A bartender has tearfully described how her appearance has impacted the way she is treated by customers in a viral TikTok.
According to Cassidy Lane, who goes by the username @body_positive_bartender on TikTok, her whole life “changed” when she gained weight while receiving help for her eating disorder after the pandemic, as she found that people began treating her rudely.
Responding to a TikTok about “pretty privilege,” Lane said: “So I work in the service industry, right, I’m a bartender, and if you were unaware, the way you look influences it a lot, whether that’s tips or how people treat you, it just does.”
Lane then became tearful as she told viewers how she has been treated since gaining weight, revealing that “people don’t even look you in the eye anymore” and “they’re not nice to you”.
According to Lane, she has found that she receives the worst treatment since gaining weight from men, with the 28-year-old explaining that she used to walk up to customers and receive positive responses, while customers now order from her without exchanging pleasantries.
Recommended
In the TikTok, Lane revealed that the difference in how she is treated because of her weight makes her feel “hopeless,” continuing: “Like, am I ever going to be worth more than my looks?”
In the caption of the video, Lane added: “We can all pretend it’s not true, but we know it is.”
Since uploading it two days ago, Lane’s video has since been viewed more than 4.6m times, with her experience resonating with hundreds of viewers.
“My weight has fluctuated all my life. I am 100 per cent treated nicer when I weigh less,” one person commented.
Another said: “THANK you for your vulnerability. This has been so heavy on my heart lately.”
“Yes, the eye contact was the first thing I noticed too,” someone else wrote.
The TikTok also prompted a response from plus-size body positivity model Tess Holliday, who commented: “I believe you.”
This is not the first time Lane has spread awareness of the need for body positivity, as she frequently posts on Instagram about the importance of self-acceptance, with the bartender captioning one photo: “There is no ‘flaw’ that exists that makes you unworthy of love.”
The Independent has contacted Lane for comment.
