Arsenal superfan Arabella Mia, known for her bodypainting stunts, found herself in an awkward encounter at a World Cup fan zone in Dallas, Texas, where security mistook her for a sex worker.
Fan Interviews Spark Suspicion
The 28-year-old, who has 362,000 Instagram followers, was traveling across the US in an RV following England's World Cup campaign. During a stop in Dallas, she decided to attend the USA vs Australia match at Texas Live. She told Daily Star Sport: "I went to Texas Live because I was in Dallas a couple of days after the England game."
Arabella, who regularly interviews fans at sporting events, was approached by security after finishing an interview. "This security lady came over to me just after I'd finished an interview, and she said: 'Sorry, the police have said that you're handing out flyers'," she recounted.
Accused of Solicitation
Despite wearing Levi's jeans and an England shirt in 38°C heat, security persisted. "She goes: 'Well, are you handing out flyers for some sort of strip club or something?' Then she goes, 'Well, are you some type of prostitute then? Are you giving out business cards?'" Arabella denied the accusations and offered to have her bag checked, but security refused.
"How can you accuse me of handing out flyers and then not even want to check if I have any?" she said. Security then checked her Instagram profile but still warned her: 'If we catch you speaking to another person, we're going to call the police and get you escorted out of here.' Arabella was forced to stop interviewing fans.
Cultural Differences
Arabella noted the stark contrast to her experiences following England at the Euros. "People would get up on the tables to sing, and then they'd get told to get down. So you could literally get a video of that moment, and it would look like the craziest thing ever!"
Despite the incident, she stayed to watch the USA's 2-0 win over Australia. She currently lives in Australia, where she watches Arsenal games at odd hours, noting: "The pubs are still open in Australia at those times, though."
