Is Female Costco Worker Ahsia Who Accused Her Boss of Body Shaming Thirst Trapping for Attention? Social Media Reacts

Ahsia, a Costco worker, is going viral after she posted a video on social media claiming that she was called into her boss’ office for being out of dress code. In the video, Ahsia showed that she was wearing her Costco polo shirt and grey pants that were tight, which showed off her curves. She believes there wouldn’t have been an issue if she had a slimmer figure.

Ahsia claims that Costco was body shaming her for being curvy because her outfit was following the dress code in her opinion. She stated that Costco’s “personal appearance policy” includes “a polo and dress pants or jeans with no rips.” The outfit in question was a tight, red polo and gray rib-knit cloth pants that Ahsia called “dress pants”.

Ahsia claimed her boss “body shamed” her over her work outfit. She said in an Instagram video: “And I’m not being dramatic, but you pull me away from doing my job to tell me that I had the wrong type of body to wear the clothes that I’m wearing? I have on regular dress pants, and your excuse was the men in the tire shop and the boys keep stopping and looking at me? That’s not my fault,” she ranted.

“You don’t know the type of hell I had to go through my whole life just for how I look,” Ahsia continued. “You don’t know what type of mental trauma I might have from having to be misunderstood for me to come to where to have to hear, ‘Oh, you have the wrong body shape to wear the right clothes though,’ because I’m in dress code”.

Is Ahsia Thirst Trapping with her Costco Outfit? How Social Media Reacted to Her Body Shaming Claim

On social media, some people are sympathizing with her, while others are accusing her of thirst trapping for attention. Thousands of people zipped over to the comment sections to support Ahsia’s complaint. “Why don’t they pull the men aside and talk to them about sexual harassment,” one asked.

However, some people had mixed feelings after hearing her story and seeing what she wore.

For example on commenter said, “Her clothes are too tight point blank period. Get over it. Yes, you’re sexy but at work you need to dress appropriately, and that means loose-fitting not tights”.

The Body Shaming Pandemic is Real in the Workplace

Body shaming is a form of social aggression that has a negative impact on individuals. It is the act of mocking or criticizing someone for their physical appearance, without necessarily intending to harm them. However, the target perceives the comments as negative and may suffer from low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or suicidal thoughts.

Body shaming is not a rare phenomenon. According to a survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), 42% of U.S. adults say they have faced some form of weight stigma, such as being teased about their weight or treated unfairly because of it.

Some of the most common sources of weight stigma are physicians and coworkers. Another study found that 44% of employees have experienced harassment at work, including personal harassment and bullying, discriminatory harassment and bias, and online harassment and cyber bullying.

Body shaming can occur online and offline, and it can range from well-meant advice to malevolent insults. It can also be based on false assumptions or stereotypes about someone’s lifestyle, health, or preferences. For example, some people may think that someone who is overweight does not exercise or eat healthy, or that someone who is thin has an eating disorder or is unhappy.

Body shaming can also be influenced by cultural norms and expectations about beauty and attractiveness. For example, some cultures may value thinness more than others, or some may prefer certain skin tones, hair types, or facial features over others. These norms and expectations can change over time and vary across different contexts.

Body shaming can have serious consequences for both the target and the perpetrator. The target may feel ashamed, humiliated, angry, or isolated. They may also internalize the negative comments and develop a distorted body image or a negative self-concept.

They may also avoid social situations or activities that expose their body or trigger their insecurities. The perpetrator may also suffer from low self-esteem or insecurity, and they may use body shaming as a way to cope with their own issues or to assert their power or status over others.

Body shaming is not acceptable in any setting, especially not in the workplace. It is a form of discrimination and harassment that violates the dignity and rights of employees. It can also affect their performance, productivity, motivation, creativity, and collaboration. It can also create a hostile work environment that lowers morale and increases turnover.

How do you feel about this situation, is Ahsia’s Costco outfit an inappropriate thirst trapping attempt? Of course the most important question is would it have been an issue if she was skinny?