Work colleagues found photos from when I used to do pole fitness and are mocking me

Is your colleague 12? What absolute sad act would go the effort of searching for photos of someone from 6 years ago. Bringing them in and sharing with others in an attempt to embarrass you is such a nasty and mean spirited thing to do.

You should have told her if she has nothing better to do than scroll through 6 years of social media in her effort to humiliate you then she seriously needs to get a fucking life.

I know someone who does pole fitness and posts photos. She doesn't wear much doing it because, like gymnastics, you just can't but there's nothing sexual about it.

There's a real nasty vibe going on here, and their behaviour needs addressing because it is bullying.

Someone went to the trouble of searching her name and pole fitness to find photos from a few years ago, then shared them with others..100% jealous and trying to cause her problems at work

Honestly I wouldn’t report this, they would probably just get a wrap on the knuckles and you’d be ostracised from a group that you would have seen as friends before as someone who brought something up and then got upset with slagged off and ran to hr .

They sound petty and immature for taking such a cheap shot but I’m just not sure that it’s worth souring your work relationships over. I’d definitely take a step back from them though.

Tell them to F off !

Agree. There should also be an investigation of her IT to see if she used company equipment to trawl for pics to harass OP.

I used to work with someone who did actual burlesque performances and nobody would ever have mocked her or made crass jokes about that where I work, let alone something as non-controversial as pole fitness. Your colleagues are arseholes.

It's sexual harassment under the Worker Protection Act - go to HR and quote this. They have a duty to protect employees from this and can face hefty fines from not doing so. Horrible behaviour by all of them!

My daughter does pole exercise, she also rock climbs. Her core strength is immense, as I'm sure yours is.

Don't be upset. The people commenting have very small and ugly minds, fuck them.

Fast forward a month, sat on lunch in the staff area and one of the girls I work with showed me a photo on her phone and asked whether it was me. I confirmed it was.

I'd assume the girl that showed the photo did it at lunchtime because she knew exactly what the outcome from others would be...It's her way of putting someone else down to make herself look good.
In doing so she's shown herself to be no more than a twat and as upset as you were you now know that the other work colleagues aren't much more than that, just people you work with.

This was my exact thought. The only one that should've gone home crying is the one that used their time to stalk photos of their colleague from 6 years ago. That is actually quite disturbing. If they bring it up at all again I would frame it this was also. That you find colleagues stalking old photos of you doing exercise creepy and are considering reporting to HR for the future safety of everyone at the company. Put them in their box!

I'd also report. The fact this girl trawled through 6 years worth of social media to find this and then shared it with colleagues before bringing it to you is a pathetic attempt to 'slut shame' and bully you. I would report it to hr and then tell her directly that you've done so and why. She was hugely unprofessional.

Laugh it off. Own it. ‘Long time ago, before I had kids. Loved it actually, was good fun and met some super fit women.’

Not pole dancing, pole fitness classes, nothing to do with stripping. But then you knew that.

This is great advice.

You're being ridiculous. Pretty sure you know you are too. What are you getting out of being like this?

I bet they are just jealous

They’re calling her a stripper because…she is pole dancing. Which is what strippers do…

I said sadly a lot of men, not all men. Think you've misunderstood me. I just envisioned some horrible immature pricks laughing at pole fitness. Didn't intend it to be an excuse for them.

They are calling her a stripper, internet stalking her and making sexualised comments towards her at work.

They are creeps.

Because people sometimes chat about non work stuff with colleagues? Just because you don’t, doesn’t mean it’s not a perfectly normal thing to do.

OP they are bullies what horrible people.

Send an email to HR recounting exactly what has happened: from the original out of work conversation and the context (being asked aboutfitness), to the searching for photos without your consent or knowledge by your colleague, and her bringing them to the attention of other colleagues within the workplace, and all of them making derogatory and sexualised comments about them in connection with your job. And the distress this has caused you within the workplace.

One of my other colleagues (male) chirped up and asked me if I realised I need to declare second jobs to our boss (as in I’m a stripper), and another one said I should wear that outfit in front of clients as it would help us win business.

This is straightforward sexual harassment. You can warn your colleagues if they repeat this kind of comment you will go to HR, or just report them immediately.

I am so sorry this was done to you.

It’s a fitness class, not sex work that is providing you a second income. If they say anything again, absolutely call them out on it.
‘What do you mean?’ ‘Sorry, can you explain why you think that?’