Pregnant woman told to 'leave' gym for wearing a tank top

A pregnant woman was told to “leave” the gym where she was working because of the tank top she was wearing.

With TikTok and Instagram, instances of people having weird interactions with the gym spread like wildfire one woman went viral for being told she is “what’s wrong with girls” by a man during her workout. Meanwhile, another revealed she was “shamed” by her gym for wearing leggings deemed “offensive”.

A pregnant bodybuilder is the latest to have been “dress coded” at her gym, taking to TikTok to share her outrage about the “awkward, uncomfortable encounter”.

The TikToker named Emi who was five months pregnant at the time revealed in a viral video that she was wearing a tank top and leggings to the gym.

She explained the gym she uses is mostly for bodybuilders and most of the clients are men. On the walls, she said, there are images of competitive bodybuilders in bikinis and briefs.

The gym’s policy doesn’t allow people to work out in only a sports bra, but Emi believed she was ok because she was wearing a tank top.

She claimed the owner approached her and said: “My wife has an issue with what you’re wearing right now”. The owner insisted she had to put a top on, while Emi reiterated that she was wearing a tank top, not a sports bra, and pointed to other women in the gym wearing similar clothing to her. Emi claimed the owner ultimately suggested “maybe you don't need a membership here”.

Reflecting on the interaction, she said: “I was trying to be respectful but it was honestly pretty offensive. I don’t know, I thought it was the craziest thing.”

The clip has been viewed 3.4 million times and in the comments, people have come to Emi’s defence.

“Who else instinctively rolled their eyes as soon as you heard ‘owner's wife’ - it was a TANK TOP,” one person responded.

Another argued: “The wife didn’t have an issue with your outfit... She had an issue with you being unbelievably gorgeous.”

Someone else questioned: “Why is there even a dress code?”

Sign up for our free indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings