Love at first sight could be over at an Aussie bar that has banned nonconsensual staring, but could the move end up being creepier than staring from afar?
Club 77 in Sydney has introduced new rules to create a safe space for party-goers by operating on a zero-tolerance policy on harassment - which includes unwanted staring at people.
"As a nightclub, we encourage you to interact with strangers, however, any engagement MUST begin with verbal consent," Club 77 said.
"This also applies if you are, for example, staring at someone from afar. If the attention you are giving someone is unwanted, that is considered harassment."
If a patron fails to follow the new rules they will be kicked out of the club by a designated 'safety officer' in pink hi-vis and the police will be called.
National MP Erica Stanford told Ryan Bridge during a panel on AM that the move could make things creepier than to begin with.
"I have stared at many men in bars," Stanford said.
"What's more creepy… Staring at someone across a bar or coming up to them and saying 'excuse me do you mind if I stare at you across the bar?' That's way more creepy."
There are also concerns that love at first sight could be over at the nightclub, as attendees can no longer 'make eyes' across the room at someone they fancy.
Labour MP Michael Wood revealed to Bridge how he would steal glances at his wife before they met.
Wood said he shared classes at law school with his wife and definitely did "cast some glances in her direction".
But his future wife didn't seem to notice, revealing that when they properly met at an event later on she didn't know who he was.
"It worked out okay in the end," Wood said.
Club 77 owner Dane Gorrel told AM that the policy was not to stop wanted interactions between patrons, but rather to keep attendees comfortable and educate "the next generation of club-goers".
"We are dealing with an unprecedented number of younger kids coming into the venue that haven't actually been out to a nightclub because of COVID," Gorrel said. "A lot of these kids don't really know how to behave in clubs properly."
He said the club views harassment as any unwanted attention that's making someone feel uncomfortable and provides the safety officer and security for partons to go to voice their concerns.
"Not all people feel comfortable to tell a person to go away. At the end of the day, no one should be made to feel uncomfortable when they're out or in a venue."
The whole thing around the rule is consent and there is a difference between consensual or wanted glances at people and uncomfortable staring, Gorrel said.
"At the end of the day, we just want to provide a safe space."
