Gym Etiquette: Women confused after random men took part in training
This viral clip of a random man interrupting female training sparked a conversation about gym etiquette.
In the world of cutout booty shorts and strappy crop tops, social media is debating whether women should dress more modestly at the gym.
Discussions about whether the world of elastic matching sets is too clear is not new. Some say they can see people’s butts when they really don’t want to. Others say they actually need a gown to cover them so they feel safe from the men who touch them. Many argue that it is their right to wear what they want to be active. One Tiktoker said the issue means that it is a brand that doesn’t make inclusive clothing of size, and that it inevitably exposes the large backside and breasts.
No matter what side of people fall, women are asked if their outfit is enough.
“Am I a woman?” One Tiktoker asked in a video asking viewers what they were wearing. That simple question has received over 9 million views and shows that many others are wondering the same thing.
And confusion occurs when society appears to support modest dressing as fashionable. Kendall Jenner’s buttermilk mide dress at Coachella and nude dressing bans at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival (which came soon after the reaction to various obvious appearances of the Met Gala earlier this month).
However, according to Einav Rabinovitch-Fox, a professor of American politics and gender at Case Western Reserve University, the conversation is not about modest gym outfits and what’s revealed. You should focus on what happens when you think you can comment on what a woman is wearing in the first place.
Religious undertone to #modesty at the gym
In part, the move towards more modest training wear was promoted by religious women who took to social media to compare, discuss and admire the gym’s appearances covered up.
“I want to hide more. This is new,” said @Coachbells of Tiktok this month. “I’ve always been the one who’s been wearing shorts at the gym and being on this journey with God has made me realize that no one deserves it.”
“It lies in the Lord’s belief,” another user wrote in a post showing pictures of her training outfit before and after accepting Jim’s humility.
According to Rabinovitch-Fox, there’s nothing wrong with dressing modestly at the gym.
“The decision to say, ‘You look like a woman’ is the problem,” she explains. The department has not made any progress on women, she adds, but in fact they always lock them in a cycle where the Standards Association is constantly trying to set: sexy. Be modest. It will be both. Don’t do either.
Rabinovic Fox suggests that other women will refocus on discussions about their underlying motivations rather than blaming their choices at the gym. You’re wearing it, and you shouldn’t be anyone else.
“If you’re not doing it for yourself, it’s not a powerful tool.”
