Putting someone down because of their weight is never okay, but there are still folks who continue to do it. It’s hard to escape body shaming in a society where thinness is still considered the ideal. These negative views also filter down to children, who begin to internalize such messages.

Recently, a restaurant manager body-shamed a young child, and her heartbroken mom shared the experience online. She could not believe that someone would go out of their way to bad-mouth a kid about their size. 

More info: TikTok

Chick-fil-A manager criticized for making a 6-year-old feel bad for being “too big” for the restaurant play area instead of speaking to an adult about the issue

Image credits: heatherlynne80

“I never thought that I would have to deal with Chick-fil-A basically body shaming my six-year-old”

Heather Taylor, a mom of three, took to TikTok to share the gut-wrenching moment her 6-year-old daughter came crying to her about being body-shamed at Chick-fil-A. She explained that her kid is “bigger-boned” and tall just like most of their family. So, when the child was playing in the restaurant’s play center, a manager approached her and berated her about being too big.

Unfortunately, Heather had just taken her oldest daughter to the restroom and was not around to witness the scene. The mom even said: “I take responsibility for not noticing the size and weight limit of the play center. That is 100% my fault.” She was in tears, stating that the manager should have spoken to an adult about the issue rather than say such things to a child. 

Image credits: heatherlynne80

“You handled this so wrong, and when I went to the director who was also working there, [they] just blew me off”

The tearful mom was worried about the effect of the manager’s words on her daughter. She shared that the girl cried after hearing such mean words and she had to console the child. Heather said, “We wonder why all these girls have such issues with their image. This is why. Because now my six-year-old has a core memory, core memory that I cannot take back. I cannot change for her, of being told she’s too big at the Chick-fil-A.”

Image credits: Mike Mozart (not the actual photo)

You can watch the heartbreaking video here

@heatherlynne80 Chick-fil-a you handled this so wrong. You should never speak to a 6 year child in that way or tone ever. #chickfila #chickfilahacks #bodyshame #bodyimageissues #mamabear #chickfilahacks #dobetter @Chick-fil-A ♬ original sound – Heather Taylor

Heather was worried that her daughter would have a core memory of the time she was body-shamed at Chick-fil-A

Image credits: Zoshua Colah (not the actual photo)

The mom rightly stated that a lot of young girls have issues with their body image because of incidents like this. In fact, research shows that little girls as young as 6 wish they were thinner than their current body size. Society and the media play a big role in the way children feel about themselves and their bodies.

This kind of body dissatisfaction and pressure to be thin has been linked to anxiety and depression, especially among young kids whose bodies don’t match the ideal. Youth who are obese also tend to have lower self-esteem than their peers. Therefore, the manager’s comments toward a 6-year-old who was already taller and bigger-boned might have been extremely hurtful.

Heather could not believe that an adult would go out of their way to put down a young child. In her video she even said, “You’re an adult, you should be ashamed of yourself.” Body image issues can arise due to bullying, comments from friends and family, peer pressure, and even well-meaning adults like this. Such moments can stick with young kids and chip away at their self-esteem.

The mom was also angry that the manager did not speak to an adult about the size restriction of the play area. In a later video, she said that the height limit was 54 inches (4.5 feet) and that her daughter was somewhere in between 54-55 inches tall. She said that if the Chick-fil-A manager had spoken to her about the problem, she’d have taken her kids and left, and her daughter wouldn’t have been scarred by the incident.

Image credits: Power Lai (not the actual photo)

Heather was ready to fight for her daughter and make sure that she got some justice for the kid. In an update, she shared that she had sent an email to Chick-fil-A and left reviews on many of their platforms, but they had not yet replied. She really wanted the restaurant to take accountability for their actions and the impact it had on her daughter.

In a second update, Heather got a response from the owner of that Chick-fil-A location who seemed like he was trying to downplay the incident. He shared that the manager in question had worked there for 12 years and had kids of her own. When they checked restaurant footage (which had only video but no audio) of the incident, it showed the manager gesturing to the little girl in a way that didn’t seem intense or aggressive. The mom was not convinced by the owner’s explanation of the incident, and she felt that the matter had not been resolved. 

Unfortunately, she and her daughter did not receive an apology for the incident. But, for the young girl who might still be dealing with anxiety over the harsh words of the manager, she can benefit from some body positive self-talk. The mom could undo some of the damage by helping the daughter develop a compassionate view of her body, which has been shown to reduce anxiousness and unhealthy eating behaviors.

This one small incident might have contributed to some negative self-talk in the child’s mind. Adults should mind what they say, as it can have a big impact on children. Just like Heather, people were enraged by the manager’s behavior, and the video got 796k views and 62k likes. It’s mind-boggling that anyone from Chick-fil-A thought that this was okay. 

What would you have done if you were in Heather’s shoes? We’d love to hear your thoughts about the situation.

Commenters sided with the mom and urged her to follow up with the restaurant

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