Photo sparks debate: Is this appropriate gym wear?

Louise Aubery says you 'shouldn't be ashamed for wearing a sports bra'. Photo / Instagram, @mybetter_self

By Siofra Brennan

A fitness blogger has sparked a heated debate over acceptable gym wear, after sharing an encounter with a woman who had been shamed for working out in a sports bra.

Louise Aubery, who lives in Paris, shared an image of herself in leggings and a sports top next to a shot wearing shorts and a sports bra with her Instagram followers, pointing out that both are equally acceptable.

She was inspired after chatting to a woman at the gym who covered up in a long-sleeved top after a man accused her of flaunting her body by exercising in a sports bra.

View this post on Instagram

❗️LEM'ME TOUCH ON SOMETHING REAL QUICK ❗️ As I was doing my deadlifts in the crossfit room today, a girl I knew walked in. She started practicing her pull ups. Counting her, we were 2 women and 5 men in the room. I saw her getting really sweaty as time passed, but she was keeping her long sleeves top on. . . In the lockers, I saw she had a sport bra underneath. I kindly asked her : "Why did you keep your top on while you were training ? It was so hot in the room !" She hesitated, and answered : "I do not feel comfortable anymore since a guy told me I wanted to show off my body" . . 😡👿😩😤 EXCUZEEEE ME. I was so pissed off. I almost asked her which guy told her this so I could give him a little pep talk. So guys can train as they want but women would not have the right to work out in a sports bra ? . HELL YES YOU CAN GIRL. Do not let anyone tell you how you should behave. Sports bra have been created FOR this purpose, so please, do not feel ashamed wearing it at the gym, especially when it is so warm. For your health, for you comfort, and even more simply for yourself 👊🏼 ______________________________________ ❗️PARLONS DE QUELQUE CHOSE D'IMPORTANT RAPIDEMENT ❗️ Alors que je faisais mes soulevés de terre dans la salle de Crossfit cet après-midi, une autre fille est entrée. En la comptant, on était 2 femmes pour 5 hommes. Elle commença à travailler ses tractions, et je voyais qu'elle transpirait de plus en plus, mais elle gardait son haut à manches longues sur elle. . Dans les vestiaires, j'ai vu qu'elle avait une brassière de sport en dessous. Je lui ai demandé gentiment : "Pourquoi tu as gardé ton haut quand tu t'entraînais ? Il faisait tellement chaud !" Elle a eu une hésitation, puis a répondu : "Je n'ose plus me mettre en brassière depuis qu'un mec m'a dit que je voulais juste montrer mon corps" . 😡👿😩😤 PARDON !!! AI-JE MAL ENTENDU !! J'ai failli lui demander quel mec lui avait dit ça pour lui toucher deux mots. Alors comme ca les mecs pourraient s'entrainer comme ils veulent et nous on ne pourrait pas se mettre en brassière ? . ET BIEN SI. Les brassières de sport ont été crée à cette fin, donc par pitié ne vous sentez pas honteuses quand

A post shared by Louise 🍒 (@mybetterself) on Aug 6, 2017 at 11:33am PDT

"Do not let anyone tell you how you should behave," Louise urged followers. "Sports bra have been created FOR this purpose, so please, do not feel ashamed wearing it at the gym, especially when it is so warm."

Commenters were delighted by Louise's post, which attracted more than 20,000 likes, with many saying that women should wear what they feel comfortable in without fear of being judged, but not everyone agreed.

Dozens of commenters said it was a double standard as many gyms ask male clients not to take their tops off while working out.

And others said that a woman can easily wear shorts and a tank top to stay cool while exercising, and that those who work out in sports bras are just looking for attention.

One man said he'd even stopped going to the gym because the amount of women wearing tight and revealing clothing was distracting him.

"It's hot, as in it's sexual," he said. "Sorry, you wouldn't wear it if it wasn't."

A female Instagrammer said she agreed that it's inappropriate to wear just a sports bra, while another said that women should be aware of 'minors' attending the gym and cover up.

Another more balanced voice said that men taking their shirts off at the gym is distracting as is wearing a sports bra and that everyone should just get over it and treat both genders equally.

Others accused Louise of interfering by questioning the girl over her choice of outfit, until she explained that it was someone she knew and not a stranger.

Louise hit the headlines earlier this month when she shared a side-by-side photo of herself in a bikini and highlighted how she sees herself versus how she believes other people do.

View this post on Instagram

⚡️ I am guilty. I am here to always be completely honest, because I feel social medias need more of it. | As much as I preach self love and truly made some progress accepting myself, there is something I really struggle with : pictures. . . Whenever I see a picture of me, the first things which catches my eyes are my FLAWS. I always see what is wrong. "Too close". "My nose appears too big." "My legs look too white". "I look terrible" This is usually what follows when someone show me a picture they took of me. . . YET, I really do not look at people's flaws first when I look at a picture of someone else ! On the contrary, I tend to focus on their assets. . . So why not do the same with yourself ? We really need to learn not to be so harsh on ourselves. It is not healthy. I am going to work on it, and I hope you will too. 💛 _____________________________________ ⚡️ Je plaide coupable. Vous savez que l'honnêteté est une valeur que je chérie; et je trouve que ca manque sur les réseaux sociaux. | Malgré que je prêche l'acceptance et l'amour de soi et que j'ai fait de réels progrès sur le sujet, il y a quelque chose avec lequel j'ai toujours beaucoup de mal : les photos. . . A chaque fois que je vois une photo de moi, tout ce que je vois en premier sont mes défauts. Je vois toujours ce qui ne va PAS. "Trop proche" "Mon nez paraît trop gros" "J'ai l'air trop blanche" "Supprime" : ce sont généralement mes premières réactions après avoir vu une photo de moi. . . Pourtant, ce n'est pas du tout comme ça que je réagis quand je vois une photo de quelqu'un d'autre ! Au contraire, j'ai plutôt tendance à voir leurs atouts . . Alors pourquoi ne l'applique-t-on pas à nous-même ? On doit vraiment apprendre à ne pas être aussi dur envers soi-même. Ce n'est pas sain. Je vais travailler dessus, et j'espère que vous aussi. 💛

A post shared by Louise 🍒 (@mybetterself) on Aug 1, 2017 at 12:16pm PDT

The fitness blogger drew arrows to various body parts noting that she believes she has a big nose, back fat and cellulite. In the other photo, however, she points out that people often compliment her big smile, long legs and strong butt.

The student explained: "Whenever I see a picture of me, the first things which catches my eyes are my FLAWS. I always see what is wrong. 'Too close'. 'My nose appears too big.' 'My legs look too white'. 'I look terrible'."

She went on to explain that when she looks at other people's photos, she doesn't look at people's flaws first and focuses on their assets.

"So why not do the same with yourself? We really need to learn not to be so harsh on ourselves. It is not healthy. I am going to work on it, and I hope you will too," she preaches.