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MY FEMINIST OUTRAGE, LET ME SHOW YOU IT
Jul. 29th, 2010 01:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rydra_wongI only noticed this today.
The (excellent, cheap, local, council-run) gym which I am now visiting for barbell-lifting purposes has two free weights areas.
There's the free weights room, which is marvellous. It has several squat racks, Olympic barbells and lighter ones, huge numbers of weight plates (of all sizes, including very light ones) and dumbells, and all sorts of benches (multiple angles) and cages and pull-down machines and chin-up bars and so on. It is big and shiny and full of toys.
Then, in the main section of the gym where all the cardio machines are, there is a small area marked out by mats. It has three plain benches, a large rack of small dumbells and a rack of little barbells with fixed weights. And a BodyPump poster.
On both occasions I've visited, I've been the only woman in the free weights room.
(Though I will note that the large bodybuilding and powerlifting dudes there have not batted an eyelid at my presence, or been anything other than courteous and friendly.)
And today I noticed that, of course, the people using the other free weights area are female.
There's nothing that overtly says that this is the Girls' Weights Area. There doesn't need to be.
And I know that free weights rooms in gyms can seem very intimidating to women.
But I do not think this is a good solution.
The (excellent, cheap, local, council-run) gym which I am now visiting for barbell-lifting purposes has two free weights areas.
There's the free weights room, which is marvellous. It has several squat racks, Olympic barbells and lighter ones, huge numbers of weight plates (of all sizes, including very light ones) and dumbells, and all sorts of benches (multiple angles) and cages and pull-down machines and chin-up bars and so on. It is big and shiny and full of toys.
Then, in the main section of the gym where all the cardio machines are, there is a small area marked out by mats. It has three plain benches, a large rack of small dumbells and a rack of little barbells with fixed weights. And a BodyPump poster.
On both occasions I've visited, I've been the only woman in the free weights room.
(Though I will note that the large bodybuilding and powerlifting dudes there have not batted an eyelid at my presence, or been anything other than courteous and friendly.)
And today I noticed that, of course, the people using the other free weights area are female.
There's nothing that overtly says that this is the Girls' Weights Area. There doesn't need to be.
And I know that free weights rooms in gyms can seem very intimidating to women.
But I do not think this is a good solution.