Texas: A woman’s video sharing her experience of being body shamed because of her weight has reignited the discussion around the body image and beauty standards on social media.
Fallon Melillo, from San Antonio, aged 27, shared a TikTok video in which she described how she was turned away from boarding a party bus because of her size, on Monday. Melillo explained that she was in Miami, Florida, in the video, with a group of friends when the incident occurred.
On July 31, the group decided to visit Daer dayclub. They purchased party bus tickets that would transport them to the club. However, after purchasing the tickets through a third-party service on Eventbrite, Melillo payed attention to the company’s Eventbrite listing had a disclaimer stating that “No big girls” were allowed.
“Sorry no big girls for this party!”
“The doorman is very strict on appearance. If you have had problems getting into exclusive clubs before then this is not for you! Please don’t waste your time nor ours thinking that we can get you inside if you know you do not meet the qualifications,” said the listing.
The listing has since been removed, according to the Independent.
Melillo, in her video, revealed that “me and my friends reached out to the club, which said it would not discriminate based on size. However, when we attempted to board the party bus that would take us to the club, they were turned away because of my weight.”
“We ended up going there and they turned us away at the door because I am plus-size, as you can see, I’m bigger than the average girl, and they decided to tell us that we can’t get on the party bus,” she said, branding the whole experience as “very embarrassing.”Being turned away in front of other people because of how I look and my size was absolutely humiliating,” she told BuzzFeed. “I was embarrassed and shocked, to say the least. Even though I know I am beautiful on the inside and out, this moment made me feel helpless. This is what every plus-size person fears – being turned away from an event because of how we look.”
In her video, Melillo urged her viewers to not use the service. “If you see this video, I am begging you, take an Uber, look for a different company that doesn’t discriminate against marginalised bodies in society,” she said.
Her video had gone viral with over half a million views on the social media. More and more people have come forward to voice their support.
