DEAR Jasminda,

The gym I go to takes candid photos of people exercising to encourage others.

Last week there was a particularly unattractive photo of me wearing no makeup, doing sumo squats.

While others may find this encouraging, I just feel embarrassed.

Can I ask them to take the photo down?

Hilda R.

Oh, Hilda

I can see it now. Your knees bent at impossible angles, your face dripping with sweat, a frown of concentration making you look miserable, your leggings and tank top accentuating parts of you that you don’t want accentuated, your sports bra giving you one huge mono-boob.

People who take selfies at the gym generally take them when they first arrive, from certain angles and with everything simultaneously sucked in and pumped up.

They then apply a filter so every photo shows dazzling white teeth, eyeliner, a slimmed-down torso and a Byron tan.

When you are in the midst of exercise, however, you can’t be concentrating on how you look, because you’re too busy wondering if you’re going to pass out from over-exertion.

It’s just not possible to look good in that situation. And maybe that’s why the photos are encouraging to others.

They will say to themselves, ‘She looks as god-awful as I do when I exercise.

Maybe I should join.’

Not that that is much consolation for you, Hilda.

If you see the trainer pointing their phone at you, I would suggest you just hold your towel or your drink bottle over your face, or turn around and face the wall.

The photo may not be a good one, but at least you will be incognito.

Surely you should be able to exercise in private.

Maybe sign one of those ‘no publicity photos’ forms.

Businesses can’t just go about taking photos of their clients without permission.

Carpe diem, Jasminda.