Madelyn could tell that the employee was disturbed by something. She knew her children could be noisy, but there were a lot of other kids around who were even louder than them.
But as it turned out, her children weren't the problem. It was her bathing suit that was bothering the young woman.
She Was Proud Of Her Body
Madelyn had been working out for several years and was proud of her body. The day before going to the waterpark, she went to the store and purchased a bright pink one-piece bikini.
Needless to say, she looked beautiful in it! After years of struggling with her body image, Madelyn finally started to feel comfortable wearing bikinis and dresses. But despite how happy and proud she felt, she had no idea that her day off would end up with shame and guilt.
She Was Wearing A One-Piece Swimsuit
Madelyn didn't think her bikini was revealing. It was a simple one-piece swimsuit with some flowers on it.
But once she took off her clothes at the water park, she felt like everybody's eyes were on her.
Everyone's Eyes Were On her
A lot of men, including the park employees, were staring at her, so she quickly got into the water to avoid being the center of attention.
However, when Madelyn noticed the staff staring and smiling at her, she had no idea that they were actually judging her.
Her Bikini Was “Inappropriate"
After a few minutes, two staff members approached her and said something that left her at a loss for words.
One of the female employees told Madelyn that her bikini was "too small" and "inappropriate." They also reminded her that "this is a family park." The young mom couldn't believe what she was hearing. Why was she being singled out?
She Felt Violated
She felt violated and offended.
"I was embarrassed for a second, and then it was no, no way." Little did she know, this was only the beginning...
She Lost More Than 100 Pounds
Madelyn weighed 170 pounds at the time of the incident. Sure, she wasn't the skinniest girl at the park, but she managed to lose over 100 pounds over the last few years.
“My body is different than the young girls that were walking around in their bikinis, but why should I be made ashamed of my body?” she said.
She Was Furious
“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 furious with the two women. "Well, I am not covering up," she told them. "And if you expect me to leave, you had better call the police and have them escort me out." Seeing that Madelyn wasn't going to give up, they called the police and asked them to escort her out.
The Officers Escorted Her Out
"Fifteen minutes later, the police did arrive and said that while they did not agree, they had to do their job," Madelyn recalls.
“We can’t actually say anything...but I hope from the expressions on our face you can tell how we feel,” the officers told her.
They Agreed With Her
"They were compassionate. They, too, thought it was ridiculous," Madelyn wrote in her Facebook post.
“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,” she continued.
She Didn't Do Anything Wrong
Madelyn went on to say, “I will not be discriminated against because I look too good in one.”
“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.”
Discrimination
“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,” she explained.
But how did the people react to her story?
She Received A Lot Of Support
Madelyn's Facebook post has been seen by thousands of people from around the world.
They were furious with the staff's behavior at the Adventure Oasis Water Park. But Madelyn knew this wouldn't be enough to make them pay for what they had done.
She Contacted The Media
“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,” she wrote.
She didn't expect to receive so much support from strangers.
So Much Love
Madelyn turned to Facebook to express her gratitude, "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,”