The woman who unwittingly became the victim of body shaming. Photo / Facebook
The woman who unwittingly became the victim of body shaming. Photo / Facebook
A personal trainer who calls himself "Strength Sensei" is being slammed for his nasty body shaming of an obese woman.
Charles R Poliquin, who is one of the "world's most accomplished strength coaches" according to his website, posted a photo of the woman on his Facebook page.
The Facebook post that sparked the debate. Photo / Facebook
The post, whichhas now been deleted, said: "Must be really hot in this shopping centre. She started to melt! Or many (sic) it is epigenetics, she is expressing the marshmallow gene because of her consumption of high fructose corn syrup."
But if Poliquin thought he would get a few laughs from his 200,000 followers at the woman's expense, he was wrong.
One personal trainer from Melbourne described the post as "disgusting".
"Bullying and making fun of those who are overweight and obese is not only morally incorrect, but is of no benefit to the problem and epidemic we face," JPS Health & Fitness said on its Facebook page.
Personal trainer Charles Poliquin, aka 'Strength Sensei', quickly removed the post after it attracted criticism. Photo / Facebook
"For someone who claims to be a 'leader' in the fitness industry, it is disgusting to see him, let alone anyone, put down and make a mockery of someone who is out of shape."
Poliquin reportedly apologised for the post but this statement was also removed from his Facebook page, possibly because of the negative reaction.
While taking "full responsibility for the comment", Poliquin went on to say: "I realise people are victims or not knowing the truth, being conditioned incorrectly, and bad programming."
He went on to say there were "no positive outcomes to obesity".
"I am passionate about reversing obesity. And like all passionate people, I go to extremes. "I hope that we all work together to conquer this problem and help people to live to their highest potential."
