A Texas woman says a shopping trip in Italy turned into an experience she still remembers years later. She claims a boutique employee refused to let her try on or purchase a crochet top because of her size. Her story has struck a chord online, with her July 2026 TikTok video drawing 8 million views.
TikTok creator Erica Wal (@erica_wall) shared the account while reflecting on a vacation she took with three friends three years earlier. According to Wal, the incident happened at a small clothing boutique along the Amalfi Coast, a scenic stretch of southern Italy known for its cliffside villages, luxury shopping, and tourism.
Wal said she found a crochet top she wanted to try on while one of her friends headed into a fitting room to try on a dress.”I went up to the front with this little top and said, ‘Hey, can I try this on? Can I have a fitting room?”” Wal recalled in the video. She said the employee repeatedly responded, “No, no, no, no.”
Wal suspected the fitting room was occupied, but then the employee revealed the real reason.
At that point, Wal said she initially believed the fitting rooms might have been occupied, but she said the employee instead pointed to the top and told her it was too small. “I said, ‘No, it’s not, no, no, I can, this isn’t too small for me but okay,'” Wal said.
According to Wal, the employee then removed the top from her hands and took it behind the counter. “I was just stunned,” she said. “This has never happened to me.”
@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
♬ original sound – erica wall
Wal said she then asked whether she could buy the top without trying it on. She claims the employee refused that request as well. “You’re not gonna let me buy this top?” Wal recalled asking before leaving the store.
Outside, she told one of her friends what had happened. According to Wal, her friend immediately returned to the boutique to confront the employees while Wal remained outside because she felt “mortified.”
Wal said her friend later told her the employees apologized and claimed the decision came from the shop’s owner. “They were like, ‘Ah sorry like our boss won’t let us he only wants like skinny girls wearing their designs,'” Wal said, emphasizing that the statement reflected what her friend told her after the exchange.
Wal praised her friend’s response, saying she defended her and threatened to leave a negative review and warn other shoppers. The story also prompted a comment from someone identifying themselves as that friend. “yeah i’m the best friend and i think i’ve never been more angry in my LIFE than i was on that day,” the commenter wrote in the comments section.
In the video’s caption, Wal stressed that she does not remember the boutique’s name and urged viewers not to direct criticism at businesses. Wal ended the video with a message encouraging viewers to support one another. “If you’re a curvy girl, you’re stunning,” she said. “And if you hate on curvy girls, then I hope you slip on a banana today.”
In a similar story, a New York woman recalls a Sephora employee shaming her bags under her eyes as soon as she stepped into the store, then attempting to sell her moisturizer. “I was so caught off guard,” the woman said.
