Woman left in tears after being asked by shop assistant if she was pregnant

A woman has opened up about how she broke down in tears after a shop assistant asked her if she was pregnant when, in reality, she was not.

Kayla Houlihan, the owner of Tribe Skincare, revealed that she was asked if she was expecting in Melbourne Airport's Rip Curl store in a now viral-TikTok video.

It went on to prompt a debate about whether or not it is ever okay to ask a person about their pregnancy status outside of a medical capacity.

Kayla began the video by revealing that she'd taken the opportunity to do some last-minute shopping when her flight was delayed, but the experience was quickly ruined by the question.

The shop assistant allegedly asked her: "Oh, how far along are you?" when Kayla was 'just going about my business, shopping around for some clothes.'

"I was like, 'What?' because I'm not pregnant," she said in the video.

"So I said, 'No I'm not pregnant.' And she was like, 'I'm so sorry I just thought you looked pregnant'."

Instagram/@kaylahoulihan

Kayla said she was left feeling extremely insecure about the shape of her body and said it put her off wearing the bikini she'd selected for her upcoming trip.

"Now I have to go to Queensland and wear a bikini on my holiday because that's all I have with me after being fat shamed," she said.

The video, as mentioned, did not go unnoticed with the top comment reading: "Even if I could see the baby crowning I still wouldn’t have the nerve to ask someone if they were pregnant."

A second advised in all caps: "THIS IS WHY I NEVER COMMENT ABOUT PREGNANCY UNLESS THEY HAVE SAID SOMETHING FIRST."

A third, meanwhile, offered a potential solution to anyone who finds themselves in this situation so that the person asking never does it again.

They wrote: "I just tell them I had a miscarriage. shuts them up quick, & tell them probably a good idea never to ask someone regardless of how far along they look [sic]."

A fourth joked: "Lean into it babe, happened to my sister, she turned around and said '6 months and how far into menopause are you'. When I tell you I screamed!!! [sic]"

TikTok/@tribeskincare

Rip Curl has since apologised for the incident to news.com.au, with a spokesperson for the brand stating: "We have been alerted to an upsetting situation that occurred within one of our stores on Monday.

"As a brand that celebrates and empowers all women, we are saddened to learn a customer has had this experience.

"We have been in contact with the customer directly to apologise and to discuss this misunderstanding further."

Tyla has reached out to Rip Curl for comment.