Debate After Man Mocks Influencer as ‘Stupid’ for Filming in The Gym
A video of a fitness influencer being mocked by a man for recording her workout has fuelled a debate on whether people should be allowed to film in the gym at all.
Fitness influencer Emmy shared a video on TikTok of her filming herself as she did sets on the lateral pulldown machine at a public gym at the end of January.
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However, as she does so, a fellow male gym-goer becomes angry with the influencer for recording her workout in the gym and starts loudly mocking her.
“Try spending more time working out,” the man yells at Emmy.
“It’ll help a lot more. Sitting there f*cking video-taping yourself the whole time.
“It’s stupid why you’re doing it.”
‘All Gyms Should Really Ban Filming’
The video amassed over 10.3 million views on TikTok. Viewers seemed to unanimously agree that the man was extremely disrespectful and rude in his rant to the fitness influencer.
However, the footage also sparked a debate on social media about whether filming in the gym should be banned altogether.
Last week, a Reddit user shared the viral TikTok video alongside the caption: “All gyms should really ban filming.”
The post has since been upvoted over 26,000 times on the platform — with many Reddit users agreeing that filming should be prohibited in gyms.
One individual commented that fitness influencers were making them “hate the gym” and that they “hog the equipment” to shoot their videos.
Another Reddit user claimed that they had stopped going to a particular gym after it became overrun with influencers filming their workouts. They alleged that this even “renting out ring lights to members so they can use them during their workout.”
Even bodybuilder and internet star Joey Swoll weighed into the argument about Emmy’s viral video on TikTok. Swoll wholeheartedly agreed that the man was “disrespectful” and never should have spoken to the influencer in that way.
However, he also admitted that he “understand[s] why so many people, both men and women, are so upset about filming in gyms.”
Influencers, fitness instructors, and even regular gym-goers are increasingly using their smartphones to take photographs and videos of their progress, routines, and techniques to post on social media.
This behavior has led to concerns about privacy and public bullying. Although some gyms say that members must seek consent from others, this often does not happen in practice and other people are being inadvertently filmed for social media images.
PetaPixel previously reported on how U.K. gyms were starting to ban members from taking photos and recording workout videos in facilities — amid growing privacy concerns and complaints about camera and lighting equipment taking up the gym floor.
Image credits: Header photo via TikTok/@emmysbakedbeans.
