Sydney Gym Responds After Its Dress Code Was Slammed As Sexist On Social Media

A Sydney gym has responded after its dress code rules around boob tubes and short-shorts copped backlash for being “overbearing” and “sexist”. 

ICYMI, inner-west gym Camperdown Fitness attracted controversy on Monday when its guidelines for appropriate gym attire caused a stir among members and social media users. 

An image of the dress code, which is reportedly displayed on a loop on the gym’s TV screens, shows that items like short-shorts, boob tubes and one-shoulder tops are prohibited, leading some to describe the policies as “strange [and] sexist”. 

The dress code policy apparently plays on a loop throughout the gym. (Image source: Reddit)

“Can’t believe we are in 2025 and dictating what women can and cannot wear… Such strange sexist views,” one gym member said (per The Daily Telegraph). 

It’s reported that the gym’s policy requires that shorts must extend a few inches below the buttocks and that sports bras must have two straps. 

Men, meanwhile, are discouraged from wearing stringy muscle singlets that expose the arms or back, as seen in images of the dress code displayed throughout the gym.

Amid the hullabaloo, some members claimed they had their memberships cancelled for rebuffing the dress code, with others in strife with the gym after spreading misleading information about the policy online. 

Now, the gym’s owners, Michael Wood and Paul Vella, have come forward with a response, saying the dress code has been a part of Camperdown Fitness’ membership terms ever since it opened. 

“We are family-focused”, the gym’s owners said. (Image source: Camperdown Fitness)

Per The Daily Telegraph, Wood said the policy is in place to ensure “safety during equipment use” and maintain “our family-friendly environment”, citing the gym’s onsite creche and its catering to members aged as young as 14.

“As a community facility, we maintain standards for comfort, hygiene, and safety for all members,” Wood said. 

“We are family-focused and just want everyone to feel comfortable when they step into our gym.”

Wood confirmed that two members who “preferred different guidelines” had asked for their memberships to be cancelled, with another non-member reportedly asked not to return after posting misleading information about the dress code on social media.

Perhaps the best policy to respond to controversy is to just skip going to the gym altogether, something I’ve done consistently for years.

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