Clothing in the gym

[Sapiens]

I have seen this going around - do you agree with him?

I think I do, I really don't understand the current trend of ridiculously small shorts shoved right into arse cracks and bandeau bras for working out.

I go to the gym 2/3 times a week and feel no need to dress like this.

Or, are they just 'dressing for themselves?'

Where does this line of thinking end? What other settings will he be in whining "I'm a married man and ..." and will it be somewhere in his defense one day when she catches him cheating? "I'm married man, I didn't want to, but .."

All i care about seeing how some women dress in the gym is whether or not they'll be safe using the equipment (I have wondered occasionally) and making sure I'm not too obviously noticing 🤷‍♂️ I'm more concerned about the folk who lounge about on their phones too much between sets 😠

He avoids all accountability in this Statement. Blaming the women in his life and gym for causing him discomfort and controlling his thoughts. If he wasn't married would it be a non issue? I love how he puts more accountability in fabric than himself. Oh those fabrics always controlling my thoughts and inviting me to sexualise.

No, I don’t think I should ever dress to help out the ‘poor men who can’t control themselves’. This is a potentially very dangerous line of thinking.

Errr I don’t want any man looking at me and equating me to a porn star.

And I’d like to think there’s a wee bit more to attraction and procreation than how far along the scale from nun to porn star I appear.

Indeed! The only clothing I find myself pondering at the gym is when people wear hats - baseball caps or even woolly beanies. Or - occasionally - an anorak over their gym kit. I've seen people doing runs on treadmills togged up like this and can't help but feel they must get a tad over-hot.

If men can't control themselves, they should stay at home. And probably invest in some therapy.

Wow I'm a very conservative dresser who hyperventilates at the thought of wearing scrunch shorts myself but this man is a sexist, lascivious prick. I don't care what anyone wears and he shouldn't blame his proclivities on women.

Of course women shouldn't have to worry that their clothing choices will result in unwanted attention from men but surely the point of those ridiculous shorts is to attract attention, they're hardly being worn for comfort are they. No need to equate anyone to a porn star though.

I've not seen the craziest then, I've only been going a few months so still time. It's all good tho, so long as they're happy & safe, seeing different people and their ways 😃 It's not like I've never found myself overdressed, underdressed or badly for the occasion 🙈

He needs to go to my (very cheap) gym. People go there to work out, not to parade the latest gym fashion. The majority wear jogging bottoms or workout leggings and T shirts or singlets, occasionally a crop-top. And almost all the equipment faces towards walls (with TVs) so no-one is obliged to look at anyone else while they are working out. The majority of users come in, do their workout, and then leave - if anyone were leering at other users, the gym staff would be on their case pdq.

It’s a him problem.

I’ve never seen this in my gym though. Women wear shorts and a vest top, but I’ve never seen scrunch butt shorts and a bandaeu top!

He needs to go to Afghanistan. The men there have found a solution for him.

I'll wear what I bloody well like and if some weirdo can't control his thoughts while he's on the treadmill that's very much his problem.

I think the reason some women wear skimpy clothes at the gym is that a) the less fabric, the less sweaty and restricted they feel and b) if you work out seriously and are proud of their efforts, it actually makes you feel good to be able to see your body in the mirror when you're working out. I don't think it's unreasonable for someone who has worked really hard to achieve something to be proud of that.

At times when I've been overweight and unfit hated my body I've always exercised in leggings and a big oversize t-shirt that covers my bum, stomach and upper arms. At times when I've been a healthy weight and physically fit, I've exercised in leggings or shorts and a sports bra/crop top because it makes me feel really fucking happy to be confident about my body and to be able to see it in the mirror without wanting to hide it from the world.

If you think that's intended to attract attention, I'm not sure how you square that with the fact that I do the majority of my workouts at home, in private.

I absolutely disagree with him.

People wear gym wear at the gym - not a surprise.

Gym wear is often (but not always) tight fitting with a high percentage of lycra because you need a wide range of movement to work out properly. This means it shows the contours of the human body.

The human body is something we all have and we can often see it's contours in certain situations - the gym, the swimming pool, the beach.

Just because you can see someone's body outlines, does not mean that they want you to stare at it. It most certainly does not suggest that they are offering themselves up in any sexual way.

Yes people look, that's normal - to stare is not normal and can be challenged.

If this person is so unable to control his own emotions he should use his neck and eyes to look away. If it shocks him so much that he may be unable to control himself or fall into a victorian maiden like faint, then he needs to take steps to help himself.

This counts for all sizes and shapes of bodies - everyone has a choice in what they wear. Of course people will have an opinion on it, whether they like it or not - but their opinions and thoughts would be best staying inside their own heads.

Badly worded but basically some outfits both men and women are attention seeking and all attention isn’t sexually motivated

The internet is full of people barley clothed spread eagled over gym equipment with a camera set up complaining that people look at them

It's giving 'she was asking for it' vibes.

My god stop saying anus! 🤮🤣

The anorak thing is intended to increase sweating and make the workout more challenging, I think? Personally, the very thought of exercising in an anorak makes me feel slightly queasy because for me being hot and sweaty is the absolute worst part of exercise!

Baseball caps (the clue being in the name) are designed for sport - as well as keeping sun or rain off your face and shade your eyes for outdoor sports, they keeping sweat from running into your eyes and keep hair out of the way, so I don't find it surprising that people wear them to a gym. I don't use a gym, but if I did, I'd probably wear a baseball cap to use a treadmill or an exercise bike.

The clothing seems to invite men to gaze in a sexual manner, which is essentially what pornography does. I understand women want to be comfortable in the gym but the clothing now has literally invites men to engage in sexualized
thoughts.

Tell me you’re a misogynist arsehole who sees women as objects without telling me …

Because a basque and suspenders isn't comfortable to work out in? And also aren't "porn" clothing BTW...

And scunch bum leggings aren't anal porn clothing 🤣

And saying "wear what you want" but also "safe," means you were equating what you wear with how "safe" you are from men... basically victim blaming by saying "wear that and you're unsafe so whatever happens is your own fault"

If you look at photos of Joseph Pilates teaching in the 50s and 60s they're all wearing short-shorts/leotards/tight leggings, it's really not that different from now. The 80s high-cut leotard was basically their scrunch-butt leggings moment. There's nothing new under the sun!

Where has anyone said this?

Are you saying men ONLY find women attractive if they aren't wearing many clothes?

Men can look at women in the gym and find them attractive, exactly as they would if they saw women at the beach or in the office or in church. If their mind then goes from "you are good looking" to "I want to bend you over the rower and fuck you" that's on them, as is any feeling of guilt -they can either tell themselves "don't be creepy" or "Well its a normal human reaction, as long as I don't act on it who is it hurting?"

As long as they don't stare or leer at, or worse attempt to engage with women who clearly aren't interested, nobody else knows what someone is thinking so not really sure why that guy is angsting about it so much. He's not saying "their bodies are making me touch them" which would clearly be inappropriate, just "their bodies are making me think things I then feel guilty about thinking"....which is a him issue.

If a man looks briefly at me in the gym I don't know whether he's thinking "fuck she's hideous" "wow she's hot" "I wish she'd hurry up and get off that machine so I can use it" or "what shall I have for tea?" And I don't care.

Nobody's saying they're 'not allowed' to find us attractive. We're saying that the fact that they find us attractive isn't our problem and that it is not an invitation.

For example, I've got massive knockers. If I go out wearing a fitted vest top, I'm sure there will be certain men who look at me and think 'Cor, massive knockers'. Whatever. Provided they keep that thought to themselves and don't act upon it or share it with me, it's not affecting me or doing anyone any harm. Men are allowed to like boobs.

What men should NOT be allowed to do is to tell me that I have to modify my clothing to avoid distracting/tempting/bothering them.

This really isn't complicated stuff.

I'm sorry, but you why are so obsessed with thinking about anal sex and anal porn? You've got some serious issues.

If you can't see scrunch butt leggings without thinking about porn stars taking it up the bumhole, that says a hell of a lot more about you than it does about women who wear the leggings.

People can look at me in the gym or out running if they want, I don’t really care if that’s all they do.