Adweek: Gold’s Gym Faces PR Crisis After Franchisee Posts Ad Saying a Pear ‘Is No Shape for a Girl’

Gold's Gym is acting quickly today to defuse a PR crisis sparked by an Egyptian franchisee who created a social media post that showed a pear and said "This Is No Shape for a Girl."

While the Egyptian location has apologized for the image, it remains in circulation on social media, with many thinking it's an official marketing image for the gym chain.

This morning, Gold's Gym's official Twitter account has been responding to many of the ad's critics.

The company says the Egyptian location "is ignoring our communications" about removing the image from its social media channels, and the corporate account assures social media users that when it comes to the message of the controversial ad, "we do not agree with their beliefs."

The gym chain has posted a lengthy explanation and apology on Facebook, where the company says it has terminated its franchisee agreement with the location behind the ad.