Teen claims she was kicked out of shopping centre because of her shorts
A teenage girl claims she was harassed and kicked out of a shopping centre because her shorts were too short.
Gabrielle Gibson, 19, took to Facebook on Wednesday to share a photo of the outfit she wore to the Shoppes at Bel Air shopping centre in Mobile, Alabama.
She said it prompted the mall’s security officers to threaten to call the police and resulted in her being kicked out.
“Apparently grown men [couldn’t] contain themselves so I get kicked out,” Gibson wrote.
Ms Gibson claims that two security guards at the shopping centre were extremely unprofessional, and one was initially staring at her body.
“I told them I have bigger thighs and its just too hot for jeans that I can’t help they ride up a bit,” she explained.
“It doesn’t bother me then it shouldn’t bother you. Everyone had short shorties on,” she wrote, adding that the temperature that day was over 35C.
An aggrieved Ms Gibson says the incident has affected her self-confidence since.
“When I left the house I felt beautiful and happy about myself, but having grown men attack me about what I’m wearing when I’m just trying to walk around and buy things was just so excessive,” she told the Mirror.
“It’s a sad day when grown men can’t control themselves. I just don’t want anyone feeling like I did.”
However the shopping centre released a statement over the incident, saying they stand by their decision to remove Gibson from the property.
“Given the high degree of importance we place on maintaining a family-friendly shopping environment, our policy requires all of our customers to dress in a manner that reflects our code of conduct,” the statement to WKRG-TV read.
“Anyone who violates this policy will be asked to change or to leave the premises.”
