Lana Massey and her son were asked to leave the Texas Legoland due to Massey’s “offensive body art”. Massey took to posting the details of the incident on the Church of Body Modification forum and has since gone viral.
“My 8 year old son and I were kicked out of The Legoland Discovery Center at Grapevine Mills Mall, TX location due to unfair treatment and discrimination. We walked in, lined up, had our pictures taken and paid. (A little over $50.00 for both of us into Legoland and the adjoining aquarium) After 10 minutes of play time with my son, I was approached by Melanie, and was promptly escorted out of the main area while she proceeded to tell me that I was being asked to leave and offered a refund due to a customer complaint about my tattoos. My son overheard everything she was telling me and was instantly heart-broken due to his love of Legos and not understanding why my tattoos were cause for us to be ushered out of something so amazing in his eyes and I had unfortunately made the entire day a huge surprise. I was given no option but to either take my money back and leave, or just leave. My son and I attend MANY ‘family-friendly’ functions and parks and to be singled out and discriminated upon in front of my son and the other couple of dozen people standing around us was belittling and embarrassing. Not to mention that after the refund, we wanted the picture they had taken of us and Melanie had to again, escort us like martyrs back through the play area to the photo desk. She treated us like convicts, which I can only imagine in what ways this shattered my kid’s ideas of society as a whole. I have never been treated this way, and refuse to be looked down upon for the way I look. I am seeking legal advice, but stand here with open arms to suggestions and assistance to make a widely know, LOUD example out of this situation. My heart to the children of the complainer, may they not grow up to be judgmental little haters.”
The Dallas Observer then continued the story by getting in touch with a rep at Legoland for further explaination:
“A guest at Legoland Discovery Center Dallas/Fort Worth was asked to leave due to customer complaints received about a visible offensive tattoo located on her lower leg,” spokeswoman Kelle Jackson tells us by email. “As a family attraction geared to children three to 10 years old, our entrance policy guidelines allow our staff the absolute direction to refuse admission to guests wearing clothing or images on their person that are offensive in nature. The Duty Manager onsite acted in accordance to this policy, and offered the guest a refund or tickets to return another day with the graphic tattoo covered. Our offer to return to the attraction with complimentary tickets still stands with the understanding of our policy.”
The tattoo in question, which is pictured above, is definitely attention-grabbing. But Massey says the ink is original artwork from the 1940s.
“No more offensive than zombie Jesus or guns promoting violence,” she says. “Aside from any of that, there is nothing about tattoos in their policies, just inappropriate clothing. … I could see if it was like a gaping vag or something like that, but I don’t have anything like that.” (Her friend does, apparently.)
Besides, the folks at Legoland never even mentioned her Tinker Bell tat. “That’s not what they told me,” Massey says. “She didn’t specify any particular tattoo.” She also claims that Legoland’s employees never gave her the option of returning for free on a different day.
“The bottom line,” she says, “is me and my son do thousands of things, and I’ve never been asked to leave.”
What do you think about Legoland asking her and her son to leave?
hopegallery.wordpress.com 
It’s called freedom of expression!!!. This is America and is still a free country. They had no right to throw them out. Good Luck with your lawsuit, I hope you win.
Madeline, you are just as retarded as this chick, your Freedoms end when it infringes on others freedoms, She went to a place that was geared toward children, Not to the AVN awards, Do you think it would be alright for someone to take a Playboy into a McDonalds Play land? hell no, I would have been pissed if I had one of my kids there and the Kids noticed it, Who cares what she wears in her own house, more power to her to express herself at home, but when you go to a place that is for kids have some damm respect for others…
Randy the situation was handled wrong bottom line. I agree that The tattoo may not be right for the place she was at. She could have been pulled to the side while her child continued to play and given the option to cover the tattoo. Why should the child suffer because mom might be an idiot? They did not need to make her feel like a horrible human being for expressing her freedoms. She may not have remembered the tattoo or is so used to it did not consider other’s may not like it. Kids probably had no idea what Tink was doing and even though Tink’s boobs are hanging out that is common place nowadays with mom’s whipping out their breasts to feed. I doubt any of the kids said this was wrong it was probably all parents who saw this and were offended. Though, seeing that this was on someone’s lower leg you really had to be looking to make out what it is. Sometimes adults need to grow up and stop making a federal case out of everything (commenters, complainers, and mom in the story). I am tired of always having to be PC because someone *may* get offended!
Heather If you would of read more then one Article on this story, the Lego land Manager did pull her aside and asked her to cover it up, they also offered for her to leave and return with it covered, or to give her a refund and a return ticket for another day, So they offer her several options, and after this made news, they stayed firm on they’re decision and told her she could come back at any time for free as long as the tattoo was covered. This should be a common sense issue, and by your definition of freedoms, where do they draw the line, they let hers pass because she made a fuss, but then someone comes in next time with Tattoos of Cocks and Balls, or how about a Huge Vagina gaped open? when would you be ready to draw the line in a kids play area? Any one with a little bit of common courtesy would have enough respect not to go to a public place that was geared towards children, then once she was asked to cover it up , she became a little drama queen, this is the most attention she has ever got and she is loving it, as for you being tired of being ” PC ” well i’m sorry you feel constricted by society, you do have all the freedoms in the world to express your self, as long as your freedoms don’t intervene on someone else’s freedoms..
I was trying to respond to heathers comment but it won’t let me, so here. I can’t believe people are comparing the naked tinker bell and saying breast feeding is the same thing. THAT is ridiculous. Breast feeding is not sexual.
Amen!
Its tinkerbell naked getting off on a lightswitch… cover it up around around other peoples children, I’m a tattooist and even i cant support such a graphic tattoo to be veiwed by children. you let your kid read hustler?
Are people uptight? Yes. Should she have used some discretion? Absolutely. While I personally don’t mind the Tinkerbell tat. As a father of two young girls, I shouldn’t be put into a position of having to explain the graphic nature of the tattoo to my perpetually curious children. Especially about a character they identify with.
I have a lot of tattoos and well I guess one could be offensive but it’s on my back with the other 8 or 9 I have. I do have a rather large one of a school girl holding an ax with a victims arm at her feet bloody, and she’s located on my lower leg in plain view. I’m on the fence about this one and see both sides but I think I would have worn pants to this event. Although it is a free country and I am far from uptight but I think it’s just a respect thing for CHILDREN and identify with the above poster about this. Love the tattoo btw 🙂 Tink is my all time fav but I would have covered it. I also work at a daycare and am covered. Kids do ask and they aer curious and they want to know.
Pingback: Bookmarks for April 29th
Why didn’t Lego employees offer to cover the tattoo ? Throwing a mother and child out is really morally unappropriate and commercially inadequate. I guess tattooed people should offer their children toys from firms which do not discriminate them…
Ok, first off, Legoland handled this really poorly. They have left themselves open to all sorts of bad press and it’s purely down to their handling of this issue. But at the same time, I can understand that, in a lot of ways, they’re in a difficult position. My issue would be with the person who complained. It is not an offensive tattoo. Yes, it’s a naked Tinkerbell, but no, it’s not what I’d call offensive. Children are regularly exposed to things far more damaging than a tattoo of a naked Tinkerbell. I think that this is probably an example of a parent who, for whatever reason, dislikes tattoos and tattooed people and who used their child as an excuse to have the operators of a theme park enact the small dose of social cleansing that, as an utterly powerless coward, they felt unable to enact themselves.
We find ourselves at a point in the history of tattooing where popularity and positive publicity of the art has created a situation where there are more tattooed people around and they’re in different places doing different things. By that, from the point of view of the people like our theme park complainant, I mean that tattooed people are in the same places as the ‘rest of us’ and are doing the same things as the ‘rest of us’. For some people, this is not acceptable. The thing is, like it was for african-americans, like it was for women, like it still is for people who do not identify themselves as heterosexual, it is still possible to have someone removed from your vicinity if they have an ‘offensive tattoo’. It is discrimination based not on the colour of ones skin, but, perhaps, on the colourfulness of it…
This person is clearly immature and not in touch with reality. It is sad that parents of our generation can not grow up. As a dad with heavy tattoo coverage I have been to many family friendly places. Never once have I had any issues with being asked to leave etc. Actually most of the time the opposite occurs. I have parents come up to me and tell me they like my tattoos. Even at Legoland….
But, I am not a piece of trash with a tattoo of tinkerbell fucking herself with a light switch. What altered reality does this person live in where they think that is ok. I know or have ment plenty of people with erotica tattoos and they keep them covered and do not let their young children see them. I am disgusted by this person. They make the whole tattoo community (if there even is one anymore) look bad. How is this ok??????? What is wrong with people????
Amen!!!
I wanted to add to my comment and say that I agree some what with the issues the other people mentioned in regards to civil liberties. I actually agree with how Legoland handeled this. I think if I was the manager in charge I would have kicked this person out also. More on general principal for being a lousy parent and making all of us with tattoos look bad. This person does not need to be coddled and told that legoland was wrong.
This person needs to grow up and think ahead. So much about this is so indicative about what is wrong with society and a lot of parents from our generation.
I am all for freedom of expression, but freedom of expression does not also mean freedom from common sense. As a grown man, I am free to read Playboy, and can call everything I see in Playboy quite tame by the standards I apply to it….but that doesn’t mean I should have the right to read it on a city bus…I own a t-shirt that says “Vaginatarian” in big letters across the front and I wear it proudly, and that is my right, but that doesn’t mean I can wear it to my kid’s school for her school play. An offensive tattoo (and yes, Tinkerbell getting royally rogered on a light switch qualifies), is no different.
People take the idea of freedom to mean “I am also free to infringe on YOUR freedoms”…which is just idiotic, not to mention illogical. We are all free to say and believe and express our individuality in any way we see fit (within the constraints of law of course), but the minute my “freedoms” start to overlap your “freedoms”, philosophically speaking, we need to come to some sort of understanding of common decency.
The theme park was completely justified in what they did…freedoms or no. They are a private company, the park is private property. This woman should have had the forethought or at the very least the class to think, “While I find this ok…many others wont” and taken steps to be a decent citizen…rather than just say, “Aww fuck what others think.”
I have tattoos, and many others do as well…but getting inked comes with responsibility. Thats why we only legally allow ADULTS to do it.
Legoland was justified and had every right to ask her to leave. It is America and freedom of speech but come on really what does that tattoo express? Come on ladies back your butt up and be turned on by a light switch. That’s what’s wrong with the world today. I’m sorry but I don’t want my 2 or 3 year old looking at stuff like that and if other people thinks its ok for their small children to look at stuff like that they are just as messed up in the head as the woman who got it. Come on seriously adults are suppose to be setting the example . But then again look at our teen pregnancy rate and all the other crap going on in the world.
I think it’s great that Lego Land Handled this issue like they did, and let me say I have more tattoos then I can count, Full chest plates, Both arms are Half sleeved, back and both legs are half done, and I have never been asked to leave Lego Land, but I also Have 4 girls, and if I was at Lego land or anywhere else that was geared towards kids, and someone had this on their shirt or tatted on their body, I would of said something to them. it pisses me off when I go to Chucky Cheeses and someone’s drunk or acting a fool and the staff just look the other way, so I have to be the bad guy and raise a fit to the manager to get something done, and for anyone who says she wasn’t treated fairly, well it clearly shows she had no respect for any of those kids there that day, wear some pants and go back the next day…
Its amazing what people do for attention and then complain when its negative attention. She is so worried about her son being scarred. Hello! I think I would be scarred if I had to follow my mom around with a naked woman tattooed on her body in view to everyone. Iam sure he is so proud of his mommy’s body art. I agree with the other posts. Where do we draw the line?
Dear massey,
I am a trial advocacy attorney and I am sorry to say that you have no case. Businesses have the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason other than race, sex, or religious belief. Further more the policy does state that any persons “wearing clothing or IMAGES on their person that are offensive in nature” may be removed from the park. A naked female with a light switch inserted into her vaginal canal, artistic or not, most certainly can be deemed offensive; especially in an establishement geared toward children ages 3 to 10. I myself have a few large pieces but was careful in deciding the content and location. Actions have consequences and that is something we all need to learn eventually in life.
Thank you. My kids all have tattoos. Each has meaning to them and was carefully chosen for the story they want tone remember and convey.
Massey, what do you tell your son and others about this tattoo? Why did you choose this for such a prominent location on your body? How do you think this image affects your son’s development and view of the world?
Many posters here have basically echoed my reaction. Her rights end where others’ rights begin! They are a private business, and they had every right to throw her out, and I’m glad they did. Too few people have the balls to stand up for decorum and good judgment; either they are afraid of the unpleasantness of being confrontational, or afraid of coming across as (oh, the horror!) close-minded. My husband and I are about to spend a few days at the most family-friendly theme park on Earth, and we both have big visible tattoos. We don’t have any images that could get us kicked out, though. And since women still battle certain stigma about being trashy if they’re inked, this stupid porno tattoo really makes the rest of us females look bad and makes me mad!
I recently visited Legoland and I find it incomprehensible that this woman has the guts to say that she was mistreated. This was her fault and she should own it. I am all for tattoos- even *gasp* ‘offensive’ ones, but when you have it in an extremely visible place you have to consider the venue. You can’t waltz into a place with a bunch of impressionable young kids and essentially force their parents to explain YOUR choice of body art and just ‘get over it’ citing freedom of expression. That is ridiculous. I’m sure her son was crushed and embarassed but not as much as she should be. Its one thing to be ushered out of a Bush Gardens or other place geared towards adults for something ‘offensive’, but c’mon? You want me to have to answer my 3 year old asking “What’s that fairy doing Mommy?” because you want to pretend like you don’t have any social responsibility? I don’t think so. Legoland has my support on this one.
The so called Mommy in this situation is so much more a mental defective than the word retarded can convey. Legoland was entirely within their rights to ask this fluzzy to leave and take the trailer park mentality with her. Not only is tinkerbell showing her bare breasts, she is using a light switch as a phallic object. How does anyone with an ounce of sense even attempt to justify showing such a debased image to small children. This crazy woman suggests Legoland scared her child which is the stuff of absolute rubbish. If walking into a childrens ventue sporting a vulgar sexually charged tattoo offers insight to her parenting skills I think her home state child protective services should remove any children from her custody. I don’t mind that she carries herself like a common gutter tramp but she should not inflict her ghetto values on the children of good parents who are trying to raise quality well adjusted offspring.
I have no tats at all but, I have friends with tattoos so graphic and vulgar they could easily gag a maggot. When we go to family friendly places my friends cover up pictures that are unsuitable for young eyes. There are things suitable for adults and things suitable for kids and a true loving responsible parent knows the difference and has both the good taste and common decency to act accordingly in all instances.
The artwork doesn’t go back to the 1940’s. It’s clearly from a Julius Zimmerman drawing:
Pingback: Light switches of the world – Edging Space
Pingback: Light switches of the world – Edging Space
fantastic issues altogether, you just gained a
emblem new reader. What might you suggest about your publish that you just made some days in the past?
Any positive? https://gfycat.com/@newskora