Gold’s Gym grapples with franchise after online backlash
The company distanced itself from one of its gyms in Egypt after a social media post sparked criticism. The image was finally removed, and both entities apologized to consumers.
The post features a photo of a pear with the tagline, “This is no shape for a girl.” Users quickly shared it across social platforms, and the company started hearing backlash almost immediately.
Many people didn’t realize that it was the work of a franchisee and that the corporate brand had no hand in its production—nor was it approved at a corporate level, according Gold’s Gym officials.
Gold’s also said that the Egyptian location was “ignoring [its] communications” when it requested that the franchise take down the offensive ad. That left Gold’s Gym to issue dozens of responses like these on Twitter and Facebook:
@Girlsday312 We assure you that this post does not reflect the views of Gold’s Gym as a brand and find the post just as offensive.
— Gold’s Gym (@GoldsGym) August 15, 2016
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