North Carolina Teen Says She Was Fat-Shamed for Wearing Shorts to Church

A North Carolina teen says she was fat-shamed by a woman at her church for wearing shorts. 

Jenna Munger, 19, is known at Swansboro United Methodist Church for her beautiful voice. But when she left the stage Sunday and went to the bathroom, she says a woman from the audience followed her in.

"She had gotten up from her seat in the audience," Munger told InsideEdition.com. "... This is all happening during church, of course, so it was crazy."

Munger recorded her encounter with the woman, who started by telling her she should dress like another "chubby girl" who wore what she considered more appropriate, longer dress.

“So you’re sitting here calling me fat?” Munger asks. 

"You don't think you are?" the woman asks.

“No, because I f****** love who I am,” Munger replies.

Munger goes on to tell the woman to back off, but she doesn't relent.

"Don't come back on that stage with those shorts," the woman says. "I'm warning you."

When Munger becomes upset, the woman tells her to "lower" her voice.

Munger said the incident was particularly painful because she had recently lost more than 30 pounds through healthy eating after struggling with depression, ADD and a thyroid condition.  

"I was having a bad time at college, I gained a lot of weight," Munger said. 

Munger said the same woman had previously complained about her wearing shorts to the church's band director. 

"I have always struggled with my weight for the entire time I've been alive, it's always been up and down, up and down, and so hearing that from someone who is either the same weight or even a little bit bigger than me looking at me and saying you're fat ... it's like, what?"

The senior pastor of Munger's church said in a statement: "We are shocked and saddened by this act. The church is supposed to be a place of safety, love and acceptance."

The church added that it's taking steps to make sure something like this won't happen again. 

And while the incident was difficulf for her, Munger is using it as an opportunity to remind everyone to love their bodies. 

"Always remember that you are loved," she said.

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