Fat-Shaming Chiropractor Unapologetic About Not Hiring ‘Overweight’ Employees [Video]

The owner of Dr. Chris Harrison Chiropractic in Birmingham, Alabama, says he refuses to hire overweight employees after fat-shaming an ex-employee in a video that the latter recorded and posted on Facebook.

In the video, Stephanie Hearn, 38, is seen complaining, saying that chiropractor Chris Harrison “killed her self-esteem” after he religiously fat-shamed her, suggesting ways in which she could lose weight when he had not mentioned during her job interview that her weight was going to be an issue.

The clip documents a moment, earlier this week, when she handed in her resignation after being harassed for her weight, time and again. Harrison is seen refusing to let go of Hearn’s car door as the two argue about the chiropractor's behavior.

"I've worked around guys all my life, and this is the first encounter in my life where an employer has been on my back," Hearn told AL.com. "I told him how sensitive I was about my weight, because of my [previous] abusive marriage. It's not right of him to do that. We already allow the general public to do it, and if we start allowing employers to do it, it's just going to continue. It's not right for women or men."

Hearn began working for Harrison three weeks ago as an assistant because of perks like free chiropractic services, which she needed for her back pain. However, the fact that she was both an employee and patient of Harrison eventually led to behavioral conflicts.

Hearn was told to buy a diet book, offered a protein shake and chastised for her weight on a regular basis when she worked at his office. "I was always on edge about everything and really uncomfortable," Hearn said. "I felt like the whole time I was there, my job depended on my weight and my lifestyle."

"I'm not going to hire an overweight person and then try to sell weight loss here. It doesn't make any sense," Harrison told AL Friday. "I have nothing against overweight people. If you want to be that way, I can be your friend, but I'm not going to hire you."

Harrison added that he typically does not work with people who take medications for depression, which Hearn did. He also added that if by the end of the 90-day probation period Hearn did not stop taking the pills, he would have probably fired her.

In the video, Hearn is heard getting emotional about how Harrison had made her feel miserable even though he knew that she was in a vulnerable state at the time due to her father’s death.

During the interview with AL.com, Harrison did accept that he might have behaved a little too emotionally and how weight could have been a sensitive topic for Hearn. “I didn't see anything I was very upset about. It didn't bother me,” he said. “If I was acting, I would have been a little more controlled in what I said, but I'm a human too," Harrison said. "I can see that Stephanie is in distress, and I'm just praying that Jesus would send her the holy spirit."

Nevertheless, Harrison remained set in his ways. "If she made no attempt whatsoever after 90 days, and still had rolls of fat on her, I may have at that point in time said, 'Hey, I'm not going to hire someone who's overweight,'" Harrison said. "The reason is that being overweight is a big risk medically."

In another post, Hearn explained that she recorded and uploaded the video to "to shed light on the fact that there is a huge problem in America of fat shaming & a stigma when it comes to depression and mental illness in general."