A plus-size influencer has taken to social media to claim that she was “body-shamed” at Disneyland.
Gracie Bon, 27, who was enjoying a day out with her siblings, said her visit was marred by fellow parkgoers who stared, laughed, and even took photos of her.
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Gracie, a prominent advocate for body positivity, shared her experience on Instagram with her 6.4 million followers.
In a video post, she explained how she was singled out because of her curvy figure, with people around her gawping and snapping pictures.
“I was body shamed during my trip to Disneyland – people wouldn’t stop staring at my curvy body, but it’s what makes me unique,” she wrote. “It’s time to stop body shaming. We’re all different shapes and sizes and that’s what makes us unique.”
In the video, Gracie can be seen attracting unwanted attention from other visitors, and in the caption, she expressed her frustration over the public’s behavior.
“It’s time to stop body-shaming other people,” she urged her followers. “I was at Disneyland today, I wanted to have fun with my siblings, but our day was ruined by all the people making fun of the size of my body. The worst part is that they teach their kids to do the same.”
Gracie continued to highlight the cruel behavior she faced throughout the day: “They kept taking photos of me, they gave me bad looks all the time, or just kept laughing at me.”
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Addressing possible critics, she added: “I know you may think that I am exaggerating and that it’s my fault for being a big girl, but this is literally what God gave me, and I have to embrace every single part of me.
“Even if you have a condition or you look different, you shouldn’t be bullied for the way you look.”
Gracie concluded with a message of respect: “I would never talk negatively about someone else’s appearance. Respect is key.
“This should be a safe space where everyone feels comfortable, and I wasn’t doing anything, just existing. At the end of the day, I just wanted to have fun like everyone else. If you don’t like something, stop hating and keep it to yourself.”
People were left divided over the video, with some being less than sympathetic towards the influencer.
One person wrote: “You weren’t born this way so don’t cry about body shaming. You did this to yourself.”
A second added: “But God didn’t give you all that. Stop bringing God into the mix. Your doctor gave you all that.”
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However, Gracie was also offered support in the comments, as one person said: “Don’t worry at all. You are beautiful just the way God made you! People are just jealous that you are so beautiful!”
A second supporter said: “I’m sorry people can be so cruel and judge so harshly when they have no room to judge. You are beautiful.”
Another added: “You can’t blame the people . It’s honestly hard to not look . The reason people look is because when human eye sees something new for the first time we just look. It’s normal human reaction.”
This isn’t the first time that Gracie has split opinion.
Earlier this year she responded to online trolls who told her to “buy two seats” after she called on airlines to offer more spacious seating for passengers.
She dismissed the suggestion of buying two seats, stating: “Buying two airplane seats doesn’t fix my problem. Airplanes are too small for big people. It’s 2024, bodies are changing, so planes should too.”
Gracie stood by her statement, adding: “I’m not going to lose my butt just to fit on a plane, so people should either give me another solution or make planes bigger.”