Six Flags has released a statement denying a guest’s claim that she was trespassed from its Oklahoma City theme park and nearly arrested because her shorts were too short.
The guest, Bailey Breedlove, made the allegations in a May 2 Facebook post. She said while visiting Six Flags-operated Frontier City on April 30, her daughter “was yelled at by a park police officer for rolling down a hill on her heelies right next to me, I was holding her hand. Then [the guard] proceeded to follow me and grabbed my shoulder to turn me around and proceeded to tell me my shorts were ‘too short.’”
Breedlove went on to allege that a park manager “began body-shaming me,” ordered her to buy new shorts, and then threatened her with criminal trespassing. Her family was blocked from leaving the park by a police officer brandishing handcuffs and demanding her ID, Breedlove claimed in her post.
“Your officers had my 11 year old daughter crying hysterically thinking her mother was about to be arrested,” Breedlove said in the post. “Your policies are vague and confusing and the way you body shame and discriminate is unlawful.”
Breedlove’s claims have been widely reported by news outlets ranging from Fox News to the Daily Mail. One site, Meaww.com, described the Tik Tok video from Breedlove, which has been viewed 2.5 million time, as showing “where a female officer rebukes her about her shorts being ‘too short.’” However, at no point in the 32-second clip does either the park employee or the police officer reference Breedlove’s clothes.
@baileybreedlove970##policeoftiktok ##sixflags ##frontiercity ##bodyshamingpolice ##trending ##donttellmewhattodo♬ original sound – baileybreedlove970
In a statement to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Six Flags said, “”The guest was initially stopped because her shorts exposed a significant portion of her buttocks,” adding that Breedlove was “given multiple opportunities to change or cover up, but refused. Instead, she responded with profanity and offensive conduct, including further exposing her buttocks.”
Six Flags released a longer statement Tuesday via Twitter denying that her shorts were the reason Breedlove was kicked out of the park:
“Last week a guest was escorted from Frontier City, a Six Flags theme park located in Oklahoma City, because of her behavior towards the police, our team members, and other park guests. Six Flags does not body shame and did not remove this guest from Frontier City because of the length of her shorts.
Six Flags is committed to creating an inclusive environment and does not tolerate racism, discrimination, or hateful behavior in any form or from anyone, whether a team member or park guest.”
Breedlove did not return a message from Theme Park Tribune seeking her comment on Six Flags’ statement denying her claims.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated after its original publication to include an earlier statement from Six Flags.