A US woman has revealed the heart-breaking moment she was asked to leave her son's birthday party, after a fellow customer complained about her crop top.
New York mother Sueretta Emke was out with her family at a Golden Corral restaurant to celebrate her son's birthday.
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The normally relaxed US fast-food chain has no official dress code and Emke wore a crop top and a pair of denim cut-off shorts.
"It's not a style I'd ever tried before," she told TODAY. "You hear 'bigger women can't wear stuff like that'. But it made me feel pretty and confident."
But the fun was short-lived, after a manager approached Emke and asked her to cover herself up as she was "dressed too provocatively". She tried to explain that the party location was an hour away from home, and she didn't have a change of clothes, but the manager reportedly "didn't care".
"He never would tell me exactly what I was showing too much of. When I asked... he would respond that it wasn't [sic] his place to say."
Emke posted about the unpleasant experience on Facebook, describing the incident as "body shaming".
"I have seen people in there wearing less and nothing is said to them. I really do believe something was said to me because I'm not thin so it's not considered sexy.
"I've never owned a crop top before and I was nervous at first about wearing it but my husband loved the way it looked on me and encouraged me to wear. I really felt cute in it and now I never wanna wear that shirt again," she added.
The post has racked up over 1500 likes and 700 comments, with fellow Facebook users showing support for Emke.
"I'm so sorry you were put thru that [sic]. Hopefully the hurt will subside. I think you look fine," one woman wrote.
"Sueretta, you are beautiful and there was nothing wrong with how you were dressed," wrote another.
The restaurant has offered an apology and said they're taking the incident as a lesson.
"People know and love us for the family dining experience we offer and the way we make guests feel at home, but it appears we didn't meet the mark in this situation," a spokesperson told TODAY in a statement.
"While we don't offer specific guidelines on attire, we think the decision made seems out of touch. We are grateful the issue was brought to our attention because it represents an educational opportunity for our restaurants and a chance to make amends with a guest we disappointed."
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