We can all agree that we need to do what we can to take care of ourselves, from performing self-care to exercising.
But sometimes when we perform these tasks, there are ways to make us more comfortable while doing them, like our choice of clothes or music, agreed the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITA) subReddit.
That’s why when Redditor Good_Practice_8441 went to the park to exercise, she was surprised when she was criticized for wearing workout clothes.
When the mother berating her started commenting on her body, the Original Poster (OP) was furious.
She asked the sub:
“AITA for exercising in the park in workout clothes where there were kids playing, and upsetting this weird mom?”
The OP was in the habit of exercising regularly with friends.
“There’s a park with a playground in the middle.”
“Two of my friends and I were trying to lose some weight and just look better because I hit my highest weight, and we all kind of got porky over the past few years.”
“We usually meet up to go on walks together, and a few times a week we do some exercise at the park, using stuff hand weights, kettlebells, etc.”
A concerned mother approached them during their latest workout.
“But yesterday, there was this woman with her kids at the playground, and she kept looking over at us, glaring and scowling.”
“I didn’t notice but one of my friends did. After like 10 minutes of this, she came over and started chatting, which I thought was normal.”
“But then she was like, ‘Soooo, I guess you girls must be new! This is a family park, as you can see.'”
“We were like, ‘Yeah, that’s why we come here’ (and none of us are new…).”
“She got a little attitude and was like, ‘Okay, so if you know, why are you dressed like that?'”
“My friends and I looked at each other and were like confused. We were wearing pretty normal exercise clothing, especially when it’s 90+ degrees out. Like I was wearing bike shorts and a sports bra.”
The woman persisted.
“I told her I didn’t get the problem, and she kept saying, ‘This is a FAMILY park.'”
“Then she finally said that our clothes were inappropriate.”
“I said, ‘Okay, how is it inappropriate?'”
“Then I looked over at the playground part where there was a mom with her kids in the EXACT SAME OUTFIT.”
The argument escalated.
“I pointed that out to the woman and asked her why she wasn’t bothering her, and she looked at me and said, ‘YOU KNOW WHY.'”
“I said, ‘No, I don’t know why? She’s actually over there WITH the kids and we’re on the other side of the f**king park?'”
“She got kind of like red in the face and was like, ‘ONE OF YOU IS JIGGLING ALL OVER THE PLACE AND THE OTHER ONE ISN’T.'”
“I was like, ‘OHHHHHH, so your problem isn’t the clothes, it’s because I’m fat?’ Because yeah, I’m 5’4 and 200lbs, of course I’m going to jiggle.”
“She was like, ‘I didn’t SAY that. Don’t put words in my mouth.'”
“I said, ‘No, but that’s literally what you were saying.”
“She kept talking about it being a ‘family’ park, and I was done with it and ready for the next exercise, so I just said, ‘Okay, well, all of that sounds like a YOU problem.'”
The woman was not ready to back down.
“She said that if she sees us again, she’s going to call the cops for ‘public indecency.'”
“I just laughed and said, ‘Okay, whatever, Becky.'”
“Last night, one of my girlfriends sent me a screenshot of this woman’s post on the neighborhood app complaining about people dressing inappropriately at the park where there are CHILDREN.”
“The responses were all over the place (and some of them were definitely in support of us), but now I’m just like, really???”
“AITA?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You’re the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
Some didn’t think it mattered that it was a park.
“NTA. What the h**l, the park has a dressing code now? Mrs. Lovejoy can go clutch her pearls elsewhere.” – MauriciaBabilonia
“I think the dress code in a family park should be, ‘All the important bits are properly covered.'”
“I mean, I would feel kind of uncomfortable if someone shows up in a family park in a thong and lacy partially see-through bra… But other than that? Wear a bikini for all I care…” – Droppie91
“Would bet money that the only person who took any notice of OP at all was this lady and her kids couldn’t have cared less. Unfortunately, I’m sure she’ll get around to imparting her prejudices to them eventually.” – Vilinius_Nastavnik
“My kid notices outfits at the park and stares because she LOVES clothes (she’s 1).”
“I try to redirect with, ‘Oh, isn’t that pretty?’ or ‘Oh, their clothing looks comfy, doesn’t it?'”
“But she’s just interested, no judgment. Kids are just curious!” – Data_Girl3
“No one else cares.”
“Also, why is the park only for families? It is a public park. For the PUBLIC. Not just people with kids. I hate when rude people try to use their kids as an excuse to bulldoze over other people and demand that everything should be about them.”
“I have a kid. I love my kid. That doesn’t mean that I can commandeer public property or deny public spaces to others. What an a**hole.”
“And hinting and using coded language to say offensive things does not make them less offensive. It just makes the person saying them seem like they are prissy and self-righteous as well as being an a**hole.”
“NTA. OP should do their workout and ignore that horrible woman. Workout clothes are not indecent. That is totally ridiculous.” – salymander_1
“NTA at all. There are parks exactly like this where I live, and some even have exercise equipment set up as it’s a multi-use park.”
“She was obviously shaming your body. Keep going and just ignore her. Let her call the cops, she’ll be fined for false reporting.” – Holmes221bBst
“Our park has the exercise equipment literally right next to the kids’ play stuff! It’s a public park so it’s open for everyone, including families!”
“NTA, but I kinda hope it happens again just so they do call the cops and this woman gets done for wasting police time or harassment or something.” – Global_Monk_5778
Others agreed and thought the woman needed to mind her own business.
“I love it when people like that seem to think that if they don’t actually vocalize their offensive motivation, then their motivation isn’t offensive.”
“Like, yeah, just say the word ‘family’ a bunch more times. They’ll never catch on.” – Vilinius_Nastavnik
“But honestly, can’t people just mind their own business without having to spew their hateful opinions onto other people who are just existing in the world in the body they have!? Some people really need to get ALLLLLL the way over themselves.” – Just-Like-My-Opinion
“NTA. I have kids of my own and we see people at the parks all the time in various states of dress for hiking, walking, running, etc. As long as you’re not flat out naked, then I don’t give a f**k.” – Borderline_Newb
“Especially when it’s hot, Jesus f**king Christ. Plus, have those kids been to the ocean or a pool? They’re going to see people in way less clothing, it’s going to be okay.” – D**nYouVodka
“My dad was like that. An overweight woman in public? DISGUSTING. An overweight woman wearing SHORTS?! He’d have an aneurism.”
“He at least didn’t confront them in public but he would spend the whole car ride home going off on how ‘inappropriate’ it was to expose children to such disgusting things.”
“And he wonders why his kids don’t talk to him anymore.” – Thermohalophile
“I can almost guarantee that ‘ThE cHiLdReN!’ she was so worried about hadn’t even noticed your ‘jiggling’ because they were busy playing, and this woman was the one bothered.”
“Good for you trying to do something for yourself & good for you making her say it (that she was fat shaming you) out loud.”
“Let her try calling the cops next time and stand there while they roll their eyes at her, ‘Ma’am, there’s no rule that a fully clothed person cannot exercise in this public setting.'”
“NTA.” – MamaH1620
The subReddit was surprised right along with the OP by the other woman’s stubbornness about the park being a public and family-friendly place, which she felt clearly meant wasn’t designated for larger bodies who were interested in exercise.
To threaten the women with the police and later posting about it on a community forum seemed excessive to the subReddit, as well.
They could have understood the concern if the OP was wearing something totally inappropriate for public spaces, like lingerie, but since she was only wearing clothes that were meant for the activity she was already performing, not to mention the fact that it was hot outside, they didn’t understand where the other woman was coming from or why she was so unwilling to back down.