A woman has been left “humiliated” after she claimed security guards at the Vatican asked her to “cover up” – and allegedly handed her a sheet to wear.
Sabrina Almeida was visiting Rome and wearing “appropriate clothing” when the alleged incident took place.
Enjoying a trip to the city amidst soaring temperatures, the 35-year-old was donning a short playsuit with her tattooed legs and chest exposed when she arrived at St Peter’s Basilica.
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She claims the guards “pulled her from the line” and provided her with a sheet to cover herself up.
“I’ve never felt so humiliated,” the tattoo artist and DJ, known online as Sabrina Boing Boing, told Need To Know.
“It wasn’t about cleavage or too much skin – it was the shape of my body.
“If I had no curves, maybe they would’ve let me in.
“They took me out of the line without explanation, asked me to wait, and brought out a cloth.
“I was confused, because my outfit was even more modest than what other women were wearing.”
Sabrina says she agreed to cover up so she wouldn’t miss out on the visit, but described the moment as “uncomfortable and humiliating”.
She said: “I felt like a mummy, covered from head to shin in the middle of extreme heat.
“I ended up drawing even more attention, because no one understood why I had that sheet over my clothes.
“It felt like being put in time-out.”
Sabrina believes the incident wasn’t about her clothing – but says she felt “judgement” and described it as “a prejudice disguised as a rule”.
She added: “My body has always been seen as a problem, even when I’m fully covered.
“It’s exhausting having to constantly defend who you are.”
The Vatican has a dress code requiring shoulders and knees to be covered when entering churches and sacred places – rules Sabrina did not follow.
She said in defence of her clothing: “I used common sense.
“I wasn’t wearing anything tight, sheer, or inappropriate.”
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