A man who was seen on tape invading a woman’s personal space at the gym has incited outrage on social media. Women claim the video illustrates a problem that many women encounter when working out, and experts concur.
Charlie, a British fitness teacher who shares training routines and practical gym advice on her website, was filming a lesson on weightlifting when a man approached her from behind and placed a large dumbbell directly behind her.
Charlie couldn’t continue since the unidentified man left the bulky piece of exercise equipment in her training area and left abruptly.
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She soon gives up trying to get his attention and moves the dumbbell and moves on, which causes him to come back and look at her while she works out.
Charlie chooses to post the video on TikTok after the incident in an effort to raise awareness of the widespread problem of men frightening women in gyms.
She wrote as the caption for the video, “I don’t mind people coming and going from videos; the gym is everyone’s space.”
“He knew exactly what he was doing because he had witnessed me training there while I was using the bar in this rack.
“Use this as a reminder to show kindness to others and occupy the space that you are due.”
Her video, which was shared under the username @fitwithchaz, attracted a lot of attention right away and has received close to 5 million views.
Although women found Charlie’s message resonant, pointing out that actions such as the one this man demonstrated are part of the reason why so many people feel “unsafe” to work out, many males were unable to recognize the issue.
Gyms are “traditionally very masculine spaces,” according to Melbourne psychologist Carly Dober, who expressed surprise at the stark gender disparity in the comments section.
She told news.com.au that “many men, especially in male-dominated spaces, do not truly understand how intimidating it can be for some women.”
“Given the benefit of the doubt, he might have been attempting to establish a connection with her and intended nothing harmful by it, but it’s quite another matter entirely how this is interpreted from her perspective and that of another person on the internet.”
Data backs up this.
According to a Run Repeat survey conducted in 2022, nearly 56% of women reported experiencing harassment while working out.
A startling 69 percent of women said in different research that they don’t feel safe or change their behavior when men pay them unwelcome attention when they’re working out.
But 92% of incidents of harassment that occur in the gym remain unreported.
The concerning statistics seem to be validated by the ladies who recounted their accounts of harassment and intimidation in Charlie’s video’s comments section.
One lady commented, “I told him I was using my weights, and he took them anyway. I had a guy take my weights and look me in the eye.”
“One time, while performing hip thrusts on a bench, a guy sat down to perform arm curls. I thought, ‘Well, we sharing, I guess,'” stated an additional person.
One woman disclosed, “This is the reason I don’t go to the gym.”
Others complimented Charlie on “holding her ground,” saying it was “courageous” in light of the predominantly male setting she was in.
One person observed, “He was so angry you didn’t start an argument, you just went about your day.”
“This is driving me crazy, ugh. Another woman said, “I’m so glad you pushed his equipment aside, because of his obvious disrespect for you.”
Someone else congratulated you for reclaiming your space.
According to one, he did it on purpose. Either he wanted the space and was attempting to get you to move, or he wanted you to be uncomfortable enough to hurry. That gym bros are the worst.
However, the vast majority of men in the comments area had an entirely opposite opinion, supporting Ms. Dober’s claims about a lack of perspective.
One countered, “People can work out wherever they want; you don’t own the gym.”
In a public gym, you are causing a commotion, conversing, and recording videos. Another person said, “He’s the hero we all needed.”
Some even went so far as to call Charlie names, saying she was “not in shape enough to be making exercise videos” and making “rude” comments about the way she looked.
Women and a few men who offered support swiftly denounced the “awful” response, claiming that the men’s response exhibited “SO much misogyny.”
“Many people’s disdain for her as a woman is merely deep-rooted misogyny. Men are not problematic to feminists. One person stated, “Misogyny and patriarchy are bad for men and women.”
Another said, “It’s interesting how the guys are the ones getting upset about this.”
“There are so many offensive remarks about the girl—it’s ridiculous. The guy is at fault. Another person said, “This is blatantly misogynistic.
Working at Enriching Lives Psychology in Melbourne, Ms. Dober stated that fitness facilities and gyms have a reputation for “perpetuating very hyper-masculine behaviors,” which might make women feel uncomfortable.
“This can include things like mansplaining exercises and techniques to female gymgoers, excluding women, and not taking seriously the expertise of women who are there to work on their own health and fitness,” she said.
“As a member of the weightlifting community, I am aware that many gym patrons may experience annoyance and frustration when others in the room record themselves for the sake of influence or performance.
If this is what was happening for the man, I would advise approaching the gym’s owner rather than making the woman feel unwelcome and extremely uncomfortable.
“He could have just let her do her job, stayed out of her way, and concentrated on working out on his own.”