A woman has urged people to be kind after claiming she was subjected to cruel body shaming abuse while on the beach with her children. Rachel Meredith, from Ebbw Vale, treated her two young children and their friend to a trip to Aberavon beach on June 2 when she said the incident happened.
The 37-year-old said she had settled on the beach at around 12.30pm when she received several hurtful comments by a number of adults. She said one child who saw what happened echoed their comments and threw sand on her in front of her children before she left the area upset.
She said: "I went down to Aberavon beach with my two children aged eight and 13, one of which is disabled. My little girl's friend joined us too who is also eight. We found a disabled parking space and headed straight to the beach. I went to the toilets beforehand, changed my trousers into something shorter and put a vest top on and then went down to the beach. I settled on the rock and the children started to play.
Read more: Terrified teen fled men she feared planned to bundle her into boot of car
"I have been losing weight and I felt a bit self-conscious wearing this top. I had a bra on underneath which looked exactly like a bikini top. I very quickly decided to change my top, which took me 10 seconds if that. I noticed two people in their 20s laughing and I turned around to see what they were laughing at and didn't see anything so thought nothing of it. I sat down and settled myself as I watched the children play and I heard: 'Excuse me? Do you mind keeping your top on?'.
"I said: 'I just changed my top – it's on now.' and they said: 'Okay but can you just keep it on?' to which I told them I would but they kept going. I told them to leave me alone as I am here with my children."
Rachel said she was very shocked at what happened next when she claimed a child she did not know approached her and joined in. She said: "A little boy came over and said to me: 'Will you keep your top on?' then stuck his tongue out and threw sand at me. Then a man from behind chipped in. He said: 'I saw you – you had your boobs out'."
Although she felt very uncomfortable Rachel said on principle she decided not to leave the area as she had done nothing wrong and her children were playing nicely. As the comments continued Rachel said she pretended to phone the police to see if that would stop it. However when it continued she decided to genuinely call the police who advised her to leave the area.
"We went further up the beach and I phoned my partner and said: 'You won't believe what just happened to me'," Rachel said. "A group of girls with kids overheard my conversation and asked if I'm okay and I said: 'No, I can't believe what happened'. They were like a family who took us in. They told me to stay with them and they wouldn't let anything like that happen to me."
Rachel said while she was being abused she heard no comments that specifically referred to her weight but she believed their aim was to shame and embarrass her because of her body. She said it could have had a devastating impact on her if she had been in a different mindset that day.
"I don't know for sure if it is body shaming – it might just be because I'm conscious of the fact that I am overweight," she said. "I've always struggled with my weight and I've always been vocal about the fact that some people are addicted to drugs, some to booze, but when I get stressed I turn to food. I am on the waiting list for the weight management service so it is something I am very aware of. If you are self-conscious about something then that's how you are going to take a comment like that.
"It was a boiling hot day and there were thousands of people walking around with swimsuits on and bikini tops on – why did they pick on me to say that? They also targeted me because I was on my own with my children. I suffer with anxiety and depression anyway but if I had been in an anxious episode at that point it would have put me off going to the beach ever again."
Rachel said she was upset in the days that followed but feels lucky that it won't have a lasting impact on her mental health. However she said she also had upsetting personal news which the individuals were not aware of when they made the cruel comments. She said the experience could have had severe consequences for someone else and wants to share her story to encourage people to think before they speak.
She said: "It did knock me for a few days and I was crying a lot. When I moved [further down the beach] I struggled to hold my composure in front of the children because I was nervous of where they were or if they were going to start on me again. I want to share what happened to tell people to be kind to each other – you don't know what is going on in people's lives.
"Since that event I have had a horrendous few days and have found out a [loved one] is gravely ill. It's knocked me for six. People need to be kind to each other. I am currently studying counselling and psychology so I understand mental health struggles and that could have really hurt somebody."
In a bid to educate people on the impact their words can have Rachel shared her experience on social media. She received an overwhelming amount of support with around a thousand shares and nearly 300 comments. In the post she told people how the incident left her "shaking with anger and nerves at not knowing what they would do".
She said: "I put the post up because people have got to be aware that things they say can be really harmful. Especially in this day and age people are suffering so much with their mental health . If I wasn't such a strong person that could have gone a very different way.
"The response has been incredible. I have had so many positive comments.I am absolutely amazed at the support I have had and it has made me feel 10 times better. It shows there are compassionate people in the world and people who do care about mental health struggles.
"I've had a lot of comments from people saying: 'Please don't let this put you off Aberavon' and that definitely won't happen. It's a lovely area and beach which I always go to with my children and this hasn't put me off going there – especially as I had some lovely ladies look after me after the event happened."
READ MORE:
- Woman cruelly labelled as ‘the fat one’ at work loses 7.5st in amazing transformation
'My friends thought I had Botox - but it was a £10 anti-ageing cream from Boots’
- 'Possessed' man locks down GP surgery with 'extreme' violence
- The Welsh Government is thinking about banning artificial grass
- Swarm of bees land on one of Cardiff city centre's busiest streets
