Letter From a Reader: Appearance-Based Discrimination

Image courtesy of www.sodahead.com

Dear Fashion PULIS,

I am an avid follower of your blog and I would just like to share a very irritating incident that happened yesterday afternoon. I just got off from work and my friends and I agreed to dine in a cafe in Eastwood since it was near our workplace. I was very excited to try out this cafe because it will be my first time to eat there and my friends are saying that the burgers there are really delicious.

All three of us ordered their Iced Coffee which came with two shot glasses that each contained milk and sugar syrup. These shot glasses were like miniature beakers. We were actually enjoying our meal until one of the waiters came to our table to take away the two shot glasses while uttering "Excuse me po, LIMITED EDITION po kasi ito" in a loud manner. His remark was loud enough to be heard by the other customers sitting in nearby tables. My friends and I were dumbfounded with the waiter's unnecessary remark because it was as if he was accusing us of intending to steal them.

In my opinion, this is a clear case of discrimination because the waiter's remark was offensive. Our job does not require us to wear office attire and that's why we were in our casual clothes that were very presentable. I believe that our physical appearance did not deserve any kind of insensitive remark from the waiting staff of the said burger joint.

My friends and I felt that we became victims of appearance-based discrimination. I believe that whatever a person's status is in life, he or she should not be subjected to such kind of ridicule and insult.

Fellow Fashion PULIS readers, what would you have done if you encountered the same situation? Is there anything I could have done about it? Your comments will be highly appreciated.

All the best,
CM