AN AMUSEMENT PARK has apologised for body-shaming a teenager who wanted to use the water slides.
Some visitors were horrified when staff at the water park requested that they stood on a weighing scale, with customers saying they felt "fat-shamed."
Adventure World in Perth, Australia, introduced the weighing system with the aim being to 'manage safety at the park'.
The system meant that guests would be weighed while standing in the queue for the slides, and if the light on the scales flashed red, customers would be deemed too heavy and be asked to leave the queue.
One mum spoke to The West Australia about how her 13-year-old daughter fell victim to the “humiliating and embarrassing” weight check before going down one of the waterslides.
“My eldest daughter took my youngest daughter, who has special needs up the slides. She noticed the weight machine but just lined up with her sister and her friends,” said the mum.
“Once at the top she was stopped and asked to stand on a weight machine. After the lights flickered red the operator walked over to her and said sorry, you weigh this amount and you can’t go down,” she said.
The mum was distraught after her teenage daughter then had to walk back down the stairs in a “walk of shame”.
The mum demanded a refund for their season pass ticket after the incident, which they were granted.
The company has now apologised and admitted to handling the new system 'poorly' with CEO Andrew Sharry issuing a statement on the park's Facebook page.
It read: "In our efforts to introduce important systems to better manage safety on some of our waterslides, we have handled the communication of these new waterslide systems poorly and we have upset our Guests."
"On Monday, I connected with an expert who specialises in body image and eating disorders, and I can now see how these waterslide safety systems would be received as traumatic and upsetting for some of our guests and members."
"I am genuinely sorry that we have caused this distress to our guests and members – Our purpose is to create happiness and magical memories. We have not achieved that on this occasion and I acknowledge that we can do better.
"I have spoken with the family involved and have personally apologised for the hurt that we have caused."
The mum said that she has been approached by other guests of the waterpark who fell victim to the same "humiliation."
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