First off, I am not a typical girl (I think.) I don’t think I’ve ever worn shorts to the gym in my life (my usual attire is a t-shirt and leggings). I wash my make up off before I start sweating, and I prefer the weight room to the cardio area.
This might offer a unique insight, or a skewed one- take it for what its worth.
This is for the fellas. I’m going to give you some advice.
Boys, we are not stupid. We are not blind. We realize you like to impress us. Its palpable. When ever I walk into the weight room, the decibel level increases- more grunts, clanging weights and swearing. It does not impress us. To be quite honest, it makes us embarrassed for you while, in all honesty, freaking us out at the same time.
I don’t think guys realize what it is like to be woman. Its scary. I have to carry my keys in my fist while walking to my car at night, displayed between my fingers like Wolverine, in case I get grabbed from behind. Anytime I walk anywhere, I have to endure whistles, cat calls, and the occasional slow drive by with obscene gesture.
On an instinctual, primal level, the bigger and burlier the man, the bigger the threat. If I am approached by an elderly man, asking for help, my woman’s intuition doesn’t sound nearly as loud as if a huge, bulging, ‘roided guy came a-knocking. My mind says, “this man could easily over power me at any second. I need to be on guard.” Fair? probably not. But neither is being raped and hacked into a million pieces.
Think about it: the gym is one of the few places that you are trapped in a facility with a ton of people you don’t know, sweating, being physical and forced to interact. I like my personal space. I like to pop my iPod in and avoid eye contact. I’m there to work out, not make friends. I’m doing this on purpose. I notice you skulking around behind me, looking in the mirror to see if I am watching you, impressed by the amount of weight you are lifting. I see it because I have eyes, not because I care. You do not need to make an extra effort for me to notice you. I notice you, and I do not like you.
A lot of girls like this display of attention. They like attention, and they like flirting, but it has nothing to do with you. These girls need outside positive male attention to feel good about themselves. These are women with daddy issues, and you don’t want anything to do with them anyways, because they will end up keying your car or threatening to eat a bottle of Tylenol PM, because the fact you didn’t text them back immediately means “you don’t love them anymore.”
Being trapped in a room with a bunch of strange men is weird and intimidating enough. Please do not make it worse. Please don’t come uncomfortably close. Please don’t make comments, or whistle. You can talk to me, I wont bite your head off, but make sure it is genuine. Friendly conversation never hurt anyone, and I prefer it to stares and all around awkwardness.
Im not a man-hater, quite the contrary. I have a wonderful boyfriend whom I’ve been with for years, tons of male friends, and a few male friends from my gym. We became friends through conversation. You know, just saying hi, or asking a question. We became friends because I did not find them
This might offer a unique insight, or a skewed one- take it for what its worth.
This is for the fellas. I’m going to give you some advice.
Boys, we are not stupid. We are not blind. We realize you like to impress us. Its palpable. When ever I walk into the weight room, the decibel level increases- more grunts, clanging weights and swearing. It does not impress us. To be quite honest, it makes us embarrassed for you while, in all honesty, freaking us out at the same time.
I don’t think guys realize what it is like to be woman. Its scary. I have to carry my keys in my fist while walking to my car at night, displayed between my fingers like Wolverine, in case I get grabbed from behind. Anytime I walk anywhere, I have to endure whistles, cat calls, and the occasional slow drive by with obscene gesture.
On an instinctual, primal level, the bigger and burlier the man, the bigger the threat. If I am approached by an elderly man, asking for help, my woman’s intuition doesn’t sound nearly as loud as if a huge, bulging, ‘roided guy came a-knocking. My mind says, “this man could easily over power me at any second. I need to be on guard.” Fair? probably not. But neither is being raped and hacked into a million pieces.
Think about it: the gym is one of the few places that you are trapped in a facility with a ton of people you don’t know, sweating, being physical and forced to interact. I like my personal space. I like to pop my iPod in and avoid eye contact. I’m there to work out, not make friends. I’m doing this on purpose. I notice you skulking around behind me, looking in the mirror to see if I am watching you, impressed by the amount of weight you are lifting. I see it because I have eyes, not because I care. You do not need to make an extra effort for me to notice you. I notice you, and I do not like you.
A lot of girls like this display of attention. They like attention, and they like flirting, but it has nothing to do with you. These girls need outside positive male attention to feel good about themselves. These are women with daddy issues, and you don’t want anything to do with them anyways, because they will end up keying your car or threatening to eat a bottle of Tylenol PM, because the fact you didn’t text them back immediately means “you don’t love them anymore.”
Being trapped in a room with a bunch of strange men is weird and intimidating enough. Please do not make it worse. Please don’t come uncomfortably close. Please don’t make comments, or whistle. You can talk to me, I wont bite your head off, but make sure it is genuine. Friendly conversation never hurt anyone, and I prefer it to stares and all around awkwardness.
Im not a man-hater, quite the contrary. I have a wonderful boyfriend whom I’ve been with for years, tons of male friends, and a few male friends from my gym. We became friends through conversation. You know, just saying hi, or asking a question. We became friends because I did not find them
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