Jenna Vecchio was working out at her Ottawa gym, Movati Athletic Club, on Saturday morning with her husband, as she normally does about five times per week. On this morning in question, however, Vecchio was confronted by a female employee about her tank top, claiming that her attire had been getting complaints from other gym members.
Vecchio’s tank top was no different from what other women at the gym were wearing, and was even similar to images found in the gym’s advertising and on its website. The only difference between Vecchio and other women similarly dressed at Movati is that Vecchio happens to be, shall we say, more endowed in the chest area. (She has big boobs, okay?)
Regardless, the employee told her that she could choose to cover up with a T-shirt or leave. Suffice to say Vecchio left.
After she went home, Vecchio posted about her ordeal on Facebook, which has since been shared over 4,400 times, and later spoke with the Ottawa Metro about the “humiliating” incident.
“I said I can’t help it that my chest may appear larger than some other women’s here because of my small frame, but I can’t do anything about it,” Vecchio told Metro.
“I felt humiliated. I was made to feel uncomfortable. I felt degraded.”
Vecchio has since quit Movati and joined another gym. The gym’s reason for her being asked to leave seems dubious at best, but Movati is sticking by their guns. The Area Director for Movati Athletic Group, Sean Whittal, gave the following statement regarding the incident:
At Movati Athletic, we strive daily to create an atmosphere where all our members feel welcome, feel comfortable and feel healthy. We ask members to be respectful of each other when in the gym, to include wearing modest athletic attire and appropriate shoes, limiting cell phone usage and keeping the facility clean. It is important to us that all members have a positive experience at Movati, and we take their needs and feelings very seriously. As such, on Saturday when some members of our gym voiced complaints regarding Ms. Vecchio’s attire as it made them feel uncomfortable and was seen as being contrary to our dress code policy our staff assessed the situation and spoke to Ms. Vecchio. While in no way did we intend to embarrass her, we did feel we had to address the issue. We are still looking into the matter, and would be happy to sit down and speak with Ms. Vecchio in more detail as we continue to investigate the incident.
Translation: we prioritize the needs of our delicate f*cking flower pearl-clutching members instead of those who are just here to, say, work out. Listen, if anyone has a problem with boobs, that’s on them. Not the boobs.
(Via Ottawa Metro)