Mom In Tears Over Gym Asking Her To Leave Due To ‘Exposing’ Sports Bra — Says It’s ‘Fat-Shaming’

Jan 21, 2022 by apost team

Something that people are genuinely taught to do is to eat right and exercise to help keep themselves healthy and in shape. For some people, this is easier said than done and taking the steps toward making those lifestyle changes can seem daunting and overwhelming. This can be especially true for people who may not be comfortable with their bodies and really worry about the idea that someone may judge them based on what they look like.

For a mom named Shelby, her experience toward embarking on a new, healthy lifestyle seemed to be cut short following a less than pleasant experience at her local gym. The mom went to TikTok on June 23, 2021, to upload a video talking about how embarrassed she was following her last visit to the gym, as she had been kicked out for what she was wearing.

While it’s common for women to wear a sports bra while working out, a lot of women also choose to wear a shirt that covers it. On top of that, several gyms have dress code policies that require people to wear certain items. Shelby found out that her gym had a similar dress code during one of her visits while she was wearing a sports bra and a pair of high-waisted leggings. She was ultimately kicked out of the gym for her exposing attire that showed her stomach.

In her TikTok, Shelby was very emotional and cried about how upset she was over the way she was treated, and sparked a conversation about how people in different-sized bodies seem to be treated differently.

In her TikTok, Shelby talked about a recent trip to the gym that left her feeling extremely upset. She said, “So 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. She said it’s fine for this time but just so you know for next time.”

The mom continued, “For reference, this is my shirt.” Shelby then pointed the camera down to show the sliver of skin that was visible between her sports bra and high-waisted pants. Continuing her story, the mom explained how she started her workout and had been on the treadmill for about 15 minutes before the gym’s program coordinator came up to her and asked her to leave.

Shelby, who was already crying in her video, began crying harder and said, “I’m so embarrassed." In the TikTok’s caption, Shelby included several hashtags such as #fatshaming, #bodypositivity, and #weightlossjourney. The video has since received more than 2.1 million views, and the comments have been turned off.

However, Shelby uploaded another TikTok that same day, explaining that the gym employee said, “Well, we can’t just have our bellies hanging out.” Some TikTok users believed Shelby was right to be upset, while others thought she was making a big deal out of nothing. Uploading another update on June 24, 2021, Shelby said, “I genuinely believe that if that was a smaller woman standing there at the counter that they wouldn’t have said that, ‘We can’t have our bellies hanging out.' I genuinely believe that wouldn’t have been said.”

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As the days progressed, more people began chiming in about Shelby and the incident surrounding her exposing sports bra that caused her to be kicked out of a gym. Many people were confused about why she was so upset in the first place, while others leant a virtual shoulder for the mom to lean on.

On June 28, 2021, Shelby uploaded a TikTok to reply to a comment that said: “OMG! You’re crying because you were asked to leave?! Clearly you live a privileged life and have no idea what real problems are.” Shelby dove into some details about her difficult childhood, explaining that she was never allowed to stand up for herself or speak her mind. The mom said that this could be why it was so hard for her to stand up for herself at the gym, and why being asked to leave because of her clothing was so hard for her.

Many TikTok users flooded the comments supporting Shelby, again bringing up the fact that she was asked to leave as a result of fat-shaming, not because of how exposed her skin was. One user commented, “She’s crying because they were literally fat-shaming her. Why can’t y’all see that? Girl you’re so beautiful please don’t beat yourself up.” 

Another person said, “Most people have anxiety about going to the gym just for reasons like this!!! Stop bashing her because her experience was what it was!!” A third user added, “It does not matter where something is sad or by whom, if it hurts your feelings, it hurts your feelings. We’re humans and we feel different things.”

What do you think about the reason behind why this woman was kicked out of a gym? Let us know, and feel free to pass this along to your family members and friends, too.