An Ottawa-area woman is fighting back against her gym after its staff said her workout outfit – a tank top and stretch pants – was “inappropriate” and “offensive to both the staff and other members.”
Apparently, what made it offensive was simply the size of her chest.
Jenna Vecchio said she was at the Movati Athletic gym in Orleans with her husband when a staff member told her that the company has a dress code that states only appropriate gym attire and modest clothing is to be worn.
As one does these days, Vecchio took to Facebook to expose the incident:
“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,” wrote Vecchio.
She said she even asked fellow female gym-goers whether they had a problem with her tank top, and they said they didn’t. She claims the only people who had an issue with her attire were the two female supervisors on duty who told her to put on a t-shirt.
“I pointed out to them that my shirt was no different than any other woman’s shirt. They informed me that it did not matter that due to my chest size I could not wear a tank top,” she wrote.“I felt humiliated and discriminated against due to my figure. I was singled out and it is unfair to say I cannot wear a tank top and other women can! Different figures means different rules?”
She writes that the gym supervisors informed her that they can make their own rules because it’s a private club.
In the post, Vecchio included three pictures of herself in the clothing she wore to the gym and asked whether people found it offensive. She also included images of the club’s advertising, which features photos of women wearing similar tank tops.
The gym’s Facebook page has since been flooded with lengthy comments from people shaming them for their treatment of Vecchio. The gym has responded with a statement:
At Movati Athletic, we strive daily to create an atmosphere where all our members feel welcome, feel comfortable and feel healthy. We ask members to be respectful of each other when in the gym, to include wearing modest athletic attire and appropriate shoes, limiting cell phone usage and keeping the facility clean. It is important to us that all members have a positive experience at Movati, and we take their needs and feelings very seriously. As such, on Saturday when some members of our gym voiced complaints regarding Ms. Vecchio’s attire as it made them feel uncomfortable and was seen as being contrary to our dress code policy our staff assessed the situation and spoke to Ms. Vecchio. While in no way did we intend to embarrass her, we did feel we had to address the issue. We are still looking into the matter, and would be happy to sit down and speak with Ms. Vecchio in more detail as we continue to investigate the incident.
Classic.
As for Vecchio, at time of writing her post had been shared 4.4 k times. And yes, she has cancelled her gym and joined another (where she’ll enjoy her workout in her tank top, thank you very much).
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