OH NO SO SHAMED, (asked to wear a shirt, not a bikini top) Found story on FB-  "This photo was taken of me moments after a server at McMenamins asked me if I could put on a shirt.  He repeatedly said that this is "a family restaurant" and "no shoes, no service" while I just sat silently stunned.  This experience was jarring. Honestly, it took a moment to sink in. At first when asked to put on a shirt, I was confused and looked around the table at my friends to figure out who wasn't wearing a shirt.  As I quickly realized he was talking to me I was so stunned I didn't have words.  One of the folks I was with tried to explain to him that we just got done swimming at the pool because I was wearing a hot pink swim top, the server pushed forward and kept repeating "family restaurant" and "no shoes, no shirt, no service" and then in what was probably 10 seconds, but felt like hours, we got up and left.  After spending a few moments stunned and several moments angry, I ended up breaking down crying on the sidewalk. I'm grateful that I was with three other fat queer folks who knew what had happened to me, that I didn't have to explain. I'm grateful that they all stood around me and held me while I cried on the sidewalk. This story is hard to share. I'm angry that my first response to being shamed for my body is to want to shrink, to disappear, to wish for a different, small, more "acceptable" body. I'm angry that I live in a culture that some stranger felt it was literally his job to let me know that my body isn't acceptable, that I need to cover it. I'm angry because I spent this morning sobbing and feeling like my body is obscene and not "family friendly" and that the person who said this to me will not even have a second thought about this.  I'm angry because I know that a thin person could wear this exact outfit to any restaurant and not be bothered or threatened refusal of service. I'm sharing this because I think it's important to let people know that fat shaming exists. Fat shaming is real. Fat shaming is violent. Fat shaming hurts. I'm hurting. This hurts.  And furthermore, I'm embarrassed that I'm hurting because body shame is real and vulnerable and painful. I will not be back to McMenamins. And I hope you won't either. But furthermore, I'm writing this for myself and for other fat folks as a reminder: My fat body is not the problem. My body is not obscene. My body is beautiful and perfect and mine. I deserve better than this. We, fat folks, deserve better than this. I'm allowed be fat and to take up space. I'm allowed to be fat and wear whatever I want. I'm allowed to be fat in public. I'm allowed to have a fat body and feel safe. I'm allowed to exist." Picture of what she was wearing in comments.  ~~~