Mom and Daughter Fall Victim to Body Shaming While Shopping For Dresses

   By SheSpeaksTeam  Jan 29, 2016
3

Kansas mom, Megan Naramore, and her 13 year old daughter were having one of those days that every mom dreams about, picking out a dress for her daughter’s first formal dance. Unfortnately for Naramore the day took an ugly turn when a sales associate gave out some offensive unsolicited advice at her daughter’s expense.

Today reports about the incident and Naramore’s Facebook post about it that has since gone viral. While trying on dresses in a department store Naramore’s daughter, Lexi Harris, humored her mother by trying on a red dress that she didn’t really like at Naramore’s request.

When Harris sashayed out of the dressing room it was obvious to both mother and daughter that the dress was a little too old for her and not really appropriate for the dance. But before setting it aside, Naramore decided to snap a photo of the momentous occasion. Just as Naramore is getting all caught up in the moment, a sales associate walks through. Naramore explains, “The saleswoman walked in and told her she was fat. She pointed out Lexi's flaws and then told her, 'If you're going to wear that dress, you would need to wear Spanx.”

According to Naramore the sales associate continued to point out Lexi’s “imperfections” while Naramore tried to explain that they were just playing dress up, didn’t plan to by the dress and that she thinks her daughter is perfect the way she is. Naramore then went home and couldn’t forget about the encounter. She posted the pic of Lexi trying on the red dress and included a message to the sale associate about the dangers of body shaming young girls.

Naramore writes on Facebook:

Dear sales lady at Dillard's Towne East Mall,

This is my teenage daughter who wanted to try on dresses for an upcoming formal. I found this dress and asked her to try it on. She told me this was not her style, but tried it on for me. I told her how grown up it made her look and she smiled, and told me this made her look too old but still, she let me take a picture. Right after that, you entered and told my daughter she needed to wear SPANX if she wanted to wear this dress. I told my daughter to go change. I told you that she was just fine without SPANX. You continued to argue with me. We left soon after. I wish I had told you how many girls suffer from poor self image and telling them they need something to make them perfect can be very damaging. Girls of all ages, shapes and sizes are perfect because that is how God made them. If they feel good in a dress, that is all that should matter. My daughter is tall, she swims, runs, dances and does yoga. She's fit. She's beautiful. She did not need you telling her that she is not perfect. I hope this is shared and gets back to you so that you should not say something like that to a girl ever again. You never know what negative or positive thoughts they are thinking about themselves.

Sincerely,

Mother of a beautiful girl

 

What do you think about this mother’s experience trying on dresses with her daughter?

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TamJu46 by TamJu46 | PIKEVILLE, KY
Mar 23, 2016

Awful, that a sales person thinks she has the right to pinpoint flaws on an impressionable young lady. Teens has enough peer pressure and social media trying to teach young girls to be perfect is fitting (starving) in a size 0. Size shouldn't define a person, value is so much more. The sales person should be fired.!Yes, she is beautiful young lady and your perfect the way you are.

nutmeg by nutmeg | MATTITUCK, NY
Mar 04, 2016

That is horrible !! I think Dillard's should be aware of how their store is being represented, and that it will not be tolerated. I commend you and your daughter for making that stand, I by the way, think your daughter is beautiful inside and out ~ God Bless !

WillowCloud by WillowCloud | Delray, WV
Feb 02, 2016

I think she should have told the sales person to mind her own business and that her "opinion" was not needed!!! And then I would have found her Manager and told them how unprofessional the sales person was and that she should be reprimanded. REALLY... that sales woman was WAY out of line and had no right to say anything. It's like my Mother always told me, "If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all"!!!!!