Woman ‘fat-shamed’, kicked out of gym for showing belly in sports bra
A woman told to leave her gym for showing her belly in a sports bra has broken down, claiming it wouldn’t happen to a “smaller woman”.
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A woman has shared an emotional video after being kicked out of the gym for wearing a sports bra, claiming she was forced to leave because of her size.
TikTok user @shelby.bellz broke down in tears detailing the incident, explaining she was told by a receptionist her outfit didn’t meet the gym’s dress code.
But after being told, “You can’t show your belly,” she was allowed in to do her workout, only to be approached 15 minutes later and told to leave.
Shelby, who was wearing a pair of black leggings and matching sports bra, said she was “so embarrassed” by the incident, claiming she was “fat-shamed” for flashing an inch of her stomach.
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“I just went to the gym and the lady at the front desk said that they have a policy, you’re not allowed to wear sports bras to the gym, that you can’t be showing your belly,” Shelby begins in the clip, shared Thursday.
“She said, ‘It’s fine for this time,’ but just so you know for next time.
Shelby then positions her camera to show her outfit “for reference”, showing a sliver of stomach between her long sports bra and her high-waisted leggings.
“I’m 15 minutes in on the treadmill and the program co-ordinator came up to me and asked me to leave,” she continues, breaking into tears.
“I’m so embarrassed.”
But her video has caused a divide, with some arguing it’s normal for gyms to have a dress code – forcing Shelby to explain in further videos why she was “fat-shamed” and the incident was “problematic”.
“There’s two things that are problematic in how this went down and neither have anything to do with the dress code,” the 26-year-old said.
“The dress code is what it is, I can’t change that, whatever.
“But number one is how the lady at the front desk spoke to me. I said, ‘Oh we’re not allowed to wear a sports bra?’ And she said, ‘Well we can’t just have our bellies hanging out,’ in a belittling tone.
“That already is not OK.”
Shelby then went on to argue that she was told it was OK to go into the gym.
“Problem two is that she told me it was OK, that it was OK for this time but for next time to wear something else,” she said.
“So I went into the gym with my wrist band on that she gave me … then to have somebody come up to me, after I’d already been there 15 minutes, sweat pouring down my face.”
Many viewers of the TikTok video agreed that Shelby was “hurt” by the incident and it was “not OK”.
“Oh honey do not be embarrassed, they should be embarrassed,” one woman wrote.
“I hear you. You’re valid. I am so sorry soul sister, this was wrong,” another assured her.
“Time for a new gym,” someone else stated.
Shelby later addressed the people who claimed she had “blown it out of proportion” in a third video, telling them it takes some people “so much courage” to go to the gym.
“That was only my third visit to the gym and to have that interaction go down when you have barely even been there a week is very demeaning and all over, not an experience anyone would want to go through,” she said.
She also said she believes a smaller woman would not have been told to leave which was why she described the incident as “fat-shaming”.
“I genuinely believe that if that was a smaller woman standing there at the counter that they would not have said that to her.”
Continue the conversation @RebekahScanlan | rebekah.scanlan@news.com.au
Originally published as Woman ‘fat-shamed’, kicked out of gym for showing belly in sports bra
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