Hannah Pewee was enjoying a summer trip to the Woodland Mall in Michigan on Saturday with her sister, minding her own business, when a security guard told her that her outfit was inappropriate and kicked her out.
She was shocked, because she was wearing this innocuous outfit: a Finding Nemo T-shirt, denim cutoffs, and flats.
"As many of you know, it is NINETY degrees outside today in West Michigan. Aka, really hot. So, of course, I decided to dress for the weather: shorts and a tank top. But apparently, how I was dressed (see photo below) was too slutty for the public, as I was kicked out of the Woodland Mall today," Hannah wrote on Facebook after the experience. "Yup. Apparently some anonymous person reported me to MALL SECURITY for inappropriate dress and I was kicked out."
As she pointed out in her post, she wasn't the only one dressed this way — but for some reason she was the only one asked to leave. "I'm so angry right now I'm shaking. I felt so embarrassed I almost cried. All because a stranger didn't like how I dressed," she wrote. "The Woodland Mall should be ashamed of themselves, as well as that anonymous complainer. It's my body, and it's hot outside! I'm not going to show up in jeans and a sweater, sorry. Don't like it? Look away! I was out having a fun time with my sister and next thing I know, I'm out on the street. Slut-shaming how girls are dressed is deplorable and outdated, and it needs to stop."
The post has since been liked more than 15,000 times and has nearly 9,000 shares, and the mall eventually responded. "I talked on the phone with someone on the management team at Woodland and they apologized for what happened yesterday," Hannah wrote in a separate update. "Apparently they're going to revise their clothing policy on their website so it is clearer what is and isn't acceptable. In addition, security will be discussing how to properly handle situations like this."
The Mall also responded to several commenters online with apologies, writing, "We're going to make sure that all of our team members are trained on our dress code policy and procedures so that everyone can enjoy our mall. In the future if there are complaints about another shopper's wardrobe, our team will be able to easily and clearly make a good decision."
As of now, though, the mall's website remains vague on what the dress code actually is: "Appropriate attire, including shirts and shoes, is required. Clothing with inappropriate words, phrases or graphics is not permitted and is subject to mall management approval. Excluding attire worn in accord with religious practice, tradition or significance, deliberately obscuring the face is prohibited." (Cosmopolitan.com has reached out to the Woodland Mall for comment.)
While change at the mall is heartening, as is the support from people who have liked and commented on her post, Hannah has also faced backlash: "I want to thank everyone for the supporting messages, it really helped, especially when so many people were more than ready to tear me apart."
Hannah, you look great! Don't listen to the haters.
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Rachel Torgerson is the fashion features director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing fashion coverage online, in print, and on our various social media platforms. She has over a decade of experience in the fashion and media industries, musing on style through multiple lenses, including cultural, celebrity, and bridal. Her ultimate focus: making fashion less exclusive and more relatable. Before landing at Cosmopolitan as a digital fashion editor in 2016, she worked at Us Weekly, The Knot, and Fitness Magazine, among others. When she's not discussing runway trends, you can definitely catch her trying (and, in many cases, failing) a new crochet cardigan pattern or in a spirited debate about the difference between the Bridgerton books vs the Netflix series. Follow her on Instagram and TikTok: @RachelTorgs
