After being told her crop top was “too distracting,” St. Thomas University student MacKenzie Parsons was recently issued an apology from the administration.
Parsons told the Charlatan that the incident—which took place at the university’s gym Nov. 22—was a second occurrence, leaving her “embarrassed and shocked.”
“The first time it happened was a few months ago when I was working out in a sports bra on a hot day and was told, by a female employee, that I would either have to ‘put on a shirt or leave,’” she said, in an email.
“And seeing as I didn’t have a shirt with me (besides the one I was wearing to class after I was finished at the gym), I had to leave.”
“I thought that wearing a crop top after this would be fine, until a few months later when this recent incident occurred,” Parsons added.
Ashley Henry, marketing director at St. Thomas, said the university regrets this incident.
“We agree with her that she should never have been approached about her attire,” Henry said in an email.
“We deeply regret that [Parsons] was made to feel anything other than comfortable and welcome in the fitness centre,” she added.
“The incident does not reflect St. Thomas’ values or our commitment to students.”
Gym apparel policies across Canada differ from university to university.
Last year, an incident at the University of Victoria (U of V) sparked controversy when a student told the Martlet, U of V’s student paper, she was asked to change her outfit while working out at the campus gym.
“I felt humiliated,” said Luiza, a student who the Martlet did not reveal the last name of because of concerns over online harassment.
“Those shorts give me a full range of motion when I am doing exercises such as squats and deadlifts and that’s why I like wearing them,” she told the Martlet.
Since then, the U of V has changed their dress code to allow students to wear more comfortable clothing but with restrictions on wearing attire that “covers their abdomen, chest, and gluteal folds.”
At Carleton University, athletics assistant director Sheryl Hunt said the university’s policies have a particular focus on “safety and hygiene,” adding anyone can wear what they feel comfortable with at the gym as long as it is hygienic.
Lily Akagbosu, vice-president (student issues) for the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), said universities should not get to tell students what they should or should not wear.
“Telling a student [that] what they’re wearing can be distracting actually makes the space unsafe for them too, because now they have to conform to a certain standard, and they can’t feel safe to express themselves,” Akagbosu said.
“I would hope that this event doesn’t happen here [at Carleton]. . . women should feel free to wear what they feel comfortable in—regardless of their religion, or whatever their reasons to wear them may be.”
But, Parsons said this incident is a common occurrence for women.
“Of course, I’ve been told what is appropriate and inappropriate my whole life by others,” she said, “but no other incident has really stuck with me until it happened at the gym.
“I believe we have a long way to go until women are treated as not only equals to men but also allowed to wear what they’re comfortable wearing.”
“I think people need to stop caring about what others choose to wear and worry about themselves—if someone is comfortable wearing something, leave them be,” Parsons added.
According to Henry, St. Thomas will be introducing a policy focusing on health and safety to address the incident which is currently being finalized and will be released in the coming weeks.
—With files from Leanna Trister and Temur Durrani
Photo by Temur Durrani
