Chelsie Gleason’s TikTok video got over 12 million views because of the way she urged a man bothering her to leave. When a man approached Gleason while she was photographing herself lifting weights, he tried to strike up a discussion. She was wearing earplugs and ignoring him, but the man didn’t get it.
“I was just trying to work out when this happens,” a voiceover says in the video taken at a Crunch Fitness gym. “I’ve never met this guy and he’s been harassing me for months.”
@justchesslee being a female is fun(:
♬ original sound – Chelsie Gleason
Gleason finally had enough and snapped at the man. She confidently dropped her weights and took a step back, saying, “Don’t come near me.” The man quickly turned around and went away. He seemed like he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, so you can tell she got her point across.
@justchesslee Heres the long awaited story time! Again thank you @crunchfitness for all the help ! ##fitness ##fitnessgirls
♬ original sound – Chelsie Gleason
being a female is fun(:
Gleason did the right thing, according to registered dietitian Carrie Taylor, by urging the man to stop pestering her. If someone continues to harass you at the gym after you urge them to stop, she recommends speaking with the manager right away and threatening to contact the cops if no action is taken.
If necessary, she advises that you obtain a restraining order. Anything to stop the harassment from getting worse. Gyms should also clearly display warnings warning individuals against sexual harassment to prevent instances like this from occurring in the first place.
Crunch Fitness stated it had tracked down the individual and barred him from using its facilities after the video went viral.
@justchesslee Also was not trying to bash the gym at all by making the post just Spreading Awareness!! ##besafe ##gymgirls ##fitness
♬ original sound – Chelsie Gleason
“Our philosophy at Crunch is ‘no judgments,’ where we promote positive self-esteem and respect all races, cultures, and nationalities in a fun atmosphere,” a spokesperson for Crunch Fitness told Newsweek. “All of our gyms are committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all members.”
“He’s been found and as been banned! Thank you @CrunchFitness,” Gleason wrote in the comment section.
One person in the comments raised an important issue concerning the dangers of this form of harassment.” Imagine if a shyer girl is walking to her car at night and he’s out there…he needs to be kicked out,” a TikTok viewer wrote. Who knows what the man’s intentions were, or whether he was preparing her for something genuinely terrible?
This isn’t the first time Gleason has been subjected to gym harassment. She’s mentioned it on Twitter multiple times before. The video clearly shows that she has reached a breaking point.
As per Upworthy, at the moment, Gleason’s gutsy decision to confront the man put an end to the man’s weird, menacing behavior. However, the film may serve a larger purpose by demonstrating how women should respond to those who harass them. Furthermore, it may dissuade males from harassing women in the first place by demonstrating that being a creep has terrible consequences.
