What to know
- A MOVATI Athletic member says she was filmed multiple times inside the women’s-only area by another gym-goer, despite a strict no-recording policy.
- She reported the incidents to gym staff and management, but claims no action was taken and her complaints were ignored.
- The issue has sparked outrage online, with many Torontonians expressing anger at MOVATI Athletic’s lack of response and calling for stronger protections of women’s privacy.
A MOVATI Athletic member is speaking out online after being filmed on several occasions inside the women’s-only area — with no action taken by gym staff or management, despite repeated complaints.
MOVATI Athletic, a chain of high-end gyms, feature women-only sections, designed as spaces where women can work out alone, and members are not allowed to record.
Jade Leveq, a content creator, says another member violated this policy and her privacy.
After complaining multiple times to MOVATI Athletic’s staff and management, she stated on a TikTok video that the gym has not responded to or taken any action on her complaints.
@jadeleveq @MOVATI Athletic you need to address this issue going on in your gyms. #fitness #gym #movati #fyp #ontario ♬ original sound – Jade
In her video, she wrote a message on the screen: “Movati Gym does not care about women’s privacy.”
She spoke up about being filmed in the women-only section of her gym on three separate occasions, saying that she once felt at home in that private section, where comfort and safety seemed assured.
However, that comfort soon came to an end after a local content creator violated her privacy — and Leveq says MOVATI Athletic let it happen.
The first incident took place when she noticed a content creator with her phone out, filming herself working out. Leveq reported this to the front desk, who said they would address the situation. She then decided to leave the gym for the day.
The second time, Leveq saw the same content creator with a tripod set up, making it clear she was filming. She was shocked to see that MOVATI Athletic has signs throughout the women’s wing stating that this was banned, yet the policy was blatantly ignored.
“It’s not like it’s something people don’t know about,” she said in the video.
This time, Leveq decided to email management, but says she never received a response.
On a day following these incidents, she was scrolling through Instagram when she came across the local content creator’s post.
The post turned out to be a vlog of the content creator’s gym day, starting in the women’s washroom. Leveq appears in the background, in a towel.
“I’m thinking, ‘Oh my goodness. This has gone way too far,” she said.
She shared the video with management, stating her distress.
“I’m getting filmed in the women’s washroom by other women. Not like some creepy guy, but like actually just other women,” she said.
She posted the video on Tuesday, and it has already gained 101.8K views at the time of writing.
Leveq says that the company has yet to respond to her complaints or video. Now Toronto also reached out to MOVATI Athletic for comment, but they had not responded at the time of publication.
How are Torontonians feeling?
Many Torontonians are sharing their anger towards the gym under Leveq’s TikTok.
“Thanks for speaking up girl! I always see people recording themselves or sending snaps of themselves WHILE IM RIGHT BEHIND them. Its so annoying and frustrating,” one user commented.
“This is insane. Women deserve safe comfortable spaces to enjoy themselves without their privacy being invaded,” another added.
Another user shared her story at the same gym.
“Fellow Movati member here – what’s crazy is I’ve had an employee tell me not to use my phone when I was taking a “before” photo in the changeroom when there wasn’t another single soul in there, and also come up to tell me to get off FaceTime when I’m on a call even though my video is off, but then I saw guys fully filming their bench workout with a tripod.”
Other users were mad at MOVATI Athletic for not taking action and are recommending police action.
“This [p******d me off] so bad bc you took measures to address this and it only got worse,” one user wrote.
“I would report it to the police, too. That’s a huge invasion of privacy,” another added.
