Will Lindow and her friend headed to Planet Fitness to exercise together. Instead of peacefully working out, they were the victims of sexist comments from people in the gym and were forced to leave the facility. Lindow shares more about the experience, how it affected her, and the importance of speaking up when facing harassment.
The Incident
Walking into Planet Fitness, both Lindow and her friend were wearing lululemon apparel for their workout. Lindow wore black biker shorts with a pink shirt. Her friend was wearing lululemon speedup shorts and a black shirt.
Shortly after starting her workout, Lindow recalls the sexist interaction that followed. One of the employees commented, “When you walked in here I saw ten guys stare at your ass. I can see here that your birth year is 2009 but other people in here may not know how old you are.”
Not only were Lindow and her friend being stared at for just wearing normal workout clothing, but she was unfairly forced to leave the gym by the Planet Fitness employee. “It made me feel uncomfortable that people were staring at my body when I was trying to work out,” Lindow reflects. “After the interaction I was angered because it wasn’t fair for me to have been asked to leave when there were old men staring at my body.” Bystanders didn’t have a chance to react because the situation unfolded quickly, according to Lindow.
Frequency of Events
Unfortunately, men objectifying Lindow and her friend’s bodies is nothing new for women. 56% of women have experienced harassment at the gym, according to a study done by RunRepeat. But 92% of harassment cases go unreported.
“My advice for girls who have gone through a similar experience is that it’s important to speak up about what you went through and to not allow yourself to be silenced.”
No matter what you have experienced, it’s important to remember that we have a right to make our VOICES heard.
Advice for Similar Situations
As women athletes, there is no doubt that we will be in positions where our bodies will be the subjects of discussion. When sexist comments are made, we need to remember to speak up. Being verbally harassed for what we are wearing is not normal or okay. As scary as it may be, saying something can make a difference.
Lindow echoes a similar sentiment. “My advice for girls who have gone through a similar experience is that it’s important to speak up about what you went through and to not allow yourself to be silenced,” Lindow says. “I know that a lot of women have experienced a situation where they were objectified and I think it’s important to know that that's not okay.”
If you are ever in a situation where your body is objectified by others, in the gym or not, tell a friend, family member, and even consider reporting the incident. No matter what, remind yourself that you’re not alone. You have people close to you, along with countless resources here at VOICEINSPORT and the VOICEINSPORT Foundation.
Harassment is NOT the norm! Like Lindow, speaking up makes a difference. And we deserve to have our bodies treated with respect and dignity.
