Swimming pools and water parks are always fun especially in the summer, with many bikini-clad women looking to beat the summer heat. However, what happens when you get kicked out of a swimming pool or water park for wearing the appropriate swimwear?
When Madelyn Sheaffer went to Adventure Oasis Water Park in Independence, Missouri on Tuesday, she thought she was in for a day of silly, wet fun. But what she got instead was a whole lot of controversy.
See, while Sheaffer, 42, was splashing around in one of the park’s pools in, what else, her bathing suit, two park employees came up to her and asked her to put shorts on over her bikini.
Thinking the request was absurd, Sheaffer opted to stay in her swimsuit, saying “Why should I have to put on a pair of shorts when I am wearing the same size bikini bottoms as the girls in the pool?”.
A supervisor was then called over, and Sheaffer was asked to leave. Again, the mom refused, and the police were called to escort her out of the park.
Yes, a mother was escorted out of a water park for wearing a bikini. Yay, America.
Sheaffer stated that she was singled out and discriminated against because of her body and age, as employees even told her that her bottoms were too small and that she had to put on some shorts.
“I am comfortable in my bikini. I am happy with who I am,” she told NY Daily News. “My first reaction was why are you singling me out? They said that my bottoms were inappropriate. That was funny to me because they are full-size bottoms. I felt it had more to do with my chest because I am large-busted.”
A supervisor was then called over, and Sheaffer was asked to leave. Again, the mom refused, and the police were called to escort her out of the park.
Yes, a mother was escorted out of a water park for wearing a bikini. Yay, America.
After the humiliating incident, Sheaffer filed a complaint with the city. She then took the cause to her Facebook page, posting messages about positive body image and thanking supporters from around the world.
“You know, where there’s 16- to 18-year-old girls, wearing just the same amount, and no one’s criticizing them, or making them feel ashamed, or making them feel uncomfortable in their bodies… It’s summertime. It’s a swimming pool, I’m wearing a swimming suit…” she said in one passionate interview with KSHB Kansas City.
Watch the video report here: ABCnews/Youtube
Sources: AWM, NYDailyNews
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