Aussie fitness influencer speaks out over backlash to supermarket outfit

Sophie Allen has opened up about the backlash she receives for wearing her activewear in the supermarket. Photo / TikTok@SopheAllen

A woman has gone viral after speaking out about the "uncomfortable" looks she receives while doing her grocery shopping in her activewear.

Sophie Allen, a personal trainer from Sydney, opened up about the "disapproving looks" she regularly receives over her gym outfits, telling news.com.au it's "disappointing" women still have to endure judgment over their clothing in 2022.

She also shared a video discussing the issue on TikTok, showing her wearing a sports bra while shopping in Woolworths.

Sophie Allen has opened up about the backlash she receives for wearing her activewear in the supermarket. Photo / TikTok@SopheAllen

"The hate you get being a female wearing a crop top in the supermarket just hits different," she wrote on the footage, which has been viewed over 1.8 million times.

Allen, who runs the fitness programme @train.withsoph, said it's sadly a feeling women are all familiar with.

"It happens any time I go into a supermarket after a training session in my crop. It's so disappointing that in 2022 women are still being judged for their choice in clothing," she told news.com.au.

She shared this video on TikTok that was quickly flooded with negative remarks about her outfit. Photo / TikTok@SopheAllen

"It feels frustrating that we're still expected to look, behave and present ourselves in a certain way to be deemed 'acceptable' by society."

While the 31-year-old who now lives in Melbourne said she's not received nasty comments about her appearance, she said she regularly receives "disapproving looks" from strangers as she walks the aisles.

"The kind that make you feel uncomfortable just from an energy exchange perspective," she said.

Despite many resonating online, others were quick to pick fault with Allen's experience, claiming she had failed to meet "basic dress standards".

"Just throw on a damn shirt when going in public. The gym is one place, but going into a grocery store like that is another," one commenter wrote.

"It's like wearing a bathing suit to the movies. The outfit just doesn't match the location," another argued.

However, many were quick to defend Allen against the "savage" backlash, some sharing their own experiences.

This was the outfit she wore in the Melbourne-based Woolworths. Photo / TikTok@SopheAllen

"YES, I go grocery shopping every Saturday after the gym and the looks I get," one woman said.

"She's just hot – that's why you have a problem," another argued.

"If wearing a sports bra makes someone uncomfortable, they are the problem," one supporter stated.

Others urged Sophie not to listen to the negativity and thanked her for raising awareness on the issue.

She's not the first woman who has spoken out recently about their outfits being labelled "inappropriate".

A Sydney woman revealed she'd been asked to leave a gym over her "scrunch bum" shorts back in 2020 – while a Gold Coast influencer was "stared at in disgust" while wearing a denim skirt and crop top in Woolies last year.