When Kayleigh Boase posted a photo of herself on Snapchat in trackies and fluffy socks, she probably expected her followers to be a little jealous of her chill night in.
Instead, she got inappropriate comments about her body from her personal trainer, which she later posted to Facebook.
"Comfys on and chill," Boase wrote on her Snapchat photo. Her trainer, Jowan Townsend-Trahair, shot down her mood in two words. "That belly," he wrote, with two sad face emojis.
At first, Boase thought it was a joke and played along. She sent back three happy-cry-face emojis, to which her Townsend-Trahair responded, "You still training?"
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Boase admitted that she had taken a break in her fitness routine. "Haven't been since wed," she wrote. "Really neglect my core and cardio."
"You used to be so sexy," Townsend-Trahair responded. "Shame Kayleigh."
Boase was understandably upset. She posted the whole conversation to Facebook with a screenshot of the original Snapchat photo.
"Idiots like this is what causes people to have eating disorders," she wrote. "Only an insecure bloke would try to belittle a woman. So screw you, I'm happy that's all that matters!"
Let's be clear: It's not likely that comments like this are the sole reason people develop eating disorders. The reasons behind disordered eating are complex, but societal pressure to be thin certainly contributes, according to the National Eating Disorders Association.
Still, these kinds of comments can be disheartening at best, and we're glad Boase didn't let this trainer get under her skin. (And also glad she called him out.)
This, of course, shouldn't put you off all personal trainers. Most of them are great, and can really help you reach your fitness goals. But while personal trainers are there to comment on your form and workout strategy, they are absolutely not welcome to shame you about your body.