CrossFit Bans OnlyFans Model for Taking Selfies in Gym
An OnlyFans model was banned from a gym after she took a selfie in the changing rooms. Stephanie Harrison, 31, posted a photo of herself in workout gear to Instagram, but a CrossFit Death or Glory in Newcastle, England, rejected it due to including a link to her OF account. During an interview with Daily Mirror, Harrison called the gym's decision "utter discrimination."
She said: "I'm sorry I'm not a doctor or a lawyer, and they don't think my money's clean enough for them." At the beginning of February, Harrison, a mother of two, joined Crossfit Death or Glory. Following a class on February 21, she posted a photo of herself in a sports bra and leggings on a backup Instagram for her job and a personal account. She posted the snapshot with the hashtag #crossfit and linked to her OnlyFans and AdmireMeVIP accounts. The mom received a WhatsApp later that day asking her to leave the gym after the picture was shared. In the WhatsApp messages, Harrison revealed that the gym's owner sent her texts saying the photos she took had been published on OnlyFans.
An OnlyFans model has said she was discriminated against after she had her gym membership axed over an innocuous photo she took in the changing rooms.https://t.co/lPI43R9ZFm
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) February 27, 2023
Per Daily Mirror, the first WhatsApp message from the owner said: "Afternoon Stephanie, it has been brought to our attention that you are running an OnlyFans page and that pictures on the page have been taken in the gym. "What you do in your own time is completely up to you, however we as a business want absolutely no link to something like this. We therefore respectfully request for you to leave the gym with immediate effect. We will cancel your membership and refund you the week that remains on the month you have paid for. We hope you understand and wish you luck in the future."
A later message added: "It isn't a personal attack on you or your profession, it's a decision we are making based on not wanting people seeing those images and linking the gym or us to it. Regardless of whether you agree with it or not, we reserve the right to decide who trains here and to protect our reputation." The owner provided her with a screenshot of the image on her backup Instagram account in response to her request for proof.
Despite Harrison's insistence that she did nothing wrong, she left the gym and blocked the owner after requesting her termination in writing.
"CrossFit gyms are supposed to be a community – my job shouldn't be questioned. There wasn't even any link to the gym at all in that picture, and I don't mention them in my stories. You can't tell from the picture where it was taken," she told Daily Mirror. "This was totally unexpected. It's not like it was nude – I was in a sports bra. I'm being victimized. I deal with a lot of hate in my work. The stigma is still there, and for a reputable gym to do this is not on at all. I used the CrossFit hashtag, but that isn't naming the gym. This was totally unexpected. It's not like it was nude – I was in a sports bra. There's nothing in the gym to say, 'No photography.' I'm being victimized."
She added: "I deal with a lot of hate in my work. The stigma is still there, and for a reputable gym to do this is not on at all. You also do not cancel someone's membership by WhatsApp." As a member of CrossFit gyms since 2019, Harrison told the outlet she had posted pictures before but has never had a complaint regarding her employment type. The CrossFit Death or Glory owners have yet to address the incident publicly.