A gym body-shamed this woman, saying her chest size was “inappropriate”
Going to the gym should be an experience that’s completely and utterly judgement-free. Yet, this was unfortunately not the case at Ottawa resident Jenna Vecchio’s gym. Here, the staff reproached the woman for wearing an “inappropriate” outfit that was “offensive to both the staff and other members.” This was supposedly due to Jenna’s chest size.
At the Orleans, Ontario-based Movati Athletic gym, Vecchio was wearing a tank top and athletic pants. She explained on Facebook, “I will start by saying my tank top was no different than many other women’s tank top at the club; except my chest size is much larger in appearance in comparison to my frame than many of the other women.”
Jenna even took the time to ask the other women at the gym if they found her workout gear to be offensive and, according to Vecchio, they all said no. She then went back to the staff member who admonished her. “I pointed out to them that my shirt was no different than any other woman’s shirt,” wrote Jenna. “They informed me that it did not matter that due to my chest size I could not wear a tank top.”
This incident left Vecchio feeling embarrassed and as though she was being discriminated against because of her body type. Overall, she feels that she was singled out – especially considering that the gym’s promotional images feature other women in tank tops similar to her own. Plus, we were unable to find a dress code on their website.
“[I]t is unfair to say I cannot wear a tank top and other women can!” asserted Jenna, who asked a great question: “Different figures means different rules?”
In response, BuzzFeed reported that Movati Athletic had this to say: “While it may not have been intentional, Ms. Vecchio’s attire was not as modest as she has suggested via the images she shared recently on Facebook and through media interviews, and caused multiple members to feel uncomfortable and voice their concerns to our staff.”
The gym added that they did conduct an investigation involving member and staff interviews. They concluded that it was not Jenna’s shirt that was in the wrong, it was the “lack of coverage that was the issue as she exercised adjacent to other members.” Overall, the gym states that their goal was not to embarrass Jenna. They instead wanted to deal with the alleged complaints from other members at their facility that day.
Jenna, on the other hand, concluded, “THIS IS DRESS CODE DISCRIMINATION. DIFFERENT FIGURES DOES NOT MEAN DIFFERENT RULES!“