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Credit: Universal, CanvaShould all tattoos be allowed in theme parks? This is what fans debated after a guest witnessed a grotesque body marking while visiting Universal Studios in Florida.
Warning: Graphic Content
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During a day at the Universal Orlando Resort, one visitor managed to snap a photo of another guest walking around the park. The guest in question had an incredibly offensive tattoo on their body, visible for all to see, sparking a debate about what visitors should and should not be able to wear while inside the Universal suite of theme parks.
The tattoo depicts Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party, on the man’s left calf. The tattoo is capped off with a Swastika, which rests just below the image of Hitler. The tattoo itself is wildly inappropriate in general, but the “artwork” becomes even more grotesque when considering the guest deliberately chose to wear shorts to show it off at a theme park meant for guests of all ages.
A photo of the tattoo was shared with the rest of Universal Orlando Resort’s online community, where it was subsequently torn apart and criticized.
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“Tell a team member,” said one user. “He’ll be made to cover it up, at worst. Or be ejected, at best.”
“Free speech does not mean freedom from consequences,” said another user. “Forwardly (and proudly) displaying symbols of hate is not ok at a park that entertains everybody, and the park is private property. They can kick you out if they want or need to, no questions asked.”
“That was a choice. A terrible choice,” simply wrote another Reddit user.
Another user said, “This is disgusting.”
The Universal Orlando Resort has a strict set of rules regarding guests’ clothing, but tattoos and other body markings are when things can get hairy. While certainly a blatantly offensive and grotesque tattoo, Universal likely would not take action unless multiple guests deliberately complained about this specific instance.
There’s hardly ever a time when guests aren’t debating the dress code inside either the Universal or Disney theme parks, with both resorts employing their own rules and regulations regarding what visitors can and cannot wear. For the most part, guests who mind their business and wear normal clothes will not have any problems.
However, things can get more contentious depending on how revealing guests’ outfits are, with a number of visitors going viral over the last few years due to what they were wearing. At the Disney theme parks, guests who do not quite meet the dress code requirements are typically given replacement clothing or a voucher they can redeem for more appropriate attire.
Of course, this does not stop certain guests from deliberately breaking the rules of the resorts, with several influencers and content creators going viral on social media. One instance involved a guest filming themselves suggestively dancing at Disney Springs, Walt Disney World’s outdoor shopping and dining area, in nothing more than a T-shirt and bikini bottoms.
Another guest wore a rather revealing top, barely hiding their chest from other visitors at a Universal Studios theme park. Other instances involve guests actually striping while inside the Walt Disney World Resort, an act that most certainly resulted in a lifetime ban, assuming the perpetrators were identified.
There’s no denying that there’s a lot of room for interpretation within both Disney and Universal’s rules regarding what guests can and can’t wear. Given how crowded the parks can be, many things simply slip through the cracks.
However, tattoos like the one linked earlier certainly cross a line that likely (hopefully) makes the majority of guests uncomfortable. It’s unclear how Universal or Disney handles tattoos like this one and/or others, but it’s obvious they strike a chord with most other guests who choose to visit the parks.
What do you think about dress code violations at the Universal and Disney theme parks?