Woman Told She’s Too Fit For Gym

A woman says she was told her “toned
body” was too “intimidating” for other
gym members to handle, but the gym in
question contends that’s not exactly
true.
Tiffany Austin told KTVU that she was
working out at a Planet Fitness Gym in
Richmond, Calif. on Monday when an
employee approached her.
According to Austin, the staff member
told her “excuse me we’ve had some
complaints you’re intimidating people
with your toned body. So can you put on
a shirt?”
Austin agreed, but as the first staff
member went to go get her a free shirt,
another staff member again told her
that her body was too fit to be shown.
It was at that point that Austin said
she asked for a refund for her gym
membership and bolted.
But Planet Fitness says the issue was not
with Austin’s body, but with her outfit,
which can be seen in the video above.
“At Planet Fitness, we are committed to
providing a comfortable and welcoming
environment for all of our members,”
Planet Fitness spokesperson McCall
Gosselin wrote in an email to The
Huffington Post. “As such, Planet
Fitness clubs have a dress code policy
that is enforced at the staff’s
discretion.”
The statement continued, “In this
particular instance, club staff received
complaints from several members about
Ms. Austin’s attire. As a result, a staff
member informed her of the dress code
policy and also offered to provide her
with a free t-shirt to complete her
workout. Planet Fitness’ dress code
policy is based solely on attire and not
physique, as members of all shapes and
sizes are welcome in our clubs.”
Gawker’s Hamilton Nolan points out in
his article “Burn Planet Fitness To The
Ground” that Planet Fitness has a
history of unique and sometimes
newsworthy policies:
I would be tempted to dismiss
this story as unlikely, if it were
not perfectly in line with Planet
Fitness’s entire
corporate mission statement:
“No Gymtimidation. No Lunks.”
This is a gym that specifically
bans intense exercise. This is a
gym that installs an actual alarm
that may be pressed if someone
is perceived to be working out
too hard. This is a gym that
once called the police on a
customer who was “grunting”
while squatting 500 pounds.
If you squat 500 pounds you
may make any god damn sound
that you wish.
On its site, Planet Fitness touts its
“Jugement (sic) Free Zone” where
“members can relax, get in shape, and
have fun without being subjected to the
hard-core, look-at-me attitude that
exists in too many gyms.”
The site says Planet Fitness strives to be
a place “where everyone feels accepted
and respected.”