Topless women beer sign slammed

A Brighton pub has been branded as “tacky” and “misogynistic” after landlords put up a sign promising free beer for topless women.

The Jolly Brewer in Brighton, the pub at the centre of the controversy (Photo: Google)

The sign, which read: “Men no shirt, no service. Women no shirt, free beer,” was lifted from a website listing apparently humorous jokes and phrases designed for pub signs.

However, regulars at The Jolly Brewer in Brighton, East Sussex, rightly missed the joke, condemning it as being a throwback to 70s-style derogatory humour.

Resident Amy Phipps, 29, who said she spotted middle-aged men jeering and laughing at the sign, told the Daily Express: “It’s just offensive. There are schools near here, it worries me young girls and children could see it and think it’s acceptable to objectify women.

The paper also reports that the reputation of the pub suffered a further blow when a local newspaper reporter, who approached the pub for a comment, was asked by a customer if she had come to “take her top off”.

Local homeowner Kevin Guigera, 59, said the sign made the pub sound cheap and tacky. “It’s like going back to the 1970s,” he added.

However pub landlady Nicky Hills’ partner, Gary Hills said that he “couldn’t believe” that the phrase had caused such outrage, slamming those who were offended as “very sad people”.

“The landlady picked it, so she doesn’t mind,” he said.

“We’ve taken it down now but we just can’t believe this has happened. It was just a joke and everyone we have spoken to thought it was funny.”

But Angela Upton is another local resident who thinks otherwise, as she said: “It’s a joke purely for men who are misogynistic and are unlikely to treat women with the respect they deserve”.