Controversy erupted when a Colorado mom was confronted at Six Flags by a security guard. She claimed she nearly got arrested after the guard claimed her shorts were too skimpy for the family-friendly park. Were they? You decide.
Bailey Breedlove, a Colorado mom who says she has autism, alleged that her 2021 family vacation to Frontier City Six Flags in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was ruined on April 30th when she endured a “body shaming” experience. In fact, Breedlove claimed she nearly got arrested at the amusement park after a security guard said her shorts were too skimpy.
“I was terrified I was about to go to jail over a pair of shorts,” Breedlove said, adding that her family trip went off the rails after “my daughter was yelled at by a park police officer for rolling down a hill on her heelies right next to me, I was holding her hand.”
According to Breedlove, security at Six Flags Frontier City then targeted and detained her for wearing short shorts. “Then [the guard] proceeded to follow me and grabbed my shoulder to turn me around and proceeded to tell me my shorts were ‘too short,'” the Colorado mom wrote in a Facebook post, which included a video of part of the encounter that quickly went viral.
In the caption to the short clip, Breedlove referred to the incident as “traumatizing,” saying, “I committed no crime and proceeded to walk to my boyfriend as I am autistic and have a hard time talking to officers.” Breedlove said the guard followed her while yelling and calling for backup before Six Flags’ “incompetent manager showed up and began body shaming” her.
“I was told I needed to go buy new shorts which I am not obligated to purchase anything I don’t want to,” Breedlove alleged. “Then I was threatened with criminal trespassing when I agreed to buy new shorts so my family could enjoy their vacation,” she said. “I was then pushed and escorted toward the entrance,” she continued, but things were far from over, according to the mother.
“Accepting this, we were about to leave and were blocked by your female officer from leaving and she pulled out her cuffs and demanded my ID,” Breedlove said. “When we asked for probable cause their answer was ‘because they are the police.'” Meanwhile, Breedlove’s 11-year-old daughter can be seen in the footage sitting next to her mom crying, believing it was her fault her mom was in trouble.
According to the NY Post, it appeared that the mom was eventually released without being handcuffed or arrested. However, she wrote in her Facebook post that she was banned from the park for five years. The outlet added that it was not clear what dress code policy Breedlove may have broken, but the Six Flags’ website warned that attire should be appropriate for a family-friendly environment.
“In keeping with our family-friendly environment, and for safety reasons, Six Flags enforces a dress code,” the website stated at the time of the incident. “Proper attire must be worn in the park at all times, including shirts and appropriate footwear. Clothing or tattoos with offensive language or graphics are not permitted at any time.”
In a statement to The Post, a Six Flag spokesperson said Breedlove “was initially stopped because her shorts exposed a significant portion of her buttocks.” However, that’s not the reason the mother was escorted from the park, according to the spokesperson. Instead, the park claims Breedlove was asked to leave “because of her behavior towards the police, our team members, and other park guests.”
Six Flags said an internal review of the encounter was conducted, and the spokesperson claimed, “Six Flags does not body shame and did not remove this guest from Frontier City because of the length of her shorts.” Rather, Breedlove “was given multiple opportunities to change or cover-up, but refused.”
Making matters worse, the park alleged that Baily Breedlove “responded with profanity and offensive conduct, including further exposing her buttocks,” based on their findings from the internal review. According to MEAWW, the park also claimed that “the video clip this guest has posted on the internet does not fully portray her behavior during this incident.”
Since the only video footage available of the incident is the one uploaded by Breedlove, it is hard to say what exactly happened or why she was kicked out, but for the sake of argument, let’s assume it was her attire. Is it wrong for a family-friendly business to promote an atmosphere that doesn’t include a view of a random woman’s bare buttcheeks? At one point in time, that was considered decency and common sense. Now, it’s called “body shaming.” To be clear, there’s nothing shameful about Bailey Breedlove’s body. However, that still doesn’t mean strangers want to see intimate parts of it while trying to enjoy their own vacation with their young children.
