– They say that what I am wearing is not allowed, because it is offensive, creates body pressure or is unhygienic. That’s what Elisabeth Sletten says, who has long been frustrated by rules for how to dress at a fitness centre. When she works out, she wears full-coverage tights and a sports bra. Then a part of the stomach is shown. It’s not always popular. Sletten says she has been told to get dressed, and that on one occasion she was asked to leave. She doesn’t understand why a sports bra is problematic. – After all, this is completely normal training clothing that we see both in advertising, social media and on the beach. What is so dangerous about using it in training? Different rules confuse Gyms have different dress codes. For many, it is not allowed to show the stomach and back. Sletten thinks it is difficult to keep track and also thinks it is a problem that the gyms do not market their rules. She says she often looks over her shoulder, fearing that staff will ask her to leave. – If I knew it wasn’t allowed to train in a sports bra, I wouldn’t have done it. I don’t want to provoke, says the training profile, which has 177,000 followers on its Instagram account about training. Elisabeth Sletten started working out at a gym eight years ago. Now she has 177,000 followers on her Instagram account about exercise. Photo: Elisabeth Sandve / news – Several hundred feedback Sletten’s bad experiences led her to engage her followers on Insta-stories. She says she received several hundred feedbacks and a lot of support. – A lot comes from girls who themselves have been approached, she says and points out that it is not a given that well-trained people have good mental health. Elisabeth Sletten has received a lot of response on Instagram after she expressed her opinion about training in a sports bra. Photo: Screenshot from Instagram Sletten claims she was asked to leave on one occasion. It must have happened at the Actic training center in Hønefoss. Actic replies to news that for hygienic reasons it is not allowed to train in a sports bra with them. Others justify such rules with body pressure. Sletten himself thinks it is healthy to see that we look different. One of the many comments Elisabeth Sletten has received on Instagram. Photo: Screenshot from Instagram – Should work on reducing the body focus Kethe Svantorp-Tveiten is a researcher at Norway’s Top Sports Gymnasium. She emphasizes that being exposed to idealized bodies is unfortunate. – The research is clear that comparison can increase body dissatisfaction and the risk of having an unfortunate relationship with food. Is it worse to see bare stomachs in a fitness center than on the beach or on sports fields? – The difference between the beach and a fitness center is the connection. On the beach there are often different bodies and not just bodies that society idealises. Svantorp-Tveiten says that fitness centers should work to reduce the focus on the body and strengthen the focus on good health. She adds that there has been a lot of debate about the way female athletes dress. – Several sports and athletes are rebelling against the light clothing they have to or are expected to wear. Kethe Marie Engen Svantorp-Tveiten researches sports and she believes that you have to do a job with motor skills if you have to see the muscles to be able to train them correctly. Photo: PRIVAT Fashion sets guidelines Several gyms have nevertheless opened up to less covering training clothes. At Fresh Fitness AS, it was previously not allowed to train without a T-shirt. Then the rationale was both hygiene and a desire for less body focus. Now it is fashion that sets the guidelines. – As fashion changes, we introduce more flexible rules, says general manager Lars Fredrik Strøm-Håkonsen. The training chain Sats has gone back and forth a bit, confirms Interim Press Officer Tuva Spiten. In 2019, sports bras were allowed, but then they were banned again. Now the wording “clothing that mainly covers the stomach, back and thighs” is removed from the well-being rules. The reason is that “it is not Sats that dictates the fashion for training clothes.” – The members can train in the training clothes they want, says Spiten. “Friskis og Svettis” and “Trener1” have the same attitude. Sletten is happy that several gyms are now choosing to change their rules about clothing. And there are more people who want freer rules. While some let go, others hold on to their T-shirts. In addition to the previously mentioned Actic training center, Myren’s training center also does not allow sports bras. – We want as little body focus as possible. Training in underwear is therefore not permitted with us, says Johanna Karlsson in member services.
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Elisabeth (27) is told to get dressed at the gym – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
