Only true jerks body shame at the gym. The gym and exercise classes are a place for people to improve their minds and bodies, but for overweight people they can be intimidating and scary. Nobody wants to be laughed at (or, frankly, even looked at) when you’re red-faced, out of breath, and sweaty, so it’s crucial to know you’re in a non-judgmental environment.
All of which means people like TikToker succulentaddict8 are toned on the outside but ugly as sin on the inside. She recently posted a series of videos saying anyone over 200lb shouldn’t attend a Pilates class as they simply slow everyone down. Said videos were rapidly deleted after a fierce online backlash, but here’s a good summary:
@nosybystanders #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen someone got on this #internet and said people of a certain weight shouldn’t attend #pilates classes. Essentially saying it slows down the rest of the class and that they should stick with the gym. #pilatespolice #whosinvited #pilatescore
♬ original sound –NOSY
Her cruel take annoyed just about everyone. The Pilates community united as one to say that she’s the only person with a problem with overweight people in the classes, that behavior like this discourages the community from growing, that it leaves Pilates as a whole with a negative image, and that, quite simply, she needs to mind her own darn business.
Consequences arrived swiftly and forcefully. Not only was succulentaddict8 banned from her Pilates classes (mm, that’s good irony), but she was also fired from her job. The cherry on top of all this was the revelation that she was having an affair with a dentist that ended in his divorce. Hope she got some nice veneers out of it!
Then, as sure as the sun setting, came the apology video. This is a classic of the genre, ticking the boxes of being shot inside a car from a low angle, wearing neutral earth tones, and breaking out the waterworks.
The offending videos have now been deleted (not that they should ever have been posted in the first place), and the comments on the apology are full of Pilates fans rejoicing in her downfall. One of the most poignant was someone saying that succulentaddict8’s comments were basically her worst fear:
As someone who is on a health journey and wanting to do Pilates what you said out loud was my fear which is why I never tried it. I’m not adding h8 to your page but know what you said runs deep for a lot of us.”
If there’s a moral here, it’s that Pilates can indeed improve your core stability, strength, and flexibility – but it can’t cleanse a rotten soul. All we can hope is that succulentaddict8 has learned her lesson for good, and the next time she sees someone she considers overweight at the gym she keeps her trap shut.
