Madelyn was furious when the staff told her she had to leave the water park. "I don't understand?" she shouted. "Why do I have to leave?!"
She had been bullied her whole life, and she wasn't going to let it slide today. "I'm not going anywhere," she yelled. "There's nothing wrong with what I'm wearing!" Then, the cops arrived.
Madelyn Scheaffer
Madelyn Scheaffer from Odessa, Missouri, wasn't always as confident as she is now. She had neglected to take care of herself in the past and was overweight.
“That should have been the first sign for me that I needed to lose weight, but it took me another year before I made the decision to do something,” she said.
The Day Of
It all started when Madelyn decided to spend one particularly hot day by the pool. She had recently lost a lot of weight and felt proud of herself.
She never expected the day to end with tears and shame, thanks to the cruel staff at the waterpark.
Center Of Attention
Madelyn didn't think there was anything wrong with the bikini she was wearing that day. But as soon as she pulled her top over her head, she could feel the park employees staring at her.
Madelyn didn't pay them attention and slid into the cool pool water. Little did she know what awaited her.
Inappropriate Bikini
A few minutes later, two female employees approached her. Madelyn couldn't believe what she was hearing.
One of the girls informed her that her bikini bottoms were "inappropriate" and "too small."
In Shock
"Are you serious?!" Madelyn exclaimed. "There's nothing wrong with my bikini!"
The employees began to laugh at her. “This is a family park,” one of the girls explained.
Embarrassment
Madelyn was mortified. She was wearing "full" bikini bottoms, how dare they shame her in front of everyone!
“I was embarrassed for a second, and then it was no, no way,” she recalls. It was time to teach these girls a lesson.
Unfair
Madelyn had recently lost over 100 pounds and was proud of herself. Sure, her body wasn't perfect, but that didn't mean she couldn't wear a bikini like all the other women in the park.
“My body is different than the young girls that were walking around in their bikinis, but why should I be ashamed of my body?” she said.
Singled Out
“I am comfortable in my bikini. I am happy with who I am. My first reaction was why are you singling me out? They said that my bottoms were inappropriate. That was funny to me because they are full-size bottoms.”
Madelyn was clearly being singled out. But what could she do about it?
Resisting
Madelyn was given two options. She could either cover herself up or leave the water park.
"Well, I am not covering up," Madelyn said. "And if you expect me to leave, you had better call the police and have them escort me out."
The Police Arrived
About twenty minutes later, two officers arrived and escorted Madelyn from the waterpark.
“Fifteen minutes later, the police did arrive and said that while they did not agree, they had to do their job. “We can’t actually say anything,” they said as we walked outside…but I hope from the expressions on our faces you can tell how we feel,” Madelyn explained.
Ridiculous
"They were compassionate. They, too, though it was ridiculous," she continued.
"I am a 43-year-old woman who did not have the confidence or the body to put on a bikini until I was 40 years old," Madelyn continued in her post. "I will not be discriminated against because I look too good in one."
Discrimination
“This was not a thong. It was a standard, summertime, two-piece, string bikini… the same as everyone else, who felt confident enough in their body to wear one.”
“I felt like it was both age and body discrimination, and I felt like I could look around me, and I could see a handful of other girls half my age, wearing the same size swimming suit and not being singled out and told to put on clothes or leave,” Madelyn explained.
Facebook Post
Madelyn's post had gone viral almost instantly. People from all over the world were appalled by the employee's behavior.
“Long story short, I called the media and will be on tonight’s local 41 news. Several people walked out while I waited outside for the newsman, and told me how ridiculous this all was, and complimented me on my swimsuit,” Madelyn continued.
Support From All Over The World
“In addition to other countries already mentioned, I have now heard from Greece, China, Hong Kong…and received over 500 beautiful letters from Brazil.
"I have been wanting to see the world, and now the world is coming to me, and sending much Love."