Model, diversity advocate and 9Honey columnist Maria Thattil is not one to shy away from controversy or difficult conversations.
However, she didn’t expect herself to find herself in an ‘uncomfortable exchange’ with a stranger in a bathroom during the F1 Grand Prix last week.
Thatill shared the encounter on Instagram, saying the woman “shamed” her choice of outfit.
“A little note on outfit-shaming,” she began the post, which accompanied a series of images of her outfit.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/Cqjdavkh5si/?hl=en
“Upon arrival at last Fridays event, my stockings ripped. Classic! But I didn’t mind, a quick trip to the bathroom & I was able to rip them off.
“But in the bathroom, I had a woman ask me if I was cold. When I said no, she said that ‘I made her cold’ just looking at me, to which I joked it was good that we had different outfits on then.”
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Thattil recounts that the interaction didn’t end there, with the woman repeatedly telling her she felt cold when she looked at her.
“The body language made me uncomfy as she stayed put, shaking her head as she reasoned that she couldn’t imagine wearing no pants, shock at my bare legs and that my outfit choice was unfathomable to her,” she wrote.
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“I was going to explain myself, stockings sitch and all, but then just said, ‘I mean, surely we don’t shame women for what they wear. People can wear what they want with confidence, right?'”
After this response, Thattil says the woman backtracked, attempting to justify her comments.
“If you don’t like how someone else presents, that’s so OK – you don’t have to present that way yourself. Simple,” she wrote.
“It’s important to respectfully back yourself and your choices. Doing things with agency and confidence is confusing for many, but that doesn’t matter when it makes sense to you. And last week? Being pant-less made sense for me.”
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