Have We Become ‘Size Selective’ When It Comes To Fashion Shaming [OPINION]

You may have read the story from earlier this week when a woman was asked to leave a Golden Corral restaurant because a customer had apparently complained that her attire was too provocative.

The 25-year-old mother was wearing a new crop top and denim shorts, said that she was approached by a manager who told her she was dressed "too provocatively" and the manager said she either needed to change or leave. Sueretta  Emke said that she saw other customers at the restaurant in more revealing clothing and she believes she was discriminated against because of her size.

She admits she is larger in size, yet felt she was not breaking any dress codes, of which the restaurant admits are not in place. Her shorts were not very short, and the top showed very little skin in the stomach area. All I could think of when reading this is how she must have felt in front of her family and friends. The hardest part was the fact that Emke had never owned a crop top before. She was nervous but felt confident enough to wear one with her husband's encouragement. She was embracing her beautiful self.

My heart broke for her when I imagine her trying to explain to her children why she was asked to leave. So was she fashion shamed based on size or truly on attire? Would a woman wearing the same exact outfit yet smaller in size have been also asked to leave?

Just about a year ago a local high school was looking to ban female students from wearing yoga pants as they were being viewed as distracting to male students. Yet, some students that complained that the style of pants were one of their few clothing options due to their larger size. Parents we outraged that a person's size was going to determine whether attire would be allowed on a student by student basis. So the shaming can obviously work both ways.

It has become a challenge more than anything for women to embrace their individual style and combat the judgment that can raise. Two women can dress identical for a job interview. A basic black pencil skirt and a scoop neck top. A thin girl is perceived to be stylish, whereas the curvy girl will be seen as promiscuous simply due to being more endowed in the chest region. Same outfit, same look, two different perceptions. The same then could easily be applied to the woman asked to leave the restaurant for her attire. If she would have been a size 2 would she have been approached by the manager at all?

This era of making someone feel ashamed of their body or clothing choices is only hurting the young women we are trying to raise with positive self-worth and attitudes. By doing so we may be unintentionally objectifying these impressionable minds by their appearance, instead of getting them to embrace who they are. Our reality should be knowing we can't control what others think of who we are or what we wear, and we should rise above putting ourselves or others down for what they choose to wear because of their shape or size.