So Much For A Fun Day Out
Who would have thought that, what was originally intended to be a lovely family day out, could ultimately end up having such disastrous consequences? Outings like this don’t come around all that often, so when they do, one can only hope that they will be perfect.
Source: Google Images
It wasn’t the obnoxious kids continuously splashing and dunking each other nearby that set this woman off. Nor was it the overpriced entrance tickets and food. It seemed that several girls nearby were extremely bitter about the fact that the men couldn’t stop staring at her. These girls had singled her out and sh wasn’t going to put up with it.
Madelyn Sheaffer
Madelyn Sheaffer was a loving and dedicated mother from Odessa, Missouri. She did absolutely everything in her power to ensure that her family were well looked after. Family was the most important thing in the world to this loving mother.
Source: ABC News
However, when she reached her mid 30s, something happened that would cause her to make an earth-shattering discovery. Now, seven years later, this group of nasty teenagers at the waterpark were attempting to undo all her hard work.
Bold Decision
It all started on one particularly warm day. Madelyn had decided to do something bold. She would never have even considered doing this previously, but she had become increasingly more confident over the past few months, so she decided that now was a better time than any.
Source: top5.com
She took one of her old swimming costumes out of its box and tried it on, for the first time in a very long time. When she saw her reflection in the mirror, she smiled at what she saw – it fitted her perfectly! She couldn’t have been happier. However, this happiness wouldn’t last for long. This decision would ultimately result in total humiliation and an epic battle for her rights.
Attracting Attention
Madelyn rounded up her family, ready for a surprise outing to Adventure Oasis Water Park. Not only was she very excited to take the family out, but she felt confident. She was also proud of herself for having the courage to go out in this bikini.
Source: xfreehub.com
She left the house with the bikini tied up and a dress over the top. She thought she looked perfectly acceptable. However, when she arrived at the waterpark and headed over to the pool, pulling the dress over her head as she walked, she suddenly became aware that people were staring at her.
Unsettling Stares
Madelyn started to feel very self-conscious, unsurprisingly. Rather than getting into the pool, she sat back down and put her towel around her. She looked around to see whether there were any other women in skimpy bikinis and there were plenty, but all the men were only staring at her.
Source: xfreehub.com
She felt incredibly uncomfortable, but she decided to try and make the best of a bad situation. Instead of reacting, she made a point of smiling warmly at a couple of teenage employees. To her dismay, they sniggered back at her. She never could have anticipated that the police would end up getting involved.
Rising Above It
Madelyn decided that she wouldn’t sink to their level. She decided that she would ignore the situation and try to enjoy herself. She mentally prepared herself and then proceeded to drop her towel and head back over to the swimming pool.
Source: ABC News
She had a quick glance around before sliding into the water. She closed her eyes and put all thoughts of other people to one side, focusing instead on how refreshing the cool water felt. She finally began to relax. However, a few minutes later, the two female staff members approached her. They were clearly just looking for trouble.
She Couldn’t Believe Her Ears
When Madelyn heard what these girls were asking of her, she thought it was some kind of joke. They couldn’t be serious. She could feel herself blushing with embarrassment. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was completely ridiculous!
Source: richouses.com
They were telling her that she had to leave. How could this be!? She hadn’t even done anything! She squinted up at them through the intense sunlight and asked them to repeat themselves, just to make sure that she was hearing correctly. Why were they commenting on her bikini?
A Shocking Response
Madelyn was completely taken aback. She asked that they tell her the real reason why they had decided to single her out. She had a suspicion, but she really hoped that she was mistaken. Surely this wasn’t the reason. It couldn’t be. She was about to find out…
Source: ABC News
While she had mentally prepared for this answer, she was still shocked at their response. It wasn’t long before this shock turned into rage. Madelyn couldn’t believe that this was really the reason, especially in this day and age. This kind of thing didn’t happen anymore.
Inappropriate Attire
One of the girls confirmed what Madelyn had been worried about. She had, in fact, heard correctly the first time. As one of the girls repeated what she had previously said, she sighed and rolled her eyes at Madelyn, with a look of disgust on her face.
Source: worldlifestyle.com
She towered over Madelyn in an attempt to intimidate her, as she explained that the bikini bottoms she was wearing were “too small” and “inappropriate.” As she said this, she smirked at Madelyn. “This is a family park,” she added in a very passive aggressive tone. Surely this wasn’t for real…
Spiteful
Madelyn was absolutely mortified. However, she knew that she was being treated unfairly. She knew that her bikini bottoms weren’t inappropriate. She looked around at the other girls at the water park feeling utterly confused and annoyed.
Source: ABC News
Her blood boiled as she registered that most of the girls there were actually showing a lot more skin than she was. This didn’t add up. She was convinced that these girls were acting purely out of spite when they had rudely told her to leave the premises.
A Lot Of Emotion
Madelyn experienced a whole range of emotions as she struggled to come to terms with the situation she was in. This was evident from the changing expressions on her face. She felt a real sense of shame and embarrassment at the fact that these young girls were commenting on her body.
Source: ABC News
Madelyn felt totally violated. Triggered by these emotions, she was about to respond, but she decided against it, as she started to feel something else. “I was embarrassed for a second, and then it was no, no way,” she explained on a Facebook post.
Standing Her Ground
The girls were still staring her down, clearly trying to make her feel intimidated. She was not going to let them win. Not today. She turned to face them, ready to defend herself. She was ready to make a stand against these girls who were half her age.
Source: worldlifestyle.com
If this incident had happened just a few years before, Madelyn knew that she would not have reacted in the same way. She would have lacked the confidence to actually stand up for herself. Why did these girls have such an issue with her? She didn’t understand.
Jealousy
At the age of 43 and weighing 170 pounds, Madelyn was feeling healthier and more confident than ever. She had managed to lose 100 pounds and maintain that weight. It had been a challenge to reach that point, but she had succeeded through sheer determination.
Source: worldlifestyle.com
While she was happy with this weight, her body was far from perfect. This didn’t stop the men at the waterpark from gawping at her. There could only be one logical reason for these girl’s behaviour towards Madelyn, they were obviously jealous.
Unfair Treatment
“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?” Madelyn asked… with good reason. “I am comfortable in my bikini. I am happy with who I am.”
Source: Facebook/Madelyn Scheaffer
She continued: “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.” What was she going to do about this? She couldn’t let this happen. She had to do something.
The Situation Escalates
The women didn’t seem to want to let this one go. They explained to Madelyn that she had just two options, either she covered herself up with a pair of shorts, or they would kick her out of the waterpark. At this point, Madelyn was furious. She demanded that she speak to the supervisor on duty.
Source: xfreehub.com
“Well I am not covering up” Madelyn retorted. “And if you expect me to leave, you had better call the police and have them escort me out.” Madelyn had been through too much already throughout the course of her life, to put up with being treated like this.
A Tragic Accident
Back in 2005, something awful happened to Madelyn. She made a shocking discovery concerning her health that meant that she would be forced to change certain aspects of her lifestyle. This came as a big surprise to Madelyn, it was completely unexpected.
Source: ABC News
One day, she was running a bath and as she leant over to check the water temperature, she slipped and fell in. Prior to this, she had been suffering from a slipped disc in her back. This had happened as a result of her lifestyle. This was the final straw.
Lifestyle Choices
When the emergency services turned up at the scene, Madelyn turned them away. She was in an unbelievable amount of pain and couldn’t face being lifted out of the tub. She remained there for three days, contrary to the wishes of the doctors.
Source: ABC News
As she lay in the bath, in excruciating pain, a real sense of calm overcame her. She had plenty of time to think and came to the conclusion that she hadn’t been taking good enough care of herself up until this point, her sole focus had been looking after her family. This accident had to be a sign that things needed to change.
Lifestyle Changes
“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,” Madelyn stated. When she finally did make that decision, it had certainly paid off, but she didn’t expect to be treated this way as a result.
Source: nydailynews
At this moment, she felt as if she had taken five steps backwards. She was back in that awful place, feeling completely broken. She was almost at the point of giving up and leaving the park, but she suddenly felt a surge of adrenaline. She felt herself clenching her fists. She wouldn’t let them get away with this!
Out
It wasn’t long before these girls’ supervisors arrived, just as Madelyn had requested. She hoped for some fair treatment, but this was not going to happen. They did exactly what Madelyn had feared they would do and kicked her out of the waterpark!
Source: worldlifestyle.com
“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 explained, “but I hope from the expressions on our face you can tell how we feel,” Madelyn wrote on a Facebook post that has since gone viral. “They were compassionate. They, too, thought it was ridiculous.”
Outrage
“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 explained on her post. “I will not be discriminated against because I look too good in one.”
Source: ABC News
She went on: “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.” It was totally unfair that she had been punished for feeling good about herself.
Nothing She Could Do
“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.”
Source: Inside Edition
While this was completely unfair treatment, both in her own eyes, and those of her followers on Facebook, there wasn’t much she could do about it unfortunately. The harsh decision had been made and the damage had been done. There was no going back now.
Discrimination
Madelyn’s post about her shocking experience at the waterpark has since been seen by people all over the world. She had been unfairly treated and discriminated against and this was something that people viewed as cruel and entirely unjust.
Source: Bustle
People could not believe that the staff at, what was supposed to be a friendly and welcoming waterpark, were capable of behaving in such a nasty way. While Madelyn was happy that people were taking her side, she knew that this wouldn’t be enough to make the staff understand that they had acted unfairly towards her.
Contacting 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,” Madelyn wrote on Facebook.
Source: ABC News
Her post ended up gaining more traction than she had originally anticipated. A lot more. This definitely provided Madelyn with some consolation. At least she had a supportive network around her. She was glad she had uploaded this to Facebook first.
Gratitude
Madelyn wanted her followers on Facebook to know how grateful she was for their support. This support had given her the confidence to take this story to the media, which, she believed, was important so that this kind of mistake wouldn’t be made again.
Source: ABC News
“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,” she wrote.
A Lesson Learnt
“One thing I have learned so far is that there is a much greater viewpoint and perspective of the human body than what is to be found in Independence, Missouri worldwide… and I thank and appreciate you for that!” Madelyn wrote, enthusiastically.
Source: ABC News
She went on: “Much love to those who express pride over shame for all shapes, sizes, in addition to various ages and stages, of this beautiful human body we inhabit our time on earth.” What is it exactly that Madelyn hopes to achieve by drawing attention to the waterpark’s unfair treatment of her?
Striving For Change
“While I stand by my grievance that I was discriminated against at Adventure Oasis Water Park… and I do not believe it should happen again,” Madelyn explained, in the hope of gaining the continued support of her followers.
Source: ABC News
“It is not money that is going to correct the issue, but a change in the swimming park’s “appropriate swimming attire” policy, and also an improvement involving better education and orientation of their park management.”