A mother who was widely shamed online for wearing a revealing outfit while taking her son to school has hit back at parents who branded her ensemble as "inappropriate".
Vanesita Medina and her figure-hugging playsuit went viral on social media after a disgruntled parent covertly filmed the mum during a morning school run in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a city in east-central Bolivia.
In the clip, the fellow mother makes spiteful jabs at Medina for her choice in clothing - a short, backless pink playsuit with a cut-out on the chest.
Medina - a model and lawyer who previously won a Miss Fitness contest in Bolivia - is filmed getting out of her car and grabbing her young son's bag before walking him to the gate. As she turns around, the peeved parent can be heard muttering that Medina's attire is "inappropriate" in front of young children. She then suggested that it wasn't the first time the mum had opted for a skimpy outfit at the school.
The clip quickly attracted the attention of fellow naysayers, prompting a fierce debate online. While many were outraged at the unsolicited filming of Medina and praised the mum for her "hot" outfit, others sided with the parent behind the camera and disparaged Medina for her clothing, insisting it wasn't appropriate for a morning school run.
But Medina wasn't having it. In a statement on social media, she declared that the video reflected more poorly on the mother who exposed her - and those who have shamed and admonished her online.
"I wanted to express my gratitude to everyone who sent messages of support, signs of affection and appreciation with such beautiful words, and defending me on social media over that video that went viral with bad intentions against me that the mother took, wanting to denigrate me, exposing herself with such contempt towards me, and exposing my four-year-old son without knowing that is a crime," Medina said in a candid post to her Facebook.
"Her plans did not go as well as she wanted. She had the worst intentions by uploading it and exposing me, referring to me like that. But this post is not about that woman, it is to thank all those people who stood by my side."
She added: "I am a fit mummy who works hard and I take care of my son with all the love in the world, and I don't do anything bad to anyone. People who know me know I have a heart full of love and values."
In a later post, Medina thanked the petty parent for "making me famous", noting that her online following has grown considerably due to the viral clip.
"Thank you for making me famous and I dress like I want," she clapped back.
According to The Sun, Medina's following on Instagram has doubled in just a number of days. At the time of writing, she has amassed more than 124,000 followers on her account, where she often shares fitness videos and photos of her workout gear.
Despite the backlash, Medina has also received a wave of support from people on social media, many of whom have applauded her backbone - while also complimenting her dedication to the gym.
"If I had that body, I would walk around naked!" one commented.
"We are free to do, say and dress as we please - pity the people who still live in the [stone] age," another added.
Last month, an Australian personal trainer went viral after she shared a video hitting back at the "hate" she receives as a woman who shops in her activewear.
"The hate you get being a female wearing a crop top in the supermarket just hits different," she captioned the clip, which shows her standing in a Woolworths' aisle in her activewear - a sports bra, leggings and sneakers.
