In recent years, more and more bloggers promoting body positivity have come to the forefront of the medium. And certainly, it's about time that we see some diversity on our screens - especially on platforms such as Instagram which are dominated by lithe, long-limbed gazelles who are perfectly retouched and filtered. One such advocate of body positivity is NYC based lifestyle blogger, Anna O'Brien.
However, the 33-year-old claims to have had a rather unsavoury encounter this past Tuesday at an unidentified hotel in Las Vegas. After receiving permission from the hotel's PR team to shoot a swim lookbook in the hotel's lobby, O'Brien claims that she was repeatedly body shamed by the management.
Speaking to Yahoo, Anna said that she was permitted to shoot anywhere in the hotel barring the casino. So she proceeded with her first look - a leopard print bikini number - and posed in the grand lobby of the establishment. But just after her photographer had started shooting, the blogger alleged that a security guard came over and informed her that she had to put something over her swimsuit.
"He told me to cover up, that I needed to put clothes on because I wasn’t allowed to be in a swimsuit," she stated. "I tried talking to him but he wouldn’t listen."
Anna acquiesced to management's demands and headed back to her room to put on a one-piece bathing suit. However, it didn't seem to make the slightest bit of difference.
"We were shooting in a different part of the lobby and another guard approached us and told us to stop," she told Yahoo News. "I showed him the emails from the PR team but it didn’t make a difference. I didn’t like the assumption that I was lying about having permission. What did I do to indicate that I wasn’t worthy of trust and respect?"
Anna was quick to point out that there was a double standard at play here - "Other women were walking around with as much coverage as me and no one said anything to them," she asserted. "I don’t want to think the worst of people but in cases like these, I can’t help but wonder."
Taking to Instagram with the one shot she managed to get from the inside of the hotel, Anna stated: "I find it ironic that I’ve taken photos in swimsuits all over the world and the one place I was told to cover up was Las Vegas."
"Sure, thin girls in thongs and pasties are A OK but a plus girl in a full coverage suit, trying to take an epic editorial shot- now that’s just too much. Jokes on them though, I’d already gotten the perfect photo. They can’t erase this happened. I’m learning as I push myself to do more editorial type concepts, the push back is greater. But that’s why I push. It’s more than just a girl in the city of sin in a bikini, It’s a statement. We will be seen. We’re not hiding anymore. And we’re going to wear whatever we want, wherever we want. Not just in Vegas. EVERYWHERE. Change is coming; the question is are you going to stand in the way or help us push through?"
You go, Anna!
