A Colorado mom has alleged that she almost got arrested at a Six Flags amusement park after a park manager and police officer "body shamed" and "threatened" claiming that her shorts were too skimpy. Bailey Breedlove, who is autistic, took to Facebook and TikTok to write that her family's vacation to Frontier City Six Flags in Oklahoma City, Okla., on April 30 was ruined by the horrific "body shaming'' experience.
Breedlove also claims that she has since been banned from Six Flags. Six Flags, on the other hand, said it does not body shame and Breedlove's removal from the park was not because of her attire, but rather her behavior toward police and park employees.
Terrifying Visitors
Breedlove shared a video on Facebook and TikTok wherein she described her altercation with a female officer in the Six Flags theme park about her "too short" shorts. As she was being "body shamed" by the park employee, her 11-year-old daughter stood witness to the entire episode.
"My experience there was traumatizing. I was terrified I was about to go to jail over a pair of shorts,'' she wrote in her post, explaining that she and her family were welcomed into the park at 5 pm. At that time no one objected and things took a turn for the worse a few hours later.
The problem started after Breedlove's a park employee shouted at her. The mom said that the trip went for a toss after her "daughter was yelled at by a park police officer for rolling down a hill on her heelies right next to me, I was holding her hand."
"Then [the guard] proceeded to follow me and grabbed my shoulder to turn me around and proceeded to tell me my shorts were 'too short,' " Breedlove wrote in the May 2 posting — which included now-viral video of part of the encounter.
A terrified Breedlove then walked up to her boyfriend but the officers continued yelling at her. "I committed no crime and proceeded to walk to my boyfriend as I am autistic and have a hard time talking to officers," she recounted. "[The officer] followed me yelling and calling for backup. Then your incompetent manager showed up and began body shaming me. I was told I needed to go buy new shorts, which I am not obligated to purchase anything I don't want to," she wrote.
Harassed for No Fault
Breedlove said even after she agreed to buy a new pair of shorts, she was threatened by the officers. A shocked Breedlove couldn't do anything and stayed quiet while her daughter sat next to her and started crying, the video shows. "I was threatened with criminal trespassing when I agreed to buy new shorts so my family could enjoy their vacation,'' Breedlove said.
"I was then pushed and escorted toward the entrance. Accepting this, we were about to leave and were blocked by your female officer from leaving and she pulled out her cuffs and demanded my ID,'' said the woman. The manager and the officer both then asked for her ID, so that they could request a criminal trespass order.
Breedlove said they her family then started recording the altercation so they would have a video of the "unlawful tactics." The clip was then shared by her on social media which immediately went viral.
"They wouldn't provide us with badge numbers and I was terrified I was about to go to jail over a pair of shorts," she wrote in her post. Breedlove also said that she now has a five-year ban on entering the park, where she never wants to return in her life.
Meanwhile, according to a report in Fort-Worth Star Telegram, repo Six Flags said it does not body shame and Breedlove's removal from the park was not because of her attire, but because of her behavior toward police, Six Flags employees and other park guests.
Six Flags' dress code policy states it does "not allow clothing generally considered to be offensive." The park does not specify what the preferred length for shorts is, but said denim shorts below the knee are not permitted, according to the outlet.
"The guest was initially stopped because her shorts exposed a significant portion of her buttocks," the theme park said in a statement, adding, "She was given multiple opportunities to change or cover up, but refused. Instead, she responded with profanity and offensive conduct, including further exposing her buttocks. The guest was removed from the park after she refused to stop her unruly and offensive behavior, targeted at the police and other park guests. The video clip this guest has posted on the internet does not fully portray her behavior during this incident."
