The gym is supposed to be one of your safe spaces; somewhere you go to work toward your health goals, blow off some steam, or perhaps to relax while getting your tan on. For one Planet Fitness customer, however, her most recent experience felt anything but safe.
TikToker Kaitlyn Schultz (@kaitlyn.a.schultz) says she was yelled at by a Planet Fitness employee on her latest visit. She shared her storytime, which earned 1 million views as of Saturday, with her 350,000 followers.
Getting dress-coded at Planet Fitness
“I just got yelled at by a man at Planet Fitness,” Schultz begins in her video. She explains how she dresses the same every time she goes to work out: a sports bra and athletic shorts. She used to go to Planet Fitness, Schultz says, before switching to another gym. However, she kept her membership so she could keep tanning.
So on the day of the incident, Schultz says she was wearing her usual gym attire when she decided to go tanning.
Upon getting checked in, she says the worker called out “something about spaghetti straps” to her as she was walking toward the bathroom. Schultz proceeded to the tanning area, which had one other guest. The employee followed her in and began to “yell at [her]” about how her outfit was “inappropriate” for their gym. (The TikToker asserts she checked PF’s website and she was not violating a dress code, which is true.)
Schultz says the worker told her since she was tanning, he would “let it slide,” but if she wanted to work out, she’d need to cover up.
The TikToker pointed out how she had been wearing this same outfit every time she visited Planet Fitness: Why was it a problem now?
Schultz had a hunch as to why.
“Why before I got my boob job, I could wear that exact same outfit,” Shultze demands. “But after I have boobies, I can’t?”
Schultz states that the size of her breasts shouldn’t determine whether her outfit is inappropriate or not. And several women in the comments thought her speculation was right on the money.
Viewers sympathize with her
“As a triple D girly… I have dealt with this my entire life,” one user wrote. “It’s okay for the A or B cup to wear low-cut shirt but God forbid I wear one… It’s discrimination.”
Another echoed this sentiment, writing, “This is what is curvier girls have always experienced. Even at a young age.” One user added that she’s also accused of being inappropriate, saying, “As a girl that’s heavy chested I often am told I’m inappropriate when wearing something the next girl is wearing, so I don’t always wear what I want.”
@kaitlyn.a.schultz @Planet Fitness ♬ original sound – Kaitlyn Schultz
Cup sizes and their stereotypes
Stereotypes about women’s cup sizes are nothing new. The stigma that women with larger breasts are more promiscuous or are hypersexual continues to exist in this day and age. In one study, researchers found that women with bigger cup sizes were perceived by men as less intelligent and less faithful. However, researchers found that big-breasted women were not more promiscuous than their smaller-breasted counterparts, despite the popular stereotype. So as the old adage goes, it’s best not to judge based on appearance, as Schultz speculates she was. Ironically, several of her viewers pointed out that Planet Fitness actively promotes itself as a Judgment Free Zone, and yet, this isn’t even their only scandal within this month.
Planet Fitness backlash
In another viral video covered by TMS, one woman went to tan at Planet Fitness. She reports how she suspected she was being spied on while tanning naked. TikToker Alyssa Max says that she had locked the door behind her before she got in the bed. When she was done, the door was wide open. She wasn’t the first to report it happening to her, either.
“I understand Planet Fitness is an affordable option for people compared to other gyms, but safety precautions should be non-negotiable & I’m disappointed that this happened in the first place,” Max told TMS.
The Mary Sue reached out to Planet Fitness and Schultz via email.
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