After singing on stage at church one Sunday, a teenage girl was followed by a woman from the audience into the bathroom. Here, she began berating the young girl and “shaming” her over the outfit she wore to church. Do you think this teenager was in the wrong?
The incident at Swansboro United Methodist Church has been a cause for great concern, and it’s one that should not be taken lightly. Jenna Munger, a 19-year-old North Carolina teen, was shamed by an audience member for her choice of clothing while singing on stage during a Sunday service.
This type of behavior is unacceptable in any context, but especially inside the walls of a church where love and acceptance ought to reign supreme.
Jenna had just finished singing when she left the stage to check on the health of a loved one using her phone. She was followed into the restroom by an upset churchgoer who proceeded to verbally shame Jenna for wearing shorts and called her fat.
She even went so far as to suggest that Jenna should dress like another “chubby girl” who wore what she considered more appropriate longer clothes. The woman continued to criticize despite Jenna’s attempts to deescalate the situation until finally pointing her finger at the teen and warning her not come back on stage with those shorts again.
This incident is particularly painful for Jenna as she has recently lost 30 pounds from healthy eating habits due to hypothyroidism which causes weight gain issues. To make matters worse, this wasn’t the first time this same woman had insulted Jenna, having previously complained about her clothing choices directly to the church’s band director before now escalating things further in such an inappropriate way while inside a church building nonetheless.
Senior Pastor G Kevin Baker released a statement expressing shock and sadness regarding this act whilst also confirming steps being taken by the church in order to ensure nothing like it ever happens again.
