Three years ago, TikToker Erica Wall (@erica_wall) was enjoying a trip along Italy's Amalfi Coast with three of her best friends. They were at a clothing shop when the trip took an unexpectedly cruel turn. Erica was publicly body-shamed at this shop.

Erica had spotted a cute crocheted top, so she went up to the front counter and asked if she could try it on in the fitting room. The lady told her no because the top was too small for her.

Erica tried to tell her that it wasn't too small, but the lady took the top out of her hands and put it behind the counter.

Erica was stunned because nothing like that had ever happened to her before. She asked if she could just buy the top, but again, the lady said no. Erica didn't know what else to do, so she walked outside, where one of her friends was waiting.

When Erica told her friend what had happened, her friend stormed back into the shop and tore the employees apart with her words.

She threatened to write a horrible review and destroy the shop's reputation online. The employees apologized and claimed that their boss only wanted skinny girls wearing the designs.

Meanwhile, Erica was still standing outside, completely mortified. The incident may have only lasted a few minutes, but she still thinks about it three years later.

What was supposed to be a fun shopping trip turned into a moment that made her feel humiliated and embarrassed about her own body. Fortunately, Erica's friends made sure she didn't have to deal with it alone.

"Make sure you surround yourself with good people who stand up for you because my best friends will stand up for me, and I'm sitting here 22 weeks pregnant, so I guess now I'd be way too big for that," said Erica.

Beautiful view of Amalfi on the Mediterranean coast with lemons in the foreground, Italy. High quality photoAleh Varanishcha - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

In the comments section, other TikTok users shared their own experiences with being body shamed while shopping in Italy.

"I was 17 when this happened to me in Italy in a T-shirt shop buying a medium T-shirt," stated one user.

"Exact same thing happened to me in Positano last year. I wanted to treat myself to a €200 dress, and they were so awful to me. So, I walked down to the boardwalk and found a €30 dress that was cuter, shop owner was way nicer, and it fit me," commented another.

"As an Italian bigger girl, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Fat shaming here is such a common thing. Like, 90% of the brands here, either big chains or small local boutiques, don't carry any sizes past an L (that actually fits like an M), and everyone looks at you with disgust," wrote a third.

@erica_wall

Storytime: I got body-shamed while shopping in Italy… Still can’t believe that happened - IT WAS NOT CB POSITANO (I don’t remember the name of the store it happened at!! Please don’t spread any hate against any shops that don’t deserve it 🫶🏼 ##bodyshamed##curvygirlcommunity##storytime##amalficoast##realtalk

Sign up for Chip Chick's newsletter and get exclusive stories like this delivered to your inbox.