“Everyone Is Equal”: UK Expat Defends Zimbabwe Gym Hygiene Comments After Backlash

• A UK expat living in Zimbabwe posted a follow-up video defending her earlier comments about gym hygiene after facing widespread criticism online
• Natalie said she was not targeting any specific race and blamed cultural differences for the way her message was received
• Zimbabweans flooded the comments with mixed reactions, with some agreeing on the hygiene point and others saying she crossed a line

A British woman living in Zimbabwe has found herself at the centre of an online storm after a video she posted about body odour at a gym sparked fierce debate across social media.

Natalie, who posts on Facebook as nataliegreen31590, originally shared a clip addressing what she described as a hygiene problem at what she called "probably the most elite gym in Zimbabwe." In the video, she urged gym-goers who could afford membership fees to also budget for deodorant, saying she could tell the difference between those who had applied it and those who had not.

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The video spread quickly and drew strong reactions, prompting Natalie to film a follow-up response from her home in Zimbabwe on 6 October 2026.

Natalie addresses the race accusations

In her response, Natalie pushed back firmly against claims that her original comments were racially motivated. She said she grew up in Leicester, a city she described as highly diverse, and that race simply does not factor into how she sees people. "Everyone is equal," she said, adding that she was not raised to judge people by their appearance.

She also explained that the phrase "Hi Zimbabweans" in her original video was consistent with the Zimbabwe-focused niche of her content and was not meant as a sweeping generalisation about the entire country. Her point, she insisted, was directed at a handful of people she had encountered at the gym, not Zimbabweans as a whole.

Natalie also acknowledged that her directness might have come across as harsh, saying people from the UK tend to be blunt and straightforward without any hidden agenda behind their words.

Watch the follow-up video here:

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Zimbabweans react to the gym hygiene debate

The comment section on the Facebook page became a lively conversation about hygiene, cultural sensitivity and whether social media was the right platform for the complaint in the first place.

@Xoliswa Nomsa wrote:

"When I saw that video, I started counting down in my head; I said, 'ooooh they are coming for you in 10, 9, 8...'"

@Archie Tinashe Muskwe said:

"We heard you, and gym hygiene is a fair point. No one wants to train next to body odour, whether in Harare, Joburg or London. The problem is the generalisation. Many of us do use deodorant daily, but economic hardships mean some struggle to afford it every month. You can raise a valid point without making a whole country feel small."

@Tariro Tagu noted:

"This is exactly why some matters should be taken to gym management and not social media. Now South Africans are having a field day in the comments, and somehow Zimbabweans as a whole are catching strays over roll-on."

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@Owen Mudare added:

"People should just normalise using roll-on and deodorants on a daily basis. Just make it a habit. A good habit."

@Vimbai Vimbai suggested:

"Natalie, if only there was money, you and I must do a roll-on campaign in Zim. We go into schools, workplaces and bus ranks."

@Herbert Kamonere shared:

"We had guys who were smelling, both mouth and armpits, so the manager bought two sprays and sprayed everyone without mentioning names. My manager now sells perfumes."

More on Zimbabwe

• Briefly News recently reported on how Wicknell Chivayo's death has left one of Zimbabwe's oldest football clubs facing a major financial question.
• White Zimbabwean farmers are returning to the land 25 years after the Mugabe-era seizures, but one arrangement behind their comeback is raising eyebrows.
• More than 116,000 Zimbabweans went home after fleeing violence in South Africa, and many are now struggling to rebuild their lives, which has South Africans weighing in.

Source: Briefly News