What the Cuss?

A True WTF Moment…When a Gym Manager Tells a Black Woman She’s Too Fit.

So it seems that black women are damned if we do, and damned if we don’t, doesn’t it? By now, many of you have read about a true bit of WTF-ery when recent reports about a Richmond, California black woman was asked to cover up at Planet Fitness because her “toned body” was “intimidating” to other less fit patrons.

I contacted the manager of this establishment yesterday, and surprise! one wasn’t available for comment.

On the one hand, I understand that for some people, usually the insecure and/or hater crew often don’t like to be reminded how far they have to go, or maybe their feelings of inadequacy translates into envy. I wonder, if a very overweight person came in with the same outfit would she be shamed and told the same thing? But maybe that’s the point…one reader brought this to our attention…can you see more WTF-ery in their “Fun Facts” on the company website?

• March 2013: Planet Fitness Huntington Park, California sells 880 memberships in one day.
• June 2013: Planet Fitness La Puente, California sells 2,620 memberships in one week.
• January 2013: Planet Fitness Evansville, Indiana sells 5,228 memberships in one month.
On our once-a-month Pizza Night, we give away 250,000 slices nationwide. That’s more      than 3 million slices a year!
• We hand out more than a million Tootsie Rolls every month.

Something about this feels like it’s motivated by something else: I don’t think America is comfortable with the black female anti-stereotype: Trim, fit, well spoken.

For instance, look at what the women are wearing in a Planet Fitness promotional video.

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Now look at the “offending attire” the woman singled out was wearing.

woman.toned_.body_.planet.fitness

 

How does what she have on differ from what the women in the video are wearing? If flat, exposed bellies are offensive, then they’re breaking their own damn rules.

See how much attention we generate when we get our bodies on point? #justsayin

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