A university student said she was told her workout clothing was “considered inappropriate” and violated her school gym’s dress code because her crop top could be deemed “distracting” to others.
WATCH BELOW: What to do if you get harassed at the gym
Graham said she then continued on inside the gym and worked out, but when she was done exercising, the staff talked to her again about her outfit.
READ MORE: Grunting at the gym: How loud is too loud?
“As I was leaving, the same person turned to me and said, ‘My coworkers and I discussed what you were wearing and decided it was okay,'” she wrote. “At this point, I was angry and so I asked, ‘What exactly isn’t allowed then and why?'”
Graham said she was told sports bras are not allowed to be worn as tops inside the gym because they show “abs and cleavage.” She wrote that when she pressed staff on why this is, they allegedly replied, “because we are trying to find a happy medium where girls can still work out with men.”
Graham posted that she was “angry” about the situation and how it was handled, and asked why the school’s dress code seemed to regulate women’s bodies more intensely than men’s. She told Global News that the comments made during the second portion of her discussion with gym staff felt “very misogynistic.”
“Women were being prevented from wearing something because it was considered too sexual … it would distract men, and therefore, women’s comfort and fitness was being considered as less important than just telling men to be respectful,” she said to Global News. “They were also indicating that women’s bodies are for some reason shameful, and women shouldn’t be confident to wear something that makes them feel and look good.”
WATCH BELOW: Working out while traveling
Nicole Phillips, the associate director of marketing and communications at the University of Prince Edward Island, confirmed to Global News that the school was aware of the incident. She said that the gym has clothing guidelines — not a strict policy — and that students aren’t kicked out for wearing crop tops or sports bras.
READ MORE: Sore after hitting the gym? How to tell if you’re exercising too much
“UPEI athletics and recreation did create a set of guidelines that went into place in February 2018,” Phillips said to Global News. “The reason why they were created was … just because of feedback that had come in from several members and patrons about them feeling uncomfortable with what some people were wearing in the sports and fitness centre.”
Philips said that the athletics department looked to other Canadian universities’ policies, and developed a set of guidelines to help people understand what’s appropriate gym attire.
READ MORE: Standing at a desk isn’t any better than sitting all day, experts say
“There’s no reference to crop tops or sports bras; it’s broad and very non-gender specific.”
Phillips said that the university has talked to the student staff who were involved in Graham’s situation, and the university has apologized to Graham.
“What we’ve learned from this situation … is that some of the guidelines are pretty cut-and-dry, like if somebody is wearing a pair of flip-flops, it’s pretty obvious that could cause a safety concern or personal injury,” she said. “It’s one thing to approach someone and advise them that that’s not within the guidelines, but clothing is obviously a lot more subjective.”
She said moving forward, the university is instructing their student staff to bring any clothing concerns to a department staff member. Senior staff will then decide how to approach the situation, she said.
Laura.Hensley@globalnews.ca
Comments