Pexels/Reddit
With anywhere and everywhere being surveilled these days, giving consent to be photographed is a major concern.
However, what would you do if your local gym owner decided not to abide by your personal boundaries?
One man recently asked Reddit for advice on how he should handle a situation like this.
Here’s what went down.
I (57M) joined a gym 3 months ago after years of mental health issues and it’s been life-changing for me.
It’s part of a franchise operation and it is not cheap, but it is very good and is aimed at people of my age.
Part of my issues stem from having a ‘stalker’ in the family who has been making my life truly miserable for years and Facebook is one of their favorite sources of info.
I have to have an account on there to manage a business page but I don’t post anything personal any more and have my security settings as tight as they will go.
This is a big problem!
The problem for me is that the franchise owner is very big on taking photos and making videos to promote the gym on Facebook, but he will do this without any prior warning or consent, (although it might be in the T&Cs I signed that I have consented, I don’t know).
I did tell the guy early on that I didn’t want to be in any photos etc but a couple of weeks later he did it again without asking so I left.
When I was asked why I left I was very calm about it but explained that I really didn’t like it and would just leave when it was happening as I didn’t want to upset anyone and my problems are mine alone.
But it’s happened again this morning.
This is suspect.
The guy said he forgot but I saw the coach mentioning to him to not include me but he did it anyway.
So I left again and he followed me out to apologize.
Isn’t it bad etiquette to film or photograph people when they’re exercising generally?
Definitely creepy, regardless of intention.
Most of us are pretty old but I still find it creepy regardless of my issues.
Am I completely missing the point and my wish to be private and discrete while I am there is ‘silly’ or ‘dramatic’ or ‘unrealistic’ or anything like that?
I honestly can’t fathom it because nobody else seems to be bothered by it! So, AITA?
Even if he was consenting, sounds like the owner is still being pretty sneaky. Let’s see if Reddit agrees.
Many offered sound advice.
Some encouraged the poster to stand his ground.
Some gave some perspective.
Others dropped some knowledge.
Wherever this place is, it sounds like the opposite of a judgment-free zone.
If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.