Choosing what to wear to the gym might be trivial, but it can inspire fiery debates at gyms sites of physical self improvement that sometimes become arenas for the collisions of conflicting values. A going viral incident involving TikToker Kylen Suttner places this tension in stark relief, prompting a closer look at what “acceptable” dress is in public spaces. This work explores the intersection of individual freedom, social custom, and legal frameworks through Suttner’s case and related cases, an appeal for empathy over critique in navigating these fluid relationships.
1. A Viral Gym Confrontation
Kylen Suttner, whose username is @kylensuttner on TikTok, was taking her workout video at a fitness center in Utah, dressed in a light blue exercise bra designed for comfort during intense exercise. As a new mom, she chose this to keep herself cool and control sweat, a practical decision shared by bodybuilders. During a break, another woman approached her with an angry demeanour, saying, “Do you think you can actually walk around the gym in that? Your boobs are showing.” Being caught off guard, Suttner replied, “What?” The woman continued, “We’re in public.”. Can you be respectful?
Nobody needs to see your boobs flapping.” Despite Suttner’s polite request to be left in peace “I’m fine, thank you” the woman kept going, offering, “Put a shirt on next time.” Shocked, Suttner posted her viral video with the caption, “Guess it’s time to build a home gym,” speaking negatively of public workout spaces. The video, recorded over the background sound of “I can’t believe I got this on video,” was viewed by millions and sparked widespread argument.
Internet enthusiasts praised Suttner’s coolness, with comments including “You handled that really well” and “I would’ve lost it on her.” The majority of them had guessed that the confronter was acting out of personal problems, with one of the watchers saying, “She probably caught her man looking & got mad,” while another quizzed, “Why she staring then?
Overwhelming sentiment backed Suttner, condemning the woman’s audacity and labelling the incident an example of unwarranted body shaming within a space committed to self improvement.
2. Individual Liberty vs. Social Norms
Suttner’s experience serves as an example of an ongoing battle between individual liberty and social norms in public spaces like gyms, where functionality dictates attire.” Sports bras, tights, and other skimpies are de rigueur for their functionality, promoting freedom of movement and breathability while exercising strenuously.
Suttner, whose attire she described as humble compared to what she normally wore, was still confronted, suggesting the assault had less to do with her dress and more with the confronter’s discomfort or prejudices. This incident is symptomatic of the cultural tendency to police women’s bodies, often in the interest of “respectability.” Cyber reactions made this perspective more prevalent, with posts like “Freaking slay no shame queen!!!” and “She’s projecting her own insecurities onto you.” These responses suggest that there is a deeper problem in society: judgment of women’s attire too often occurs as a result of subjective opinion rather than objective standards.
Gymnasiums, being hotspots of physical empowerment, have to prioritize comfort and useability but also serve as a platform for cultural tension if individual expression is resistant to unwritten norms. This tension highlights whose norms dictate “appropriate” and why certain bodies are more subjected to judgment than others, particularly in spaces that are meant to foster confidence and self improvement.
3. Legal Systems Restricting Public Dressing
The debate regarding proper attire does not remain confined to fitness centers alone but is extended to public places, where legal systems play a significant role in setting boundaries.
In Boynton Beach, Florida, a 31 year old woman was arrested for sunbathing topless on a public beach and was charged with indecent exposure, resisting an officer, and giving a false name. She claimed it was her “constitutional right” to go bare breasted, but the conservative dress codes of Palm Beach won out. The town went so far as to suggest it regulate clothing on Worth Avenue, its high end shopping area, in an effort to enforce more old fashioned notions of modesty in public life. The legal climate in Canada, particularly in the province of British Columbia, is less restrictive. Women are entitled to being topless in public, a right conceded through precedent setting court rulings. In 1996, the Ontario Court of Appeal struck down Gwen Jacobs’ toplessness conviction on the grounds that she was not dehumanizing or degrading in her behaviour. Once more, in 2000, the B.C. The Supreme Court affirmed Linda Meyer’s right to go topless at a city pool, holding that there was no evidence that such conduct was against public order.
These decisions hold that toplessness is not indecent in and of itself but apply differently, as noticed in the case of Susan Rowbottom in Kelowna. Rowbottom was asked by an RCMP officer to cover up when sunbathing topless, even when she was legally within her rights, demonstrating a lack of harmonization between enforcement and law.
4. Social Dynamics and Enforcement Difficulties
Even where there are legal protections in existence, social dynamics render their implementation problematic. Susan Rowbottom, realizing she had a right to appear topless, complied with the officer but subsequently ensured her actions were lawful after consulting city employees and the RCMP.
She stated she’d dress up if families complained, balancing her rights with social sensibilities. Kelowna RCMP Cpl. Joe Duncan said arrests for nudity are rare, typically only for sex acts or special circumstances, like a convicted sex offender in an area where there are kids. But police will even make requests for cooperation to resolve social frictions, revealing the precarious connection between legal rights and social norms. Similarly, in Ontario, Kitchener, Mohamed sisters Alysha, Nadia, and Tameera were approached by the police for cycling topless, despite them having access to a legal recourse.
Their ability to seek a complaint is an indicator of ongoing frustration with obtaining social acceptance of rights that have already been attained.
These encounters illustrate a deep seated issue: wins in court do not always translate into cultural acceptance. Public spaces, from the gym to the beach, are still arenas where individual choice is weighed against evolving norms, and women tend to be left grappling with a knotty mess of expectation and judgment.
5. Encouraging Empathy and Inclusion
Suttner’s gym confrontation, along with court battles about nudity in public, raises a significant question: who has the right to decide what constitutes appropriate attire?
In Suttner’s case, personal judgment led to the conflict, while in Florida and Canada, municipal regulations and court rulings determine outcomes. The events are part of an on going body image cultural war regarding gender equality and personal choice. Rowbottom’s call for toplessness normalization on grounds of equality “If men can be topless, women should be too” is an appeal for less judgment and more compassion. Gym and public spaces must be places where individuals are encouraged to feel strong, not judged. Suttner’s experience, where a pragmatic decision regarding attire led to humiliation in public, serves to show how empathy can conquer strict rules.
Legal steps taken in Canada mark changes towards gender equality, but unequal enforcement reflects how norms in society lag behind. Building inclusive spaces is all about being open to discussion, fighting stereotypes, and respecting individuals’ decisions. An example would be gyms having easy to understand, inclusive dress codes that focus on functional comfort while addressing issues through education, not aggression. The broader cultural push for celebrating diverse forms of identity and expression keeps going. From Suttner’s viral video to Rowbottom’s campaigns and the Mohamed sisters’ battle in court, these are stories that show the imperative of transcending archaic conceptions of “decency.” Through making mutual respect and understanding priorities, we can turn public spaces into places where everyone is recognized as having value, without unnecessary judgment. This evolution takes a personal effort to embrace personal freedom in a way that prioritizes community spirit, bringing locations like gyms and beaches actual sites of self expression and growth.
