A wedding photographer named Rachel Taylor hit her local Old Navy ahead of Independence Day. She ended up purchasing a fabulous patriotic tank top for a very unexpected reason. Rachel overheard a mother and daughter poking fun at the plus-sized shirt, and the conversation struck a nerve. Rachel couldn’t help but take the moment personally, but she rose above ths situation, grabbed the tank top, and snapped this victorious selfie in the dressing room. Then Rachel tagged Old Navy on Facebook and posted this message:
Old Navy, thank you for having adorable clothes for all shapes & sizes. I’d like to tell you the story behind this tank top and why I’ll be rocking it tomorrow for July 4th.
Today I was shopping in Old Navy, standing in between a teenage girl and her mom. The girl picked up a plus-size tank top, showed it to her mom and said, “Look! Me and So-and-so can fit in this tank top!” Her mom laughed and said, “Yeah, you could! That thing is huge!”
I couldn’t help it; I started crying. I guess the girl and her mom walked away. I have no idea. My husband walked me out of the store to the car. I sat in the car crying for a long time but eventually went back inside to finish my shopping.
I ended up buying that tank top because, it turns out, I look fierce in it!
Be kind. Think about others before you speak. And if someone hurts you, you have to move on.
The dressing room photo quickly went viral. The Facebook comment thread exploded with reactions. Old Navy offered Rachel a significant gift card, which she graciously declined.
The other comments reflected a spectrum of responses. Many people felt Rachel was too sensitive to comments that she simply overheard. Others understood exactly how she felt and confirmed how “fierce” Rachel looked owning the tank top.
(Via Hello Giggles)