When Julie Venn and her daughter went for 13-year-old Riley’s annual check up, they would have been forgiven for expecting it to be a routine affair.
It started off as such, with the teen being asked basic questions about her bedtime, exercise habits and diet. Riley answered them all honestly, before admitting that the previous school year had been difficult.
It was when she said this that the nurse practitioner pressed on, demanding to know: “Tell me RILEY, HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN ALL OF THIS WEIGHT YOU’VE GAINED?”
The backlash
For Julie, that was enough. She could see her daughter’s eyes welling up and so instincts took over.
As she wrote on Facebook: “I had a literal, physical reaction. I put my hand up and said, ‘STOP! You need to stop talking to my daughter about her weight. She is 13, she is strong. She is healthy and she is PERFECT. You need to move on!’”
The mom didn’t stop there, however. No, Julie pushed on, documenting the whole experience in a lengthy Facebook post that’s since garnered plenty of attention.
The post
As you can imagine, some people have supported Venn’s views on the matter, whilst others think she overreacted.
Where do you stand on the topic? Did Venn react accordingly to what she perceived to be body shaming toward her daughter? Let us know in the comments box below.
In any case, it’s important that everyone feels comfortable in their own body. Share this article to show you’re against body shaming!