Gold's Gym Terminates Franchisee Whose Ad Said a Pear 'Is No Shape for a Girl'

Gold's Gym is acting quickly today to defuse a PR crisis sparked by an Egyptian franchisee who created a social media post that showed a pear and said "This Is No Shape for a Girl." (UPDATE: The gym chain has posted a lengthy explanation and apology on Facebook where the company says it has terminated its franchisee agreement with the location behind the ad. See below for the company's full statement.) While the Egyptian location has apologized for the image, it remains in circulation on social media, with many thinking it's an official marketing image for the gym chain. This morning, Gold's Gym's official Twitter account has been responding to many of the ad's critics. The company says the Egyptian location "is ignoring our communications" about removing the image from its social media channels, and the corporate account assures social media users that when it comes to the message of the controversial ad, "we do not agree with their beliefs." @Lohlala We agree and we are sorry for the actions of this independent franchise in Egypt. Their actions do not reflect our brand values. — Gold's Gym (@GoldsGym) August 16, 2016 @DaynaOG @themondaymommy unfortunately as an independent franchise they pay for the rights to branding and logos in Egypt. — Gold's Gym (@GoldsGym) August 16, 2016 @DaynaOG @themondaymommy We assure you that we are in communication with the Ownership Group in Egypt and action will be taken. — Gold's Gym (@GoldsGym) August 16, 2016 @geekazine unfortunately this independent franchise is ignoring our communications. We are swiftly working on taking action to resolve this. — Gold's Gym (@GoldsGym) August 16, 2016 @FromFL Please know that we do apologize for the actions of this independent franchise in Egypt and we do not agree with their beliefs. — Gold's Gym (@GoldsGym) August 16, 2016 Gold's Gym corporate says it will have an official statement on the ad later today. UPDATE: Here's the full statement posted by Gold's Gym to its Facebook page: Dear Gold's Gym Members, Followers, Franchisees and Team Members Around the World, Words cannot express how shocked and appalled we were by the recent posts of Gold's Gym Dreamland, a sub-franchise in Cairo, Egypt. Not only were they offensive and disgusting, they go against everything we believe in and stand for. For years we have been dedicated to helping people feel empowered by fitness, not intimidated or ashamed by it. We believe that strength comes in many forms … be it physical, mental or emotional … and that our purpose (and rallying cry) is to help people Know Their Own Strength. Upon learning of this sub-franchisee's insensitive posts, we immediately took action by working with Facebook to have their page removed. Also, after consultation with our master franchise in Gold's Gym Egypt, we are in the process of expediting the termination of this sub-franchisee's agreement. This incident only confirms that Gold's Gym Dreamland does not uphold the values and inclusiveness that Gold's Gym promotes throughout our global network. With all of this said, we sincerely apologize for these posts. Even though they were created and posted without our knowledge, they were associated with our logo and there's no excuse for that. We are currently reviewing our internal procedures for how both domestic and international franchisees create and share social media posts so that nothing like this ever happens again. More importantly, to our members, fans, team members and franchisees around the world, we share your anger. We are mothers, sisters & daughters too and this is unacceptable. We understand that as a brand with a presence in 30 countries, we have a responsibility to spread a message of empowerment. To let people know that no matter where you live or who you are, fitness should make you feel strong in every way possible. That's our commitment. Always. We hope everyone will also take just a moment to see what Gold's Gym is really all about. You can simply visit our website or Facebook page to see our official campaign, which features incredible people of all shapes and sizes from around the world using determination, passion and inner strength to achieve incredible things. Yours in Health & Fitness, Gold's Gym

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Gold's Gym Terminates Franchisee Whose Ad Said a Pear 'Is No Shape for a Girl'

Egyptian location's post sparked global backlash

David Griner

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