‘It’s insulting’: Gymshark’s Bratz event slammed as ‘failed female empowerment’

Gymshark is facing criticism after its Bratz-themed launch event was labelled “a failed attempt at female empowerment.”

The sportswear brand recently unveiled its new GymBratz collection before hosting a matching pop-up event in Miami to celebrate the launch.

But after videos of the activation spread across TikTok, critics accused Gymshark of reinforcing gender stereotypes, prompting the brand to delete its Instagram post promoting the event.

Gymshark hosted the Bratz themed event aimed at women

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A post shared by Fit Girl Things | Digital & IRL Collective (@fit.girl.things)

Last month, Gymshark released their new “GymBratz” collection, describing it as “made for the girls with a passion 4 fitness.”

Shoppers were warned to “get ready for snatched silhouettes, cute washed shades and a whooole load of bratitude,” with designs featuring bum scrunches to “lift and shape the glutes” and waistbands to “keep you feeling snatched.”

However, the conversation surrounding the collection’s launch event has intensified, with criticism of the campaign leading Gymshark to take down its Instagram post showcasing the controversial Miami pop-up.

Here’s exactly what went down at the ‘tone-deaf’ event

@estrogym_

like am i being sensitive or is this not incredibly demeaning 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ @Gymshark #greenscreen #estrogym #gymtok #femalifters #gymshark

♬ Classic classical gymnopedie solo piano(1034554) – Lyrebirds music

The now-deleted Instagram post opens with a slide noting, “60 per cent of U.S. women feel like gyms are male-dominated.”

In an attempt to tackle this issue, the event featured sparkly, fluffy weights, signage with sayings like “Look Hot. Lift Heavy.” and “Baddiebuilding,” and even an e.l.f. makeup station so women won’t have to “downplay their femininity while lifting.”

However, while Gymshark responded and explained the event was a bid to promote female empowerment, many people are online are arguing that it was, in fact, doing quite the opposite.

TikTok users called the event ‘incredibly demeaning’

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@whatzaraloves6

Thank u @carleigh for posting screenshots because the posts got taken down AS I FILMED THIS and I hadn’t screenshot yet. Let me know what you think because the attendees look like they had a great time ✨🫪🥹 #gymshark #commodityfeminism #bratzgymshark

♬ Piano famous song Chopin Deep deep clear beauty – RYOpianoforte

As you can imagine, the internet hasn’t been too pleased about the launch.

While many attendees seemed to love the event, with loads of social media posts commending the gym-wear giants, others have been more critical towards what they dub “sexist marketing.”

One TikTok by fitness creator Carleigh (@estrogym_) has now reached over a million views, and the commenters seem pretty outraged, going as far call the event “tacky,” “tone-deaf,” and “infantilising.”

via TikTok @whatzaraloves6

Creator Zara (@whatzaraloves6) also labelled the event “a failed attempt at female empowerment and a perfect example of commodity feminism,” alleging that the event reinforces harmful gender stereotypes and “downplays women’s role in sports.”

One user even wrote: “You can just tell they didn’t consult a woman on this.”

via TikTok @whatzaraloves6

So, maybe not the best reaction to a campaign that probably had months worth of prep.

A spokesperson for Gymshark told The Tab: “The research of our community was clear – the majority of women still feel gyms are male dominated, so we wanted to make a gym that was both female-led and reflected our partnership with Bratz.

“The pop-up was designed specifically around the Bratz collaboration, with the design leaning into both Bratz’s own playful identity, and Miami specifically. It’s not how we show up at our other events across the globe.

“That said, ​we take feedback from our community seriously, and we always listen to what’s being said. It will certainly shape how we show up next time.”

Featured images via Instagram @hellohbeautiful, @lilpilar29, @jazmoneimani

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