Teen Gets Slut-Shamed for Wearing Long Shirt and Shorts in 106-Degree Heat

Going home after a long, hot summer day of classes, college student Madison Herber decided to stop at a gas station to buy a cold drink. While walking back to her car, an older woman approached her to tell her to cover up her “very trashy” look.

Woman accused of being “trashy” for wearing T-shirt and short on a hot summer day. (Photo/Facebook Madison Herber)
Woman accused of being “trashy” for wearing T-shirt and short on a hot summer day. (Photo/Facebook Madison Herber)

“I couldn’t believe it,” Herber tells Yahoo Style. “I was in total shock this person went out of their way to attack and condemn me for no reason at all.”

Herber was wearing shorts and a large T-shirt on the 106-degree day. But for the older woman, who was dressed in a long skirt and button up shirt, according to Herber, her summer outfit wasn’t enough.

Unprovoked, Herber says the stranger began causing a scene and verbally abusing the 19-year-old. “She told me my generation was the worst generation, that she didn’t think we had any values or morals,” the teen explains.

Madison Herber and a friend. (Photo by Madison Herber)
Madison Herber and a friend. (Photo by Madison Herber)

Although there were several witnesses, nobody helped or stepped in to mitigate the tense situation on Herber’s behalf. “There was a guy in his pickup truck that ignored the whole situation and went about his business,” she says.

Herber is a journalism major at Texas Tech University and also a devoted Christian. And even though the older woman accused her of having no morals by the way she was dressed, it’s Herber’s beliefs that stopped her from retaliating in any way.

(Photo/Facebook Madison Herber)
(Photo/Facebook Madison Herber)

“I was very upset,” she says. “I got in my car, prayed, and called my mom right away.”

Needing to vent, Herber took to Facebook and wrote a lengthy post about the matter. “I do not apologize for what I am wearing, it’s hot outside and I was looking for comfort, that is all,” she declared.

Herber’s Facebook friends showered her with love and sympathy in the comments section.

Even non-millennials stood by Herber and not the older woman.

Herber wants every woman who has gone through something similar to be strong and not let others affect how they feel about themselves. “There can be really mean people out there, but stand true to who you are and don’t change to make others happy,” she says. “Only do whatever you feel will make you happy, even in the way you dress, that’s all that really matters.”

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