Sweating it out. Gold’s Gym is under fire for an ad that body-shamed women with pear-shaped bodies. The promotional photo was posted by a franchisee in Egypt called Gold’s Gym Dreamland on Friday, August 12.
“This is no shape for a girl,” the caption read, next to a green pear. Gold’s Gym quickly was attacked for the advertisement, which went viral.
“Oh Shove It, Gold’s Gym,” one commenter wrote. A second person quipped: “Kiss my pear shaped ass Gold’s Gym.”
Even actress Abigail Breslin weighed in. “Wow honestly disgusted by this @goldsgym you should be ashamed of yourselves. Things like this are the reason 9 year old girls develop eating disorders. Working out should be something you do for yourself, your health and your mind & body, not cuz a corporation declares your body shape isn’t what girls should look like,” the Scream Queens actress, 20, wrote via Instagram on Monday.
“Also I wonder if it’s cool with Golds Gyms for men to be pear shaped? Interesting they had to single out females,” she added. “Good job for preying on people’s insecurities and perpetuating body image issues! Good thing I’ve never signed up for your gym, now I certainly never will.”
Gold’s Gym plans to terminate its contract with the franchisee. The company issued an apology on its official Facebook page on Tuesday.
“Words cannot express how shocked and appalled we were by the recent posts of Gold’s Gym Dreamland, a sub-franchise in Cairo, Egypt. Not only were they offensive and disgusting, they go against everything we believe in and stand for,” the statement read. “For years we have been dedicated to helping people feel empowered by fitness, not intimidated or ashamed by it. We believe that strength comes in many forms…be it physical, mental or emotional … and that our purpose (and rallying cry) is to help people Know Their Own Strength.”
Amid the backlash, the company is reviewing its internal procedures to make sure that an incident like this never happens again.
“We sincerely apologize for these posts. Even though they were created and posted without our knowledge, they were associated with our logo and there’s no excuse for that,” the statement continued. “More importantly, to our members, fans, team members and franchisees around the world, we share your anger. We are mothers, sisters & daughters too and this is unacceptable. We understand that as a brand with a presence in 30 countries, we have a responsibility to spread a message of empowerment. To let people know that no matter where you live or who you are, fitness should make you feel strong in every way possible. That’s our commitment. Always.”
