A gym in Australia has been forced to apologize after it offended some members of the public with a body-shaming sign.
The Anytime Fitness branch a sign advertising their fitness services, which read: "Are you fat and ugly? Just be ugly." The sign was intended to be a joke, but after images of the sign appeared on social media, a number of people found the sign distinctly unamusing.
The gym has been accused by detractors of being fatphobic and body-shaming.
A spokesperson representing the gym told Fox News: "We understand and sincerely apologize for any offence taken from the signposted outside one of our clubs."
She added: "The value of being an inclusive, accepting gym where our members feel comfortable and confident when they walk through our doors is at the heart of our business model. We have spoken with the club manager who immediately removed the sign and was extremely apologetic for any distress caused."
Debbie Peut, someone who noticed the sign while out and about, told the Sunshine Coast Daily she was "horrified beyond explanation" when she saw it. Peut stated: "How sad that the word fat continues to be used as an insult and a way to define people. Why is humiliating people funny?"
This isn't the first controversy caused by a gym. Earlier this year, a University of Edinburgh gym boss was fired for sending a Whatsapp message implying that women who miss fitness classes should be "raped" as punishment.
