Worker At A Waterpark Hotel Tells 15-Year-Old Girl To 'Cover Up' While Wearing A Bikini Top & Pants Around 'Little Kids'
She was in the lobby at 1 AM.
Lester Balajadia / Shutterstock & TikTok The line between a justified dress code and a dress code that unjustly targets and shames women is incredibly blurry and is being debated across schools in the US.
But somewhere a dress code is not typically talked about or considered is waterparks. Until now, that is.
A woman who visited Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls claimed in a TikTok that a worker told her daughter’s 15-year-old friend to cover up after wearing a bikini top and pants in the hotel lobby.
The woman said she took her daughter and a couple of her daughter's friends to the water park for a sweet 16 celebration.
The mom, Samantha, says Great Wolf Lodge was a destination she had visited with her kids many times before. According to her, people were rarely told to cover up.
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She says Great Wolf Lodge staff told her 15-year-old daughter to cover up her bikini top.
In her first video, which kickstarted a debate on TikTok, Samantha records as she confronts a staff member at the lodge.
“Show me the rule that says a child can not have a bathing suit on in a water park hotel. Show it to me right now. You’re going to lose your job, I promise you that eh,” says Samantha.
Without context, the comments quickly divided — some users took the worker's side while others praised the defensive mom.
“As someone who used to work at this exact great wolf lodge location, this has NEVER been a rule! good job mama,” wrote one user.
In a later TikTok, she explains the situation further and names the worker as "Jessica."
Her daughter wore a bikini top and pants in Great Wolf Lodge's lobby.
A text post providing background information says Samantha's daughter, Brooklyne, and another 15-year-old friend were walking through the lobby to collect food and were wearing "PJ pants and a swim top."
"For anyone who doesn't know this is a waterpark hotel where people walk around in their swimsuits day and night," Samantha writes.
She claims that she confronted the worker because “she decided to embarrass and basically pick on/body shame a 15-year-old because she felt uncomfortable.”
She says that Jessica told the girl to cover up because “there could be kids walking around.”
Samantha questions why her daughter should have to cover up if "those same little kids see her walking around in even less than what she had on during the day whilst in the waterpark."
Samantha also claims the incident took place a 1 AM when very few guests were present.
This is where Samantha started to lose some support with viewers pointing out that the lobby is not within the waterpark. Some comments also point out that a 15-year-old girl walking around at 1 AM in a place that doesn't require background checks for guests is dangerous. Many believe that Jessica told her to cover up because she feared for her safety.
One commenter asks "is no one gonna ask why a 15 year old is wandering a hotel at 1 am?"
Another says "1am?! Maybe she was looking out for your child's SAFETY!"
The mother doubled down but viewers claimed the Great Wolf Lodge staff member was just following the rules.
In an update to her prior videos, Samantha expressed her concern that Jessica was discriminating against her daughter based on her gender and race.
She writes in the caption: “A young woman of color has been singled out for absolutely no reason with no one else experiencing this ‘rule,’ this was clearly discriminatory.”
She further defends herself, claiming no staff member could show her proof of a rule stating the hotel's dress code.
The Great Wolf Lodge website clearly states “Our lodge is considered casual, but we do ask that when you are outside of the water park that shirts and shoes are worn.” However, it is unclear whether this was listed on the lodge's site prior to Samantha's video.
One person agrees, saying "who cares about the rules when someone has something to say about a CHILD wearing a bikini top. If a man did that everyone would be going wild."
Another comment says "Unfortunately, as a woman of any age even [a] toddler this is one of the main reasons we have to stay covered. It's the way of the world. Forever."
However, just about everyone agrees that the woman was wrong for confronting Jessica and telling her she would lose her job.
The majority of comments under the video applaud Jessica for doing her job and staying calm during the altercation.
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Maddie Haley is a writer for YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers pop culture and celebrity news.