New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

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Let’s Desexualize Gym Culture

We go to the gym to feel good about ourselves, but more often than not, we feel harassed or intimidated. It is essential that gym culture changes to ensure that everyone feels comfortable working out.
Let%E2%80%99s+Desexualize+Gym+Culture

After sweating out half of my body weight while working out in an oversized t-shirt, I was in search of more amiable workout gear. In a moment of sweaty desperation, I wondered if I would feel comfortable working out in just a sports bra and shorts. And honestly, the answer is no, I wouldn’t. Even if no one was looking at me, I would be hyperaware of my lack of clothing. Whether this is a standard ingrained in me from strict high school dress codes or the fear of being slut-shamed just as many Instagram fitness gurus are daily, I would feel too distracted to finish a good workout. 

However, wearing a sports bra is just the surface of someone’s insecurity while at the gym. Women tend to stick to working out on cardio machines rather than facing the testosterone-filled weight room. Men naturally feel more comfortable strength training because of the societal idea that a man should be muscular while women need to maintain a slim figure, confining them to the treadmill.   

Additionally, rooms like the yoga and dance studios are constantly filled with girls completing squats, hip-thruster sets or complex ab workouts, exercises that might attract the unwanted male gaze. These remote rooms are usually packed because they provide a distance from the daunting weight room. The popularity of these rooms just goes to show that women want to find a safe place to work out where they don’t feel observed, sexualized or objectified

Generally, we all attend the gym with the purpose of feeling healthy and active; but when one is in an uncomfortable setting, it becomes difficult to focus on the task at hand. On average, a shocking 65% of women avoid the gym because they are afraid of being judged or even harassed by their male counterparts. This statistic shows that the male gaze has not only made women uncomfortable at the gym, but has also deterred women from continuing in their fitness journey all together.

Additionally, 72% of active female gym goers said that they have changed their workout clothes after they had been sexually harassed by men, further showing the effect a man’s wandering gaze or inappropriate comment can have on a woman’s choice of clothing.

While there is no doubt men also have trouble fitting into society’s fitness standards and feel effects of harassment, they do not experience harassment to the same extent as women do. On average, only 7.3% of men said that they had ever been harrassed at the gym. This is due to the difference in societal expectations between male and female behavior. 

Transgender and gender-noncomforming individuals have an especially hard time when it comes to attending the gym. Whether it’s the daunting challenge of changing in the locker room or struggling to feel comfortable in their workout gear, the gym can be an intimidating environment fueled by society’s strict standards. 

Sadly, the gym is just one of many environments in which women and members of the LGBTQ+ community feel the sting of the male gaze. Whether it’s the workplace, the grocery store or even on the street, women are consistently being made aware of their outfits whether it be through long stares or inappropriate comments. 

In order to destigmatize and desexualize gym culture, there must be stricter policies when it comes to gym etiquette. Not only should gym-goers be respectful of each other, but staff should also be aware if a woman is being made uncomfortable by a man. People should be taught to step in and intervene if they are ever a bystander to harassment. Unless the problem is solved soon, women might have to look into alternative solutions like an all-female gym where we can all feel comfortable walking around in our shortest shorts and tightest bras. 

Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

Email Sam O’Donnell at [email protected].

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  • F

    FelixAug 8, 2021 at 9:19 am

    Sorry but other people at the gym don’t have any control over how you feel like.
    If we needed to change the world everytime someone felt a certain way the world would turn to shit pretty quickly.
    Just a little example: your presence makes me feel bad. What do we do now ?

    Reply
  • J

    JamillaMay 3, 2021 at 6:06 pm

    For all you people in the comments saying ‘staring is not harassment’, ‘just stop worrying about what people think of you and work out, women need to stop overreacting and playing the victim’..
    Staring at someone suggestively, looking someone up and down in a lewd way, leering, or watching someone for a prolonged period are all considered harassment according to workplace guidelines on sexual harassment. https://www.laharassmentfirm.com/practice-areas/sexual-harassment/leering-gestures-staring/
    So, if it’s enough to constitute a possible sexual harassment lawsuit in a workplace, it’s obviously enough to make people uncomfortable in a gym.
    Secondly, this should be a no-brainer, but being ‘worried about what people think’ and feeling legitimately intimidated or threatened are not the same thing. Men being ‘checked out’ by a woman at the gym rarely feel threatened (if you’re dubious, go ahead and Google it and find yourself some survey statistics). However, often women being ‘checked out’ by men at the gym DO feel threatened or extremely uncomfortable, due to the huge prevalence of men assaulting and stalking women. A man staring at a woman at the gym gets her thinking like ‘great, is he going to try to follow me home later? Better make sure i walk home with my pepper spray in my pocket this time.’
    …like… do I seriously need to spell this out to you people? This is depressing.

    Reply
  • C

    CooleyJan 8, 2021 at 11:34 pm

    Lol at people getting triggered in the comments. What a bunch of whiners.

    Reply
  • F

    Franciszek BanekOct 29, 2020 at 11:20 am

    The snake is eating its own tail here.

    Gazing is not sexual harassment

    Yet unsolicited sexual expression with sexualized clothing attire is not talked about?

    I am a firm believer of mind your own business and workout, but this article takes a very strong victimizing stance towards females, not taking into account the people, men and women, that seek attention at the gym. This need for attention is impossible to regulate without imposing clothing restrictions. You may have a man wearing a tiny muscle shirt that makes others uncomfortable, but wouldn’t call i harassment. Same goes for women with skin tight clothing that barely covers anything nowadays, where gazing still isn’t considered harassment.

    The only thing sexualized about working out in the gym is the need for attention through the use of inappropriate clothing attire.

    It’s simple message to fellow humans. Stop worrying so much about what others think of you, respect others, and focus on your training…

    And please…. Less finger pointing in articles. Way too easy to leave a pernicious vibe

    Reply
    • J

      JennaMar 13, 2022 at 11:30 am

      Okay that sounds like a super fantastic idea however most of the time woman are over sexualized and told what they are wearing is inappropriate whereas guys aren’t said anything to. This is the problem. And I guess some people “seek attention” in their workout clothes however most wear what they feel comfortable in. I don’t wear an oversized shirt because I feel uncomfortable in it so I’d rather just wear a sports bra. Also so what people are wearing tight clothing don’t you want people to feel comfortable In their own bodies? We just need more equality in the gym. If I’m going to be called out for my inappropriate “clothing attire” then guys should too.

      Reply
  • B

    Big TomOct 28, 2020 at 2:39 pm

    I have a great idea. Make a room for men only and another for women only, and a commons room. That way, you can work out in your room, I can work out with bros in my room, and those that want to risk this crazy “seeing me working out on the machine ahead of you is sexual harassment” can work out in the commons room.
    I hate going to the gym and feeling that if I see a woman and she’s in my view for more than 5 seconds, I’ve sexually harrassed her.

    Reply
  • R

    RyanOct 28, 2020 at 12:50 pm

    Great coming to the comments and seeing some common sense. What a whiny stupid ass article. You want to stop being stared at? Stop wearing skin tight clothes that show your underwear when you work out and posing for IG pictures every time you lift a weight.

    Reply
  • K

    Kala R DedmanOct 28, 2020 at 10:49 am

    I think this is 100 per on if you don’t have manners and know the difference in a gaze then It is wrong no one has the right to make anyone feel uncomfortable a gym is health period remember that

    Reply
  • A

    A Neutral PersonOct 28, 2020 at 7:33 am

    As always, there’s two sides to the story. This author states the problem for a majority of the article while only giving a subjective 3 line solution at the end. Males are biologically wired towards physical female attraction. It’s why men are usually the ones to approach women (and not the other way around) and initiate the first interaction even when he doesn’t know the first thing about her. And most women prefer it this way. That’s not harassment, that’s science, unfortunately. And if you are prepared to walk into a testosterone filled environment like a gym, then you will have to be prepared to deal with basic male biological behavior. I still empathize with women that do get harassed or even just distracted by men when all they want to do is workout. For those women, yes, the best solution would be an all female gym. That is, if todays extreme feminists don’t squash the idea in the name of “gender equality”.

    Reply
  • T

    The Purple PatriotOct 28, 2020 at 12:02 am

    I wholeheartedly agree with @Samurai36, and this is coming from a woman. Some females simply crave attention, even if it is negative attention, and cry like victims when they are “objectified.”

    Reply
  • D

    DavidOct 27, 2020 at 5:12 pm

    Basically the comments confirm what the article is saying.

    Reply
    • E

      ElaynaOct 27, 2020 at 5:22 pm

      Yeah I got a huge kick out of all the guys freaking out. It must be nice to never get harassed or know what harassment feels like.

      Reply
  • S

    SAMURAI36Oct 27, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    This is silly. The author neglects to mention the scores of women who come to notorious “beefcake” gyms, dressed in extra tight yoga pants, matching mid rise top, hair & nails done, & full makeup.

    They rarely work out (if at all), & when they’re not sashaying around trying to get our attention, they are in the corner taking selfies to post on IG.

    Funny, the author didnt mention any of these people, & there are quite a few of them in all the franchise locations I frequent. But of course, that doesnt match the narrative she’s trying to push.

    Go figure.

    Reply
  • R

    Richard ByrnesOct 27, 2020 at 11:31 am

    Another snowflake being sucked into identity politics. Get a life!

    Reply
  • A

    Anibal B. FernandezOct 27, 2020 at 10:33 am

    This article was written by a complete social misfit who is overly concerned with men looking at her, being body shamed, whether her gym is lgbtqxyz+/% compliant, etc. This is what happens when we allow the freaks in society tell us how to live. This is why not to vote for Biden /Harris.

    Reply
  • C

    ClaytonOct 27, 2020 at 9:34 am

    Just gazing at person of the opposite sex is not harassment. This writer seems to think so though. The gym is obviously a seen. So if you don’t want to be seen, workout at a park or at home. I personally would never set foot in a dirty gym anyway.

    Reply
  • B

    BibianaOct 27, 2020 at 9:16 am

    Yo la entiendo por que cuando voy al gimnasio y quiero ir a las pesas no me siento bien por que esta llena de hombres. Que en realidad no me importa ellos estan ocupados en sus ejercicios pero si es algo raro entrar ahy y mas sobre todo cuando dejan las maquinas con pesas de una tonelada y uno nisiquiera puede mover 25 kilos. Haha. Es chistoso pero la entiendo. Haver que uno hombre se meta a el aerobics con puras mujeres y todos los de afuera mirando haver si no se siente raro?. No es malo y es bueno para el cuerpo hacer de todo un poco y puede uno hacerlo no hay motivo para negarse uno ese privilegio solo aveces se siente uno raro. Pero claro no es culpa de nadie simplemente es una reaccion natural que aveces puede pasar. Sobre el acoso aveces pensamos que alguien nos esta mirando cuando en realidad ni atencion nos ponen. Es question de ignorar y que te valga #÷dre todo. Pero en question si ustedes no se han sentido asi en un gimnasio felicitaciones pero tampoco ataquen a la persona que pu lico esto por que cada persona es diferente y cada pensamiento igual. Logico que lo que ella dice no se apega a todos en el gimnasio pero si a algunas personas. Un consejo que yo le daria a ella es. Afronta tus inseguridades y si te quieres ir a las pesas aunque te de vergüenza. Hazlo que te valga y veras que pronto te sentiras parte del equipo. Todo es question de costumbre. (Hay creo que escribi demasiado sorry)

    Reply
  • B

    Big dogOct 27, 2020 at 8:31 am

    As an active gym user I can tell you this article is written by a retard

    Reply
    • L

      LiamOct 27, 2020 at 8:52 am

      Wear what you want if your happy and not hurting other people I go the gym to train and my only focus is training not what anyone else is doing or wearing if this does happen it’s certainly not the norm so don’t project it as such is just twisting the truth and making a issue where there isn’t one in reality train and behave

      Reply
    • R

      RayOct 27, 2020 at 9:52 am

      You’re assuming that the article writer even goes to the gym to work out , or even knows where it’s location
      Loosing half her weight !!? Really

      Reply
  • R

    RoccoOct 27, 2020 at 6:33 am

    wow, who would have thought what you wear has something to do with who you are. Like maybe a policeman, fireman, nurse, military personal, astronaut, scuba diver, baseball player, football player, Doctor, businessman, this article depresses me because it’s so foolish

    Reply
  • B

    BrianOct 26, 2020 at 8:22 pm

    The author of this POS seems like a great hang. I can’t wait for this country’s real problems (which are undoubtedly coming in this new 1984-esque world). It will force these petulant people from writing this type of nonsense…

    Reply
  • M

    MarianoOct 26, 2020 at 7:52 pm

    My gym is trufit in San Antonio. This writer’s experience does not fit my gym at all.
    The women have their own large room with free weights and universal machines, but most of them use the main area. I have never seen anyone harass anyone else. Some women dress in sweats; some dress to show every curve. The same applies to the men. Regardless, everyone works out and minds his or her own business.
    I wonder if this is one of those go-to articles saved for a slow news day.

    Reply
  • J

    JohnOct 26, 2020 at 5:22 pm

    This is stupid af

    Reply