While a California woman was working out at a gym and recording a TikTok video, she was approached by another gymgoer. She tried to reject him politely, but he would not be deterred, leaving the woman extremely uncomfortable when he refused to accept rejection.
Posted by TikTok user Jenna.fitness, Jenna, while attempting to record a warm-up video, “This man wouldn’t leave me alone,” Jenna says. Offscreen, a gymgoer interrupted her video and began asking her a series of personal questions, such as whether she had a boyfriend and what her name was.
It then gets creepier, with the man asking for Jenna’s Instagram handle. Jenna politely declines, stating she has a boyfriend. This doesn’t deter him whatsoever; in fact, he says “I never seen him with you here.” And then asks for her number anyway, in the spirit of being “friends.”
The gymgoer then has the audacity to suggest Jenna was checking him out at the gym. “I see you looking at me here sometimes, so I figured I would come up to you.” Dumbfounded (and clearly uncomfortable), Jenna says she’s never seen him before, making it sound like it was just an excuse to talk with her.
The Internet Was Just As Creeped Out as Jenna
Numerous women online saw Jenna’s TikTok video and came to her defense. Not only did many of them find the interaction incredibly creepy, but genuinely concerned for her safety. Not to mention a clear case of what you don’t do!
Several TikTok viewers noted that Jenna was being polite. Perhaps too nice. “We need to be meaner. They don’t understand nice,” one woman wrote. A second woman commented on the thread, adding: “They do understand, they just don’t care.” Given how the guy was persistent despite Jenna rejecting him, this is a golden example.
One commenter was baffled by the man’s questioning. “‘Do you have a boyfriend’ like what does it matter? And why is that your business?” Though in the thread a viewer argued asking was okay, but pestering a woman after she already says she does have a boyfriend was a no-no. “Especially when they’re still planning to harrass you if you say yes, like why even ask then,” wrote one TikTok user. A top comment in the same thread attributed that kind of behavior to “misogyny.”
Among the top comments, one woman was deeply concerned for Jenna’s safety. “Girl he could be your stalker please be careful.” It’s better to be safe than sorry, right?
It was clear from the comments and Jenna’s response that none of what happened was okay in any way. Judging from Jenna’s caption: “I was still trying to be nice so I didn’t get followed home and hurt,” it made her a little fearful for her life.
