The newest coffee stand to hit Gorst, Espresso Gone Wild, has roused many narrow-minded members of the community into a frenzy with the baristas’ barely-there attire.
To voice their opposition is one thing, it’s almost expected. But one Bremerton resident has gone as far as lobbying for a local decency ordinance.
This coffee stand is using what many major advertising companies use to market their products: sex. It sells and it always will. These women are not completely nude; it’s true they are very scantily clad, but you turn on the television and you’re going to see exactly what you see in that coffee stand. These women are not breaking the law by wearing suggestive clothing. They are using marketing that society has accepted and even welcomed. It’s obvious it’s not welcomed by all, but to implement an ordinance which would then have to be enforced is a waste of time and money.
To enact this ordinance would be completely ridiculous. For those who don’t agree with what these women are wearing, don’t visit the coffee stand. Critics are doing the owners a major favor. Patrons aren’t only lining up to find out what the hubbub is all about, they’re lining the owners’ pockets.
Let’s turn the tables around and say this was an espresso stand full of muscular, shirtless men in their skivvies. There would be nowhere near the opposition there is toward these women. You can bet the words “decency ordinance” would never be spoken.
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office has received an influx of complaints. Law enforcement has far more important issues to handle, such as real crimes, rather than a bunch of whiners who don’t like what the baristas are wearing or aren’t wearing.
Should Kitsap County implement a decency ordinance, what’s next? Should the sign of a nearby place of adult entertainment be removed from the road because it says “topless”? And just how scantily clad do the women have to be before it’s deemed indecent? A bathing suit? Lingerie?
Critics have brought up the safety factor and whether or not these women are being put in danger. These women have made their own choice to work there. If they think they are in danger, they can always find a new job. And no matter what your profession, there is always the possibility of being victimized, especially when dealing with the public.
The county commissioners need to focus on real issues rather than an ordinance proposed by people who have the choice to avoid a place like Espresso Gone Wild.
