You might’ve hoped times had changed since the 2000s, but despite people clearly knowing better, body-shaming is alive and well—especially in the customer service industry. The Daily Dot has previously reported on TikTokers sharing their experiences of being body-shamed at Chipotle, Taco Bell, and Aritizia, but things seem to be getting worse. A six-year-old, for instance, was even body-shamed at Chick-fil-A.
The latest body-shaming encounter to go viral was shared by TikToker @hoppygirl143, with the video already amassing 167,600 views.
What happened?
In the clip, she began by explaining that while she was shopping in the store, a store associate kept approaching her “unprovoked.” After approaching the TikToker multiple times, the store associate said to her, “Oh, so you’re having a baby?” Surprised, the TikToker told her that she wasn’t, which led to the store assistant replying, “I saw your stomach.”
According to @hoppygirl143, it took numerous tries to explain to the store assistant that she wasn’t pregnant. “She smiled and continued on again until I finally had to tell her, ‘I’m just fat,” the TikToker recounted. “So then, she smiled and laughed and said it was OK, and then walked away. And I was mad. I was offended. I’m hurt.”
Subsequently, @hoppygirl143 asked to speak to the manager. But she claims that when she told the manager what happened, they just asked her which employee said it, and then said, “OK.”
Fuming at this apparent inaction, the TikToker added, “I’m shocked. I can’t believe I can’t go Christmas shopping … at a national chain without getting body-shamed. Apparently, you have to be a size two to buy lotion.”
The TikToker didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment.
@hoppygirl143 @Bath & Body Works #bodyshamingneedstostop #carlsbadcalifornia #bodypositivity ♬ original sound – HoppyGirl
What happened next?
In the comments section, viewers were equally shocked by the encounter.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” one wrote. “That was unkind and unacceptable. It’s sad the manager didn’t handle it professionally.”
Another echoed, “I’m so sorry! Don’t let this slide, escalate the issue! Clearly, both the employee and manager need retraining! And a swift kick in the rear end!”
Meanwhile, a third commenter suggested writing to corporate. “I’ve been through people thinking I was pregnant too,” they added. “It’s so humiliating.”
In a follow-up video, @hoppygirl143 revealed that she ended up going to corporate. She claims the company made an incident report, but she hasn’t yet heard back from it.
Bath & Body Works didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
