A mum says she was left feeling utterly defeated after a photographer body-shamed her during a festive shopping trip with her little girl. Mini Westwood had been looking forward to taking daughter April for their yearly photoshoot with Santa at their local shopping centre.
Unfortunately, their excitement soon turned to humiliation when the photographer loudly told her to 'suck your gut in', motioning for her to do so. Mini, who has a history of mental health difficulties, including anorexia, says she froze at the instruction, and couldn't believe somebody would make such a rude comment about someone else's body.
In an interview with A Current Affair, Mini, from Brisbane, Australia, recalled: "The photographer turned around and says quite loudly, 'Mum, suck your gut in', and just motioned for me to suck my gut in. I felt good at the beginning. I left feeling rubbish."
Mini added that the Santa impersonator they'd been taking a snap with also recoiled in disgust after hearing the comment, and shot the photographer a look.
She continued: "Santa looked at me and kind of looked back at the photographer and shook his head like, you shouldn't say that to someone, especially while their child is here."
According to Mini, she was able to hold things together until they got home, at which she burst into tears. She also had to contend with April quizzing her about what exactly the photographer's remark had meant.
Mini said: "She Googled it on her iPad and she said to me, 'Mum, suck it in means that you're fat', and I was like, no, 'suck it in' is someone saying that to you who's not happy with themselves and they'll pick on you for it."
After getting in touch with the company that organises the Santa appearance, Scene to Believe, Mini was offered an immediate apology and was told she could have free Santa photos next Christmas.
In an email, Mini was advised the situation had been investigated and 'the team has been spoken to and retrained in the positive ways in which we communicate with our families'.
A Scene to Believe spokesperson told A Current Affair: "Scene To Believe was disappointed when made aware of an unfortunate experience at one of our Santa sets. Core to our values is bringing an inclusive, supportive, and magical experience to all families that visit Santa during the festive season.
"Scene To Believe is a proud partner of the Butterfly Foundation, having seen the challenges and detrimental impacts that an eating disorder has on both a child and family. These types of partnerships enable us to raise awareness with the thousands of families that visit our Santa sets during the festive season.
"They also give us the tools to better educate and upskill our 2,000 strong seasonal workforces to learn strategies that enhance inclusion and communication when visiting Santa and create magical memories in a safe environment."
Do you have a story about body-shaming to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
