beauty

Ajay Rochester tells a body-shamer to "go fudge yourself."

For anyone who has ever avoided exercise for fear of being judged.

Image via Instagram.

Ajay Rochester hit back at a fat shamer who advised her not to take a spin class because she was “not skinny” and “not one of the beautiful people.”

Yesterday, Rochester posted a video to her Instagram after taking a spin class in a Beverly Hills gym. The caption says:

“Just did my first ever soulcycle class today in Beverley Hills. Last year a woman who ironically owns a curvy girl fashion brand told me I would be laughed out of and not welcome at soulcycle because I was not skinny and (in her words) not one of the beautiful people.

Now I LOVE spin classes but it was enough for me to never go. Today I conquered that fear and it was a wonderful welcoming experience with people of all shapes and sizes. The staff were extremely helpful and I bloody well LOVED it.

Life can change in a single moment you have NO control over. Take an hour out of your day and do something you can control, do something good for yourself, make an effort to have a better day simply because you CHOOSE to do so! And don’t be afraid to try something new – you might like it. Oh and to the woman who told me I wouldn’t be welcome at soul cycle go fudge yourself!”

Ajay, after her spin class. Image via Instagram.

Well said!

Like Ajay, I’m curvy. For myself, I use the word fat.

Ask any woman, not just one who is fat, if she ever feels self-conscious about exercising.

If you can find more than two who say they’ve never experienced that feeling I will eat my gym shorts.

I don’t say that I’m fat as an invitation for pity. I say it as a statement of fact. Most of the time, I find that accepting the word fat as merely factual means that I am a fairly confident person.

But, like every woman, I have moments where I question my body, my looks and the way I am perceived in the world through the lens of my size.

Image via iStock.
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Never more so than when I lace my up joggers and hit the footpath.

I run at 5:30am. Initially, I ran in the early morning because with two young kids and the extra activities that my husband and I juggle in the evenings it’s almost the only time I can nail down for regular exercise.

But I have to admit, I found comfort in the dark. There is the occasional early morning dog walker, but mostly at 5:30am I have the streets to myself. I am completely alone and in the dark I can be in my body and exercise in my body without anyone else seeing me.

Which is why I can totally relate to Ajay’s experience.

Because a spin class at a Beverley Hills gym was intimidating enough, being told not to go because of how you look and your body shape would be enough to put me off going to a spin class at any gym. It would be enough to put me off exercising in front of people at all. It might even be enough to just stop me from exercising altogether.

Have you ever avoided exercise because you're worried about people judging you for the way you look?

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