You walk in, already sweating from your car's heat caused by failed AC. You swipe your card and proceed to the lockers to drop your bag consistent of three things, keys, phone, and water. Scanning the area you notice there are many old women and a few younger men, maybe today you won't feel uncomfortable at the gym.
I've grown up to be a fairly fit person. I play a collegiate sport and during the school year I find myself at our school's gym too many times to count. Of course I have dealt with the grunts and occasional glances from the football men during the fall, but nothing has made me more uncomfortable than my recent visits to my hometown's local gym.
Being here for only a month until I start back up at school, I found a small gym nearby that offered me a great deal, and well the equipment was enough for me. Since I've been cross-training a bit I've used the cardio machines and enjoy those because they are faced away from the weights and I enjoy watching House Hunters.
Yet moving towards the back of the gym to use the weights is what intimidates me. I'm not sure if it's because I am a small young girl surrounded by a ton of HUGE men, or if I feel like I need to use heavier weights. It's almost like I don't feel entitled to be standing there working my butt off. It's almost like I need to prove myself to them. Not only this but many of the men feel the need to show off right in front of the women how much they can bench press, when it's obviously their leg day. Trust me, nothing will impress us more than just leaving us alone.
You know I'm sure they could care less about this weak little girl working out next to them, of course they don't mean to be intimidating. Yet it makes me wonder how many other girls have felt like this before. And then I think about these crazy fit girls who are more ripped than 20 of the guys I know. These women are the ones proving to the men that, yes we can work just as hard as you can, in and out of the gym.
Why is this still a thing? Why are women still afraid to push their boundaries and exceed past men's expectations, and well them in general. At an early age I was given the idea that women were inferior to men. This was shown through movies and TV shows, and thankfully I have grown to have a better knowledge. The media around me has grown up and discovered the very true fact that women can do just about as much as men can. Unfortunately many people haven't come to this realization. Our country has many problems, this is one.
