in

Woman Claims She Was Told To Leave Gym As She Was Wearing Top Showing ‘Three Inches Of Waist’

A woman claims that on a recent visit to the gym, she was told that she would need to leave or put a t-shirt on as she was showing three inches of her waist. She has since hit back and says she is sick of the double standards between men and women. 

Julia Maren, from Tennessee, says that when she was working out at the gym she was told to take her headphones out and cover up if she would like to continue exercising.

The fitness fanatic was shocked by the instructions and shared a photo of her outfit to Instagram. She added that a t-shirt would have been provided if she needed one, yet was annoyed that there wasn’t a reason given why her gym attire was inappropriate, as reported by the Daily Star.

Julia says that she was made to feel humiliated and unwelcome because she had “three inches of my waist exposed”, whilst men were allowed to wear “cutout vests that shows their whole nipple” without being made to feel uncomfortable.

Credit: Instagram

In the Instagram post, she said that this incident was just another example of how women are being judged for their choice of clothing in the gym.

She wrote: “Today I was told I’d have to leave the gym if I didn’t put a shirt on with no explanation.

“My workout was interrupted and I was told to take out my headphones for someone to tell me they could ‘get me a shirt if I need one’ and that if I wanted to continue my workout I had to put one on…. WHAT?!

“So you’re telling me that because three inches of my waist is exposed that I’m not welcome in the gym but meanwhile f****** Chad is over there with a cutout that shows his whole nipple?

“Got it. Thank you for taking time out of your day to let me know that double standards and sexism still exists.

“If the problem is that I will be a distraction, why isn’t the accountability on the one who is distracted? This is a deep rooted issue because I could EASILY talk about middle school uniform policies, prom dress codes, and evidently gym attire.

“When will we stop policing women’s bodies and HOLD THE OTHERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR SEXUALIZING THEM.

“And WHEN will we start ALLOWING women to feel comfortable enough in the gym to wear whatever the f*** is comfortable to them in an otherwise already uncomfortable environment?!

“All I’m saying is that I’m showing up in a bro tank with my nipple out next time.”

View this post on Instagram

Did you know that 65% of women actually try to avoid the gym over fear of being judged? Fitness Magazine conducted this study and in comparison, only 36% of men felt this way. Do you realize what this statistic suggests? That women are automatically more cautious about what they wear to the gym to avoid criticisms and negative comments. . . Today I was told I’d have to leave the gym if I didn’t put a shirt on with no explanation. My workout was interrupted and I was told to take out my headphones for someone to tell me they could “get me a shirt if I need one” and that if I wanted to continue my workout I had to put one on…. WHAT?! So you’re telling me that because three inches of my waist is exposed that I’m not welcome in the gym but meanwhile fucking Chad is over there with a cutout that shows his whole nipple? Got it. Thank you for taking time out of your day to let me know that double standards and sexism still exists. . . If the problem is that I will be a distraction, why isn’t the accountability on the one who is distracted? This is a deep rooted issue because I could EASILY talk about middle school uniform policies, prom dress codes, and evidently gym attire. When will we stop policing women’s bodies and HOLD THE OTHER’S ACCOUNTABLE FOR SEXUALIZING THEM. And WHEN will we start ALLOWING women to feel comfortable enough in the gym to wear whatever the fuck is comfortable to them in an otherwise already uncomfortable environment?! . . All I’m saying is that I’m showing up in a bro tank with my nipple out next time ✌? . . Edit:: this did not happen anywhere in Spring Hill, TN! It was a neighboring city that I will not be visiting again anytime soon ?

A post shared by Julia Maren (@letterstoadel) on

Julia then said that she had found a study by Fitness Magazine which had found that 65 per cent of women had avoided going to the gym as they feared being judged. Meanwhile, only 36 per cent of men felt the same way.

Although she decided to not reveal the name of the gym, many were left outraged by Julia’s story. One person replied: “That is infuriating!! I’m so mad for you girl, and mad that we have of deal with this sexism.”

Another commented: “Umm, this is totally infuriating!!!! But you totally rock. You’re handling flat-out sexism with an attitude of change and perseverance, instead of just being mad but doing nothing. YOU GO GIRL!!”

Do you have a story for us? If so, email us at [email protected]. All contact will be treated in confidence.

Written by Aimee Walker

Aimee is a senior content editor at IGV who specialises in finding the best original stories, trending topics and entertainment news. She graduated from Birmingham City University with a degree in Media and Communications.