Plus-Sized Woman Uploads ‘Fat Girl’ Guide To Combat Theme Parks Not Being Inclusive For Bigger People

Jul 06, 2022 by apost team

Amusement parks are full of joy, fun and wonder as people experience new thrills and heights while going on a multitude of rides. Some people prefer fast-paced roller coasters, while others are fans of more relaxed rides like spinning teacups or lazy rivers.

For people who prefer the former, theme parks are truly an adventure. This is especially true at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England, just 20 miles from Central London. The park described itself as “the UK’s most thrilling theme park.” According to its website, the park is supposed to be designed in a way that the rides and other attractions are accessible to all patrons, as it states, “Thorpe Park Resort strives to make sure that the Theme Park, Hotel and other thrilling attractions are easily accessible to all our guests.”

Still, one TikTok user worried that she wouldn’t be able to go on all of the rides when she visited the park in June 2022. Heather Ruby is a 26-year-old who is known for uploading “fat girl guides” on TikTok, where she goes to different places and sees how accessible they really are for larger people.

When Ruby visited the amusement park, she documented her day and uploaded the video online, showing people which rides she fit on, which ones she didn’t and which ones had test seats. She also spoke about how the staff acted regarding if she fit on the ride or not. Although Ruby kept a positive attitude despite the outcome, she sparked an important conversation about how places need to work harder to ensure they are fully accessible to everyone.

Ruby uploaded a TikTok on June 17, 2022, documenting her experience at an amusement park. In the caption, she wrote: “My guide to the seats at Thorpe Park for my fellow fat/plus-size babies! I only didn’t fit on Colossus! This is a fat positive page so no hate!”

Ruby revealed that she fit on every ride she wanted to go on aside from one but pointed out how many of them didn’t have test seats to try prior to getting in line. On top of that, some of the test seats didn’t seem to accurately portray the actual seats on the ride.

Ruby uploaded a second TikTok a few days later, showing more rides, some of which didn’t have seats and, therefore, almost anyone could go on. Even though she had a positive experience, Ruby still pointed out how not everyone would be able to go on all the rides based on their size, and many people left comments expressing how disheartening this could be.

One person said: “Thank you. I am terrified of going, queuing, then being turned away.” Another person commented: “Wish they could put test seats in a booth or something, not out in the open. I’d get so anxious having to do it in front of people.”

Still, many people were happy to see how polite the staff were. “This is such a positive guide as well knowing the staff didn’t judge and were very discreet about it is amazing,” one person said.

Ruby made sure to thank everyone for their kind words and openly sharing their own similar experiences. “Thank you everyone for the love,” she wrote. “It means a lot! I’m so glad I have made people feel more at ease about going 💖.”

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The anxiety that people face about whether they will fit on a ride is not something that only Ruby has felt. According to USA Today, many theme park visitors describe the feeling of being turned away from a ride due to their size as the “walk of shame.” One social media dad named Dan Becker recalled barely fitting on a ride at another amusement park and said, “It’s like you’re climbing the gallows.”

In fact, this is something that has become an online movement as many people in larger bodies have documented their experiences traveling to different theme parks and showing what rides they were able to go on and which ones they were turned away from. Despite the feelings of shame and embarrassment some folks felt while visiting amusement parks, many people have shown their support for one another and have uplifted each other in the process.

TikTok user Ruby has continued to receive positive feedback on her “fat girl guides” to amusement parks. One person commented: “Thank you for normalizing this! No one should miss out because of the anxiety this creates.” Another person said, “Honestly thank you (so much) for this I feel a lot better.”

Other people expressed their gratitude for Ruby simply as a person. One person said, “You have probably saved so many people from their anxiety at theme parks, I hope you had a great time.” Another added: “You are a beautiful lady and your positivity shines through. So much confidence, as a big girl myself, I love it!”

Have you ever been in a similar situation? Let us know, and feel free to send this to your family and friends, too.