The owner of a plus-sized beauty salon was forced to relocate her business after a hate campaign saw thugs smear faeces across its windows and threaten to kill her.
Jamie Lopez opened Babydoll Beauty Couture in Las Vegas in 2017 and vowed to make it a safe haven for larger ladies.
But the 33-year-old says she soon faced a backlash, including constant malicious phone calls, thefts and vandalism.
Jamie, who featured in Barcoft TV’s Shake My Beauty, said: “It’s been a struggle keeping the business open dealing with hate and death threats and other crazy things.
"People just don’t like fat people, they treat us horribly. They want to make us feel like we’re unwelcome or feel like we don’t belong here.
“It's been crazy. My business was vandalized, our salon signs and air conditioning were both broken – and someone literally put poop on our windows.
"I don’t know if it was dog poop or human poop but it was all over the windows.”
But now Jamie is having the last laugh after opening an even bigger salon closer to the famous strip.
And she has even taken over the reins at a nightclub specifically for Big Beautiful Women.
The new salon was announced in a grand opening in February while the Club Babydoll night spot goes from strength to strength, she says.
But there have been sacrifices and the self-proclaimed 550lb diva was forced to close her former premises.
She says she also had to take second jobs in online sales, music production and even driving an Uber.
She said: “This is my dream and I am not going to give up on it. I have put my life and everything into this – sacrifice, blood, sweat, tears, everything.
“Financially it is a huge investment but right now I feel like it’s go big or go home."
Jamie, who has a long-distance boyfriend who works as a doctor, was inspired to open Babydoll Beauty Couture following a humiliating experience in which she broke a salon chair.
She opened her first salon in Los Angeles for five years before moving to Nevada.
Her salons are fit for every figure, kitted out with styling chairs that hold weights of up to 800 pounds, and heavy-duty beauty benches supporting up to 600 pounds.
But she stresses that her business is for everyone and welcomes all shapes, sizes and sexes.
There has been criticism she is encouraging unhealthy choices but she says this is a separate issue.
She said: "It makes me cry when people say that. If I'm going to lose weight then I'm going to lose weight but I will still need a place to go and get my nails done. Should I have to stop that because I am fat?
"People need a safe space and I am going to give them what they need.
“Haters are my motivators – so watch out because we’re coming full-throttle this year.”
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