Plus-Size Woman Poses in Ridiculed Old Navy Tank Top

Epiphanies come in unexpected places. For Rachel Taylor, the light bulb went off in an Old Navy change room.

She overheard a mother and daughter mock a plus-size tank top:

“Look! Me and So-and-so can fit in this tank top!” said the daughter while the mom laughed and responded, “Yeah, you could! That thing is huge!”

Not surprisingly, those words were hurtful to Taylor, who herself wears a plus size. After the initial sting that drove her to cry in her car, Taylor returned to her shopping.

She not only purchased the "huge" tank top, but posted a change room selfie looking "fierce" in it.

Taylor then shared her story on Old Navy’s Facebook page, where the post garnered over 150,000 likes.

While many celebrated her move, others criticized her for being overly sensitive:

"{P}osting a photo on social media is NOT an invitation to criticize, ridicule, or judge someone. Calling me a crybaby, telling me to save my shopping money for therapy, telling me to 'do something' about my weight… what does that accomplish other than making yourself look like a fool?

Sitting behind a keyboard commenting on someone else’s life doesn’t make you superior; it makes you a troll."

She's right. Casual fat-shaming goes on all the time in stores and malls, and no one bats a lid. Too bad that mom didn't take the opportunity to teach her daughter a thing or two instead of laughing along.

Such throwaway remarks aren't harmless. Though the incident wasn't directed at Taylor personally, the sentiment is so prevalent, it's no wonder she struggled to stay stoic initially.

Having said that, I applaud her for not only buying the tank but proudly wearing it. Her epiphany needs to be printed in change rooms everywhere:

“Be kind," she wrote on Facebook. "Think about others before you speak. And if someone hurts you, you have to move on.”

^{Image Source: Facebook}