Perth mum told to ‘cover up’ while wearing exercise clothing
The mother believes she was unfairly targeted by the stranger for a very specific reason.
A Perth mother has experienced unwarranted body shaming while out enjoying the sunshine with her young daughters.
Jamie-Lee Dew was strolling along the Perth Foreshore at around 7am over the weekend when a woman approached her.
“I kind of wasn’t paying attention because I had the kids. Then she said it a bit louder,” Mrs Dew told news.com.au
The 25-year-old had asked the woman to repeat herself.
“Oh, you need to cover up,” the woman had pointedly said.
Mrs Dew had left the house that morning wearing what any mum would recognise as a motherhood uniform: a basic graphic t-shirt and bike shorts. Complete with the signature quick updo.
It was comfortable, breathable, and perfect for her walk. The stranger disagreed enough to interrupt the peaceful outing.
“I kind of just stood there looking at her blankly. And then she said, ‘There are children around. You need to be more mindful of what you wear in front of kids,” the mum recounted.
She was speechless. Unable to find the words within the moment to defend herself.
The only kids around them had been Mrs Dew’s three daughters, who watched on from their scooters, while her baby was in her pram.
It didn’t take long for the mother to notice why she had been targeted.
“I literally can tell why. It’s because I’m not stick thin,” she said.
There had been other women exercising in the park. The area was filled with other women wearing activewear, including sports bras and shorts.
She thought to herself, “I don’t think you would have said that to those girls, would you?”
But there was a big reason she didn’t want to spur confrontation.
“I didn’t want to say anything in front of my daughters because my oldest is four. She understands,” Mrs Dew explained.
If the mum were to bite back, it could have caused more headaches: “Then I’m the one overreacting in front of my children. Not being the bigger person.”
She bit her tongue and made the decision to keep walking. To prevent a harsh life lesson about body image, finding her daughter so early in life.
As a mother of young girls, she worries comments like the one thrown her way are becoming normalised.
“People are saying it to your face in front of your children. They just don’t care,” Mrs Dew said.
She theorises that she was also potentially targeted for another reason. That the woman took it as an opportunity to mum shame too.
“It’s like I’m walking. I’m exercising. It’s Perth. It’s like 35 degrees. Get over it. It’s hot,” she said.
“You try your best every day to be a good mum. I was out there with my kids trying to show them it’s good to exercise, to get out once a day… I was trying to be good to my children by getting out and about instead of sitting down watching TV all day. And then we get that.”
Turning to TikTok, she shared her account in the hope of fostering a more supportive stance on body positivity.
The clip entitled “the audacity of old people” quickly garnered support; however, some of the nastier comments will stay with her.
“The person deleted his comment, but it was something along the lines of ‘you’re sending out the wrong signal for somebody that’s got kids,’” she shared.
“There’s no such thing as sending out a signal. I’m wearing clothing.”
Thankfully, the negative it heavily outweighed by the positive.
“Let’s normalise telling people like that to F**K OFF. Eww. How dare she?”
“I’m sorry, what??? What are you covering up ya ankles? Darl, it’s not the 1800s.”
“Sounds like she has a knee fetish and bad coping mechanisms.”
“Seriously? You’re wearing workout clothes while working out, being healthy, and being a role model for your children. Some people seem to feel they have the right to an opinion on anything; they’re just rude!”
