contacted the company to ensure that all third party staff contracted to Lidl are re-briefed on policies."

Since Ruane shared her experience, the tweet has been liked nearly 2000 times, sparking a debate on social media, with many labelling the store's decision to single her out as "offensive".

I’m quite sure I’ve seen men walking around lidl in no top at all and a pair of shorts, what the actual hell like? I’d be *amazed* if this is @lidl_ireland policy?? Sounds like an employee in a bad mood and/or not up for women showing skin.. (for the myriad of reasons..)

— Jacky (@_Ada_Mc_Grath) June 1, 2020

However, others argued the store was right to refuse entry to anyone wearing a swimsuit.

But why would @lidl_ireland apologise? How is wearing a bikini top anyway appropriate? “Communicating their policy” - what is the world coming to

— Jenn Drew (@jenncuffe09) June 1, 2020

Why wear a swim suit to shop

— mai kenny (@Kenny1Mai) June 1, 2020