'I'm not pregnant': Careless comment from retail worker brings Aussie business owner to tears
When Kayla Houlihan's flight to Queensland was delayed on Monday, she was happy to spend some time browsing the shops at Melbourne Airport for some last-minute items.
That happiness, however, quickly turned to shame and sadness when a worker at the Rip Curl store asked her "how far along" she was. Houlihan is not pregnant.
"I've just spent the last hour crying at Melbourne Airport," Houlihan, who owns Tribe Skincare, shared on the brand's TikTok on Monday evening.
Watch the video above.
Kayla Houlihan and her husband Alex White were on their way to Queensland when a shop worker made Houlihan cry at Melbourne Airport. Instagram
Houlihan said she was "just going about [her] business" when the shop assistant asked her, "Oh, how far along are you?"
"So I said, 'No I'm not pregnant.' And she was like, 'I'm so sorry, I just thought you looked pregnant,'" Houlihan recalled, noting how it made her insecure about what she'd be wearing on her trip to Queensland, particularly considering she's expecting to don swimwear in the warm weather.
"Now I have to go to Queensland and wear a bikini on my holiday, because that's all I have with me after being fat-shamed," Houlihan said in the video.
READ MORE: 'Latest blow' for Harry and Meghan as duo 'demoted' on royal family's official site
Speaking with 9Honey, Houlihan said she "didn't know how to respond" to the worker apart from clarifying she wasn't pregnant, so she and her husband "were both silent and walked out of the store" immediately afterwards.
Houlihan's experience, unfortunately, is not uncommon.
"There have been hundreds of comments in just two days from other women that have been through the same experience, and they have spoken about how much it crushed their confidence," Houlihan tells 9Honey.
"It definitely affected my confidence, but at the end of the day, I know that any body is a bikini body."
One TikTok user commented under Houlihan's video: "This happens to me. I have endometriosis and am constantly bloated and swollen! It makes me feel so embarrassed, like people shouldn't comment on bodies."
Another user said: "Even if I could see the baby crowning I still wouldn't have the nerve to ask someone if they were pregnant 😭."
READ MORE: Actress details heartbreaking custody agreement
Houlihan says she shared her experience because she wants people to know it's "never OK to comment on someone's body." Instagram
Houlihan said that when she arrived in Queensland, for the first day of her holiday, she didn't swim because she was still thinking about the comment.
"But today, I decided to finally just put on my bathers and enjoy a swim," Houlihan tells 9Honey.
"It definitely affected my confidence, but at the end of the day, I know that any body is a bikini body and I need to be kind to myself."
The influencer and business owner confirmed Rip Curl had reached out to apologise to her, which she "really appreciated", and she said she knows the worker's comment was not a reflection on the brand as a whole.
READ MORE: Woman ordered to hand racy photo album over to ex-husband
In a statement to 9Honey, Rip Curl said of the incident: "We have been alerted to an upsetting situation that occurred within one of our stores on Monday.
"As a brand that celebrates and empowers all women, we are saddened to learn a customer has had this experience. We have been in contact with the customer directly to apologise and to discuss this misunderstanding further."
Ultimately, Houlihan said she decided to share what happened not to shame Rip Curl, but to teach people to "never ask and never assume somebody is pregnant."
Houlihan says: "It is never OK to comment on someone else's body and definitely never assume someone is pregnant."
