A Perth Pilates business has found itself at the centre of a social media backlash after comments referring to some clients as “overweight” mothers with “fat a**es” sparked accusations of body shaming — claims the studio has since pushed back on.
Freemove Pilates, which runs locations in Kinross, Carine and Jolimont, has come under heavy criticism online after the remarks surfaced amid a disagreement with a group of Perth-based influencers.
The controversy reportedly began when Hey Perth Mama, an Instagram account managed by a collective of local mums, approached the Pilates studio about taking part in a complimentary class in return for promotion on social media.
Freemove Pilates rejected the proposal, responding that it “takes great pride in not partnering with influencers”.
“Brand advertising… is smart business. Compared to entertaining cheapskates chasing free lunches for a post or two – yeh no thanks babes,” the studio said in its response.
‘Influencers are merely modern day panhandlers.’
Hey Perth Mama then shared screenshots of the exchange with its followers and asked whether they thought the studio owner’s response was rude.
Many agreed that it was.
Tahlia Jeffrey, who owns Freemoves Pilates in WA, has been accused of body shaming her members after saying the women are ‘overweight’ mums
Ms Jeffrey directed those comments to Perth mum Traci (pictured) who follows the Hey Perth Mama Instagram page
Ms Jeffrey (who owns the studio alongside her husband James) made the comments in response to a one-star Google Review
Freemove Pilates responded with its own post, writing ‘F*** INFLUENCERS’ and publicly tagging the Hey Perth Mama page.
The row then escalated when one of the page’s followers, Traci, left a one-star Google review criticising the studio’s response.
‘First impressions matter, and unfortunately this business left a poor one,’ Traci said in the now-deleted review.
‘Using dismissing hostile language like ‘cheapskates’ and ‘panhandlers’ reflects poorly on the brand’s culture.’
Freemove Pilates owner Tahlia Jeffery then sent Traci a lengthy message in which she made the comments that sparked accusations of body shaming.
‘We don’t have influencers in our studio. Why? Because most of the members are overweight and mums like you. None of them want their fat a**es splashed over TikTok,’ she wrote.
The mum of three also targeted Traci’s previous reviews.
‘I read through your whole list of b****ing and moaning, including the Salvos and the greatest kebab you ever ate. You do realise that we are a small business, not a chain,’ she said.
Her comments, which include describing the women as having ‘fat a**es’ , have been slammed online
A TikTok account believed to be linked to Ms Jeffery was also seen commenting on Traci’s videos, calling her a ‘plus size influencer’
When contacted directly by the Daily Mail about Ms Jeffery’s comments towards Traci, her husband James acknowledged they had crossed a line
The dispute then spilled onto TikTok, where an account believed to be linked to Ms Jeffery was seen commenting on Traci’s videos, calling her a ‘plus size influencer’ and writing ‘Nom nom nom.’
The same account also reposted videos in recent days about rejecting criticism, including one captioned: ‘Being hated by losers is the price you pay for not being one.’
As the backlash grew, Ms Jeffery’s husband and Freemove co-owner, James Jeffery, addressed the controversy on the studio’s Instagram page overnight.
‘Hi Freemove Fam. Wording from a heated exchange between Tahlia and an influencer has been circulating as allegedly fat shaming,’ he wrote.
‘Tahlia acknowledges that her language was crude and poorly expressed. Acknowledging body size is not body shaming. Third parties have put their own spin on that.
‘I invite you to consider that her intention was positive.
‘Freemove and Tahlia are authentic, genuine, unscripted and extremely passionate – we don’t apologise for this. We do not claim to be perfect – and sometimes despite best efforts, we can be misinterpreted. That comes with the territory of being those wonderful things above.’
However, when contacted directly by the Daily Mail about Ms Jeffery’s comments towards Traci, Mr Jeffery acknowledged they had crossed a line.
‘As Tahlia’s husband, I’ll always support her, but as a co-owner, what she said to Traci was wrong and inappropriate,’ Mr Jeffery said.
He said the comments had been made in the heat of the moment.