Gym bro hurled fatphobic remarks at plus-size woman — then quickly backtracked as entire gym descended on him

Markie (@_markie.__), a fitness freak, was working out in the gym when he saw a rude man mocking a plus-size woman. The man, apparently, said he didn't like a "fat woman" working out beside him. The woman obviously felt humiliated but refused to brush off the insensitivity. She confronted the man right away, and surprisingly, other gymgoers, too, backed her up. Markie posted the video on January 2. 

The woman took out her phone to capture the rude gym guy while screaming insults at him, but to the viewer's surprise, the man already had his phone out — recording her. "Yo, it's a New Year. Let's be great," Markie shouted. The woman immediately beckoned a man — probably her "husband" as she was heard saying the word — upon whose arrival, the original bully tucked back into his own workout, leaving her alone. To her credit, she didn't leave, nor did she turn quiet. Finding the situation escalating, the man tried to intervene again, but that's when Markie threw off his own weights and proceeded towards the guy. "You're a weirdo," he shouted again. Within seconds, the entire gym came forward, backing the plus-size woman and confronting the rude guy. "You're a weirdo," a group of men helmed by Markie repeatedly shouted back. Interestingly, every time a man faced up to the bully, he'd dip out, his demeanor suddenly calmer. This shows why men are fundamental in women's fight for equal living.

"It’s 2026, everybody is trying to better themselves. Weridos like these won’t be tolerated," Markie wrote in the caption. Our society has some weird beauty standards, especially when it comes to a woman's 'perfect' weight. A systematic review of several studies found that 41.8 % of obese people reported experiencing discrimination because of their weight. Moreover, they found that women, more than men, were significantly more likely to face discrimination because of their weight. Another study, "American At Work," found that 47% of US workers believe that plus-size workers are being discriminated against by their co-workers and supervisors. Moreover, 30% said they feel that obese workers are less likely to be hired or promoted.

Meanwhile, reacting to the TikTok reel, @cee9.xo commented, "Shout out to y'all because if that was me, I would've cancelled my membership and never gone into a gym again, I can't lie. That must have hurt her feelings so bad because at least she's trying." Similarly, @therealplanth0 shared, "I love bullying bullies. More people need to be sticking up for the underdog lol. I could never be a part of the bystander effect. I’m the first to pipe up, unfortunately." @alwaystired228 wrote, "I don’t think people understand how much courage it takes for a bigger person to show up to the gym. The insecurities are already so loud. Somebody making these kinds of comments is the biggest fear. I'm thankful that everyone else stood up for her, but so sad that you can hear the pain in her voice. You aren’t saying anything to her that she hasn’t already beaten herself up over. Just be kind."

@alwaystired228 wrote, "I don’t think people understand how much courage it takes for a bigger person to show up to the gym. The insecurities are already so loud. Somebody making these kinds of comments is the biggest fear. I'm thankful that everyone else stood up for her, but so sad that you can hear the pain in her voice. You aren’t saying anything to her that she hasn’t already beaten herself up over. Just be kind."

You can follow Markie (@_markie.__) on Instagram for more gym-related content.

More on Scoop Upworthy

Plus-size women share what they are told to wear vs. what they planned to wear to the beach

Co-passenger secretly fat-shamed woman on the plane — until one man stood up for her publicly

Plus-sized woman was broken after gym bullies humiliated her — but one stranger's kind words lifted her spirit