2 min read

Woman Asked To Leave Gym For Showing Too Much Skin

Australian woman, Gabi Watson, was training in a Sydney gym when she was asked by a staff member to "change" or leave the gym for her "too revealing and inappropriate workout dress". On further probe, she found a female teacher who was accompanied by her teenage students to the gym was the one who objected to Gabi's clothing.

The 27-year old, fashion blogger explained her ordeal through her Instagram stories where she explained how it was a hot day, without the air conditioner, while a government school teacher was more concerned about the children seeing so much skin, and thus she had the audacity to asked Gabi to leave. She wrote, "I was asked to leave and change my outfit"

Watson shared a picture of her outfit, writing, “It’s a hot day, the air con was not on, but apparently this government teacher was concerned about the children seeing so much skin.”

She filed a complaint to the Principal of Turramurra High, the school where the teacher who complained against her works. She wrote, "The teacher who accompanied your students to the gym this afternoon has behaved inappropriately and I would like to register a complaint… I was called over by the gym owner and told that your teacher had asked me to not be allowed to work out in front of your teenage students, due to the shorts I was wearing."

She goes on to say that being a powerlifter who does the heavyweight lifting, her workouts require her to “use a significant range of motion, meaning that fitted & stretchy clothes are necessary. Due to the heat today and level of energy used, I was wearing the most practical thing: workout shorts… I was asked to leave and change my outfit.”

Social media had a mixed reaction to Gabi's post. Some were outraged on the incident, while others asked Gabi to stop making a fuss out of nothing. One of the male users wrote, "Wear a loose t-shirt. Stop trying to get attention."

Gabi strongly objected to the public humiliation she had to face over her choice of clothing. She also pointed out how this school and the teacher were perpetuating harmful values where "14-year-old boys are given priority over women. Where women are punished for boy’s and men’s propensity for objectifying women."