It’s My Gym Too
Women must exercise their right–to exercise
Ask any woman who goes to the gym if she feels comfortable working out alongside men, pounding out sets of bicep curls and groaning under the weight of their routine, whose exaggerated presence seems to leave no room for them to workout. The answer would be no.
I have never been a gym rat; I’m a rock-climber. Exposure to the gym atmosphere came early for me; at age seven I was climbing and training competitively. Although there were always a few women climbing, it’s a male-dominated sport. As a young climber, I understood that I was going to be overlooked. However, as I’ve grown older, this attitude hasn’t disappeared, but grown stronger. I’m viewed more as a spectator than one that is there to climb. My revenge: reluctantly allowing men to cut in front of me, watching as they fail, and then silently swooping in and climbing to the top.
The pandemic closed my climbing gym, forcing me to my mom’s to retain my sanity in these crazy times. Often, I’m the only female working out in what feels like a sea of men. I was taken aback by how they would give me confused looks as I reached for a dumbbell over 20lbs. Or when one asked, “Do you need help putting that heavy plate back, honey.” Or the worst, one guy snatching equipment from under me, mumbling to himself, “I need to use this,” as if I didn’t. To make matters worse, I’m constantly being “checked out” to the point where I feel uncomfortable wearing average gym attire. These experiences are exhausting; I shouldn’t feel the need to justify my presence at my gym– but I’m definitely not alone in these feelings.
In an article by Stylist.co, a survey found that one in four women feel intimidated while working out at their gyms, and around half felt “negatively judged.” The suffocating atmosphere of sweaty testosterone-pumping men and the invisible lines that many women feel nervous to cross at their gym, makes it extremely difficult to feel welcome.
In a New York Times article regarding a 1998 lawsuit challenging women-only gyms as gender discriminating, psychologist Robert Tanenbaum argued, “for various legitimate psychological reasons, like poor body image and past trauma, many women simply could not bring themselves to exercise in front of men.” So the question remains, how can we create more welcoming atmospheres for women in gyms, that reinforce neutrality instead of gender stereotypes? I believe the solution is for women to continue to show up and exercise their right to be there. Although at times it feels as though the stereotypes at gyms are heavier than the weights themselves, women are strong enough to carry them.
Dean Dudzik • May 31, 2021 at 11:08 PM
As much as women need to be strong and make a space for themselves in gyms, the atmosphere needs to change so that women don’t have to suffer in order to do so. Men need to examine the way women are treated in gyms and look to see how they can improve those conditions. Thanks for speaking out on this.
Ryan Lewis • May 31, 2021 at 1:34 PM
I can’t really relate to this because I’ve never experienced anything like this firsthand, but it’s really interesting seeing another perspective of the opposite sex, and I’ll definitely be more open minded at the gym and anywhere else.
angela petersen • May 20, 2021 at 10:06 PM
This opinion article really caught my attention because it discussed an important issue that many women, teen girls and I have to deal with everytime we walk into a gym. I am very happy to see a girl my age coming out and talking about these experiences. But talking about them won’t solve the problem, to answer your question, teaching men and standing up for ourselves at the gym is how the problem can be solved.
Angie gave many types of situations she was in and how she responded to them. Most of the time she would stay quiet and let men disrespect her. This would include men taking her equipment as she was using it, men giving her strange looks as she would lift heavier weights and even checking her out in normal gym attire. This wouldn’t just happen at the normal gym she was going to but also at her old rock climbing gym. The men at both gyms didn’t seem to know how to treat her like another guy. I can relate to the things she goes through and at my own gym I have personally been checked out many times including being videotaped by adult men. She didn’t only rely on her own experiences but also from other women’s experiences too. She cited a survey in an Article by Stylist co. that backed up her own experiences by proving that one in four women feel intimidated at the gym and half of them feel negatively judged. At the end of her article she asked “how can we create more welcoming atmospheres for women in gyms, that reinforce neutrality instead of gender stereotypes?” But her solution “is for women to continue to show up and exercise their right to be there” but I believe there is a better solution to this question. As I said before, teaching men how to treat us in the gym and stick up for ourselves when these situations occur. We can teach men by talking to the ones that are close to you and by doing so there will be fewer guys to make women feel uncomfortable working out in their own gym. Talking would include how to treat women as another guy at the gym, to stay out of their space and to not check them out making them feel uncomfortable. Secondly to stick up for yourself when these situations occur because without confirmation these situations will keep on occurring. You are not only standing up for yourself but for others and that is what I wish Angie would have advocated for in her article. Because going to the gym is one step in the right direction but taking action against the men who make us feel uncomfortable is the action that will stop them.
I still believe that Angie made a big step in the right direction in writing this article, not only for her but for other women. She made me feel more confident in using my right to be at my own gym without men dictating it. But I wish she would’ve told me how to fix the problem as a whole.