Disneyland Isn’t OK With Cleavage, Apparently

Disneyland is the happiest place on earth … unless of course you’re a person with big breasts.

San Diego resident Melissa Behnken was excited for her Marine husband to return home from deployment, so she and the family took a trip to Disneyland to celebrate his homecoming. But what was supposed to be a heartwarming vacation turned out to be a wardrobe-shaming incident for Behnken, who was told to “cover up” by a male California Adventure staffer.

“This gentleman out of nowhere comes up to me and just says, ‘You need to pull your top up,’” Behnken told ABC News, continuing, “I was looking at him like, ‘Excuse me? Are you serious?’”

According to Behnken, the guy added, “’This is a family park. You are showing too much.’”

One of Behnken’s daughters confirmed hearing the employee order Behnken to “put on a sweater” or pull the top up, so not only was she insulted in front of her offspring, but made to feel like having boobs is unacceptable.

“I guess women with large chests are expected to wear turtlenecks their whole lives,” Behnken said, going on that Disneyland’s formal apology to her was not enough and that its workers should be held to a higher standard. “Maybe they need to do more exclusive training on what is OK to say to people that come there.”

As one might expect, the uncomfortable exchange put a damper on the trip and Behnken felt very disrespected during her first big outing with the family. It’s stressful enough being at Disneyland with the lines and crowds, so encountering something like this after paying a ton of money to get in and drive up from San Diego definitely doesn’t make for a positive vacation story.

A glance at Behnken’s photos from Disneyland depict a mother happy to be out with her children and spouse, not a revealing shirt in a kid-friendly environment:

So did her attire violate Disneyland’s dress code after all? According to Disneyland’s website, visitors aren’t allowed to wear stuff that “exposes excessive portions of the skin that may be viewed as inappropriate in a family environment.” Pretty vague language there, but given the fact that Behnken has three little ones of her own and a husband, I can say with certainty that she wasn’t trying to inappropriately flaunt what she has.

Southern California is a hot place, and no one should have to bundle up in this weather to make others feel more comfortable. Women with large breasts shouldn’t be forced into bulky tops because of their body type, and even though an apology was made, this is an unacceptable way to treat a customer. I also have to wonder whether Behnken would’ve been treated so rudely had she looked like a Victoria’s Secret supermodel with a big chest and not a regular woman like the rest of us. Just a thought.

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Do you think Disneyland was being unreasonable or unfair towards Behnken? Share in the comments section.