Comments
Follow Comments Sorted by time
guest_
· 2 years ago
· FIRST
Dress codes in gyms I think are a touchy subject. Gyms tend to be communal spaces, but not everyone who goes to a gym will put care into others ability to enjoy the space etc. So people not washing gym clothes and leaving lingering unpleasant smells in lockers or for those on near bay equipment- even causing potential health issues for others like bacteria or fungal contamination etc- that’s a practical concern. Of course communal spaces need to be inclusive- but that’s where things get very subjective. Should clothing with potentially “offensive” slogans or pictures be banned? It would seem a bit silly to ban a workout shirt with a man or woman in swimwear printed on it or such- I mean- chances are at many gyms you’d see more real flesh. Of course some things may cross a line or be overtly sexual- some images may be disturbing, are swear words printed on clothing acceptable? I suppose if the gym allows use of spoken swears it’s wouldn’t make the most sense- but perhaps a “family…
1
guest_
· 2 years ago
.. friendly” gym might want to restrict the use of foul language in any form. Politics… many people might go to the gym and just want to work out, that may be their time where they can escape the stress of the outside world. So do we ban clothing that makes a political statement in the gym? If politics are out because we want to keep the gym a place where the outside world is left outside- doesn’t that mean brand logos and such are out too? I mean… those are both a symbol of outside life and often linked to politics. Then of course we have the issues most people likely think of- the cut, fabric, styles of clothes. A single long string can be enough to cover every “taboo” part of most female (and some male…) bodies. Is that ok? How short can your shorts be? If a man wears shorts does he have to wear under shorts to keep his junk from being visible in certain positions? What about when a garment is tight enough and cut close enough that you can essentially see the naked form, make…
1
guest_
· 2 years ago
.. put genitals and things like that? And then we get into the complex stuff. What about people who’s religious or other beliefs mandate certain styles of clothing? What about cases where certain garments or styles have political implications? The far right is particularly skilled at co-opting symbolism and finding subtle ways to signal those in the know. A single color short with a single blue line can be a political statement. A “Punisher” shirt. Wearing the colors of a certain countries flag- there are so many subtle ways to signal- and they aren’t exclusive to the right, but they happen to be pretty into it. Even if you targeted every known signal- people would make new ones. Even if we mandated every person wear identical white robes in identical fashions and banned all accessories, there are still tattoos. Even without those- we’d get down to where a single strand of misplaced hair was some statement.
1
Show All
guest_
· 2 years ago
That doesn’t mean dress codes are useless. Most rules tend to have some sort of language restricting specific things that have caused problems or seem like obvious problems, adding more as they come up; and then some general clause allowing decisions to be made on the spot to whether any specific thing at any time is deemed outside the rules on “best judgment.” There are so many possible movements and training methods etc. and comfort and safety are important to those working out- and everyone has their own preferences. Some people aren’t comfortable in shorts, and some people are only comfortable in shorts. The clothes you’d choose for running probably won’t be the same as for swimming. There are so many variables to individuals preferences and practical concerns.
1
guest_
· 2 years ago
“I don’t want to see that..” though as far as the human body is concerned- that’s a bit juvenile for the gym in my opinion. Many of us don’t want to see naked old people, many may not want to see the Antony of those of the same sex or those of the opposite sex… many will find the bodies or aspects of the bodies of others off putting- even revolting. I’m not going into that topic or going to judge people here. What I’ll say is that if you don’t like it- don’t look. I understand that some people have various mental or other reasons that they may feel uncomfortable training with the opposite sex. Some people may like gyms that are full of more “casual” members and aren’t full of hard core fitness buffs or giant muscle monsters. Those things… they can have their own complication or issues. That said- those things are generally very different than the same shallow motivations behind “eww… this persons body doesn’t make me horny…”
1
guest_
· 2 years ago
Gyms are a place for working out, not generally ogling others. If someone were to make a gym specifically for people who want to ogle and being ogled while working out- that’s it’s own issue- though much like so many “nude” spaces, these sorts of things often don’t attract the people that so many shallow folks would hope to see, more often the opposite. At the regular gym- focus on your workout and not what others are wearing or what their bodies look like.
1
karlboll
· 2 years ago
Funny story but related. I once ran a volunteer gym, for my tenants union, and one of the first requests when I started it up was a ladies only slot. So i told the requestee that's a great idea and would she volunteer to run that since me and the other guy obviously couldn't. She did and some of the first women where a group of women who wore burqas and didn't want to exercise with men. Turned out a lot of women in that group couldn't find a place to work out. Became a bit of a hit in the neighborhood.
1
guest_
· 2 years ago
Well done!
1
