One vignette featured a story on racial profiling. There is a real phenomenon named for it called "Shopping While Black". A boutique in upscale New York allowed the experiment to take place in their store. The scenario involved a black actress who dressed up and dressed down. In both scenarios the store clerk approaches the black actress for no reason within earshot of unsuspecting customers and states "We don't tolerate your kind here. Now just leave OK. Last week one of your kind stole a hole bunch of stuff and I am sick of it". The actress reacts as expected...hurt, crying, saying "I didn't do anything!". Not surprisingly, most people ignored or avoided the situation all together. One black man made a huge scene about it and stormed out of the store with his family...he was devastated. Another reaction involved 2 British ladies who not only walked out of the store with the black actress as she was escorted out by security...they also recruited the rest of the customers in the store to leave as well. Another white woman became extremely emotional and she was unable to stop crying or calm down for the after camera interview. This story elicited an emotional response in me, not only because of the obvious disturbing inaction of the public...but also because this has happened to me! Except my crime was "Shopping While Fat."
One day I was shopping at a panty hose specialty store. As usual, I had to kneel down on the floor because the bigger sizes are on the very bottom of the racks. I was happily chirping along....making very special plans for the black thigh highs I was about to purchase when out of the blue....the store clerk sharply tapped on my shoulder and said "EXCUUUUUUUSSSSSEEEEE ME....there is a store for YOU people next door". WTF? I was stunned! You see...the store next door was a plus-sized clothing store.I couldn't even react because it actually took me a few moments to absorb what just happened. I said "PARDON ME?" I didn't ask this woman for help...in fact..this encounter was the first time I even laid eyes on her! I swiveled on my ass and I said "These are actually for my husband to wear!" I wish I could tell you that I demanded to speak to the manager and had her fired...but I was so distressed I bought the thigh highs and ran out to cry in the car.
Another time I went shopping with a male friend to help him select Christmas presents for his girlfriend. He decided he wanted to buy her a "Far West" ski jacket. We went to the "Far West" store and started looking for the perfect jacket. My friend's girlfriend was a perfect size 2 so we went to the petite section and started digging. As I happily worked my way through the racks....a sales clerk approached me and said " WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING HERE FOR YOU." Again, I was so caught off guard my jaw dropped to the floor. My quick thinking male friend said "Well that's your loss..she was here to buy 100 coats for kids...let's go!". We walked out. He didn't believe my thigh high experience when I first told him about it...but now he believed every word of it!
I have no idea why these bizarre things happen in my life (maybe to make for some good stories) but I do know one thing...these ignoramus morons make me grateful to be me!
To be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of the ignorant.
Amos Bronson Alcott
Lynn
;)
In my career of "fatness", I discovered that the bigger I got the more sales clerks, etc., did not see me. I became invisible, like I did not exist. Not only was my money not good enough, they did not want to be contaminated by it!! As I proceeded to lose 150 lbs., I became more "visible", clerks would trip over themselves to help me! I still do not understand this, fat is not catching...wtf?
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