Gym posted photos of me on Facebook

[DomesticDisgrace]

I recently joined a small gym/training studio very local to me and I have 33 mutual Facebook friends with this gym as it's a smallish town and the PTs there are very involved in the local community, children's sport club said etc.

I had my first PT session today, purposely because I was advised it would be quiet and I was feeling very self conscious etc. It went really well and I booked and paid for my next session before leaving.

I've just logged onto Facebook and the first thing on my timeline is 4 photos by the gym page of me, mid session, red contorted face, dripping with sweat, one where my mum tum has escaped my leggings and looks to be flying off like a fleshy jelly spaceship! There are lots of comments, some just of people tagging their friends which I take as a pisstake, others along the lines of "any step is a step in the right direction".

I'm fucking mortified and fuming! I've messaged them asking them to remove them and had no reply

You don't have to have MH issues to feel that your privacy has been violated by unflattering photos being posted online for the public to ridicule, without your permission. Yes it's natural to look a bit of a mess after a good workout, but that doesn't mean you want everyone seeing you in that state. Taking a shit is natural too but that doesn't mean it'd be unreasonable to be furious if someone put a photo of you doing it on social media.

I would be mortified and bloody angry if it was me, it wouldn't matter if my photo is flattering or not, they would have no right to publish without asking at the he very least.

Knobheads

Today 18:30 DomesticDisgrace

No I don't know how I didn't notice the pictures being taken! I didn't actually sign anything at all yet because I'm just doing pay as you go for the moment. Ugh!

Op, I really do feel for you. It's one thing to sign a contract where you agree to have your photo shared on social media and another for your photos to be taken without your permission.

I'm glad the photos have been taken down but it just goes to show that we all need to find out about terms and conditions even for pay as you go gym memberships which is rather silly because the whole point of pay as you go is that you don't have to commit to an actual membership. But just to avoid situations like this, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Please don't let those commenters on FB put you off. You're doing really well. I think you should get your money back and use the money that would have gone towards gym membership for a personal trainer. And then you can join local fitness groups etc if you want to.

Complain complain complain, however please remember you have nothing to be ashamed of - you exercised your body, you weren't doing a catwalk show and you didn't choose those photos. Hope someone calls out those comments.

Once I passed two guys when I was running. One of them made an 'amusing' comment to his mate about my size. His mate calmly said to him 'so what, she is just out for a run.'

Shame grows in secrecy - you have nothing to be ashamed about, so go in there furious and angry, with those that put the photo up and with those that posted negatively about it - not embarrassed and ashamed. Call them out, as they say.

Can we dispense with all the what ifs? What if she had MH problems,?What if she was anorexic? What if she was on the run from the police! None of these things are relevant to this situation.

The gym didn't know that. They didn't ask or even consider it.
And even without all the 'what ifs' you'd have to be pretty shit at social media to not realise that an unflattering photo of a hot and sweaty woman will immediately attract trolls and nasty comments.
I have a huge social media presence but would never post an unflattering picture of anyone. It's just bad manners.
It's also horribly easy for a single picture to go viral.

Wow I hope they go to prison what a massive invasion of privacy

Call the Manager and get them removed immediately. This is definitely not acceptable.

Wow that's so mean of them. So sorry for you I would start reviewing them all over google, Facebook, etc with random accounts saying how dreadful they are, maybe they will learn!

Did you sign saying they could? I have this issue with my dd being used in photos and people have done it forgetting they don't have permission. If it were me and I hadn't given consent, I'd be threatening court action for compensation!

Not much else to add. Complain to the gym, to Facebook too.

But most of all please do not let this unpleasant experience knock your confidence. Keep training, even if it is at another gym.

They could be in breach of data protection act. Your photo is your data. Depends on the contract.

Twitter is the way to go.#(name the gym) gym and something along the lines of Beware- this gym takes unflattering photos without your knowledge and use them on face book. Flag it up to their head office too. They wont want publicity like this.

They obviously don't realise that they've broken the data and confidentiality act. I'd check my house insurance or if you belong to a union and ask their advice. I would be tempted to say to the gym that if the offending photographs are not taken down within 48 hours, then you'll take the story to the papers. They don't want any adverse press and would hopefully take them down pdq.
Failing that, you can get 15/30 minutes of free legal advice. If you speak to the Citizens Advice Bureau, they'll be able to advise you of ones which offer 30 minutes. Take a pen and paper to write down the relevant laws they've broken. Show the solicitor your screen shots. Take it from there, as then you'll be armed with the latest correct legal advice. Good luck OP. You do have every right to be absolutely b@@@@@ furious and totally livid. I'd be in tears in your shoes, but jez, I'd certainly do something and expect recompense. I'd expect more than one free session too! More like ten! (You can negotiate from there!)

I would be furious. I already feel self conscious at the gym!
My beautician is big on posting photos of clients to Facebook and always asks if she can do a before and after pic although I always say no. I often wonder how many of those appearing are pressured into it . At least she asks (quite forecefully) though... Your ex-gym didn't give you the option and is completely in the wrong!
I would write a letter of complaint to the gym OP, requesting deletion of the original photos as well as an apology.
Bastards.

If the gym has conditions that allows the use of photos of clients and you agreed (signed) then you are stuffed. Was a camera used, didn't you notice picture being taken? If so you should have expressed you'd rather these shots weren't posted at the time.

Disgraceful.

My old gym is frequented by a high profile YouTuber, who is constantly filming herself there, whilst having no respect for the gym's rule stating 'no photography'. I feel so sorry for the members sweating away in the background of her vlogs, unaware that they will be all over YouTube watched by her million subscribers in less than 24 hours time.

I have rung the gym twice now, reporting her, but in spite of assurances that something will be done, nothing has been. In fact, in one of her latest vlogs, she gaily swung through the exit gates filming whilst calling out 'thanks, bye!' to the receptionist, who made absolutely no effort to intercept her filming

I have cancelled my membership of the gym.

Report the photo to Facebook x

This is what winds me up. People taking the piss. They're probably the same wankers who have a pop at people for being over weight, and When people do try to do something they're mocked. Come on
body beautifuls. You can't have it both ways. Right that's my time on them over. Now on to the bigger wankers. The gym.
Name and Shame them. Not only to make a cunt of them because. They've made a cunt out of you, but to warn people off them. It takes some people all their courage to go to a gym as it is without people who they pay their wages to making a laughing stock of them.

Can't believe how casual some people are about this. An 'innocent' photo like that can, in this day and age, easily go viral. What may be a few local people leaving nasty comments and laughing faces under the photo could very swiftly turn into millions of people around the world commenting, being nasty, turning it into memes etc. I would be FURIOUS.

I would ask them to remove the photos, report to FB, delete from your timeline and then never under any circumstances go there again. I would then tell everyone I know this has happened to you.

Once something is on FB it belongs to the internet and can be shared, copied or saved by ANYONE. It might even show on google images if someone is searching that hashtag.

It's not even if they've done the wrong thing. They just haven't asked.

People are really weird about pictures, it's as if people think they are invisible in everyday life and are only seen by others if a picture is taken. Hundreds, if not thousands of people see you each and every day, they even see your children! Yet the moment people take a picture all hell breaks loose. I understand that this situation is not quite like that as the OP was in the gym rather than the street but it seems that there is something about pictures that makes people react very strongly and overreact in my opinion in some circumstances.

Lemons you don't seem to get how the internet works. Once something is out there, it basically lives forever. Also, images and video posted to Facebook effectively become the property of Facebook, to use as they will. Be really wary about what you post.

I would be furious. They had no right to do this.