The beauty of social media platforms like TikTok is that it gives anyone the chance to share their opinion freely … but in some cases, those opinions aren’t necessarily what anyone asked for. After one woman responded to a man’s thoughts about what women should (and shouldn’t) wear to the gym, it’s stirred up a debate that’s going viral.
It all started when he said that women shouldn’t dress in a way that leaves “nothing to the imagination,” and it really spiraled from there.
The debate began with a video from TikToker Benny Boy Biz.
@bennyboybiz Gym outfits are put of control: #gymtok #workout #dating #selflove ♬ original sound – Benny Boy Biz
The original video that started this argument in the first place was first shared last year by a TikToker called Benny Boy Biz and was titled “Gym outfits are out of control.”
“What these girls are wearing … it’s so revealing that there’s nothing left to the imagination,” he said. “But I don’t mean that in a good way, like it’s super attractive — it’s more like please have some more dignity for yourself and what you’re sharing and how you present yourself, because that’s not for everybody and that’s not the environment to share it.”
A woman named Julianna responded, putting him in his place.
@juliannasabonis #stitch with @benny ♬ original sound – julianna
In response to Benny, Julianna basically read him for filth, pointing out right away that it’s not a woman’s job to police what he might be imagining about her under her clothes.
Then, she went on to point out the double standard that exists between the way men and women dress: If a man is shirtless, people will assume that it’s a hot day outside, but if a woman is wearing short shorts, they will think she’s looking for male attention and validation when it’s just as possible she is also dressing for the weather.
“Our lives are not an audition to be your wives, your homemakers, the mothers of your children,” she said. “We are existing and we are dressing in accordance with the climate.”
Their exchange has sparked a new argument.
Julianna’s response video was shared to the TikTokCringe subreddit, where people are arguing if she has a valid point or not.
One person who agreed with her wrote, “Maybe don’t exercise in a gym if the bouncing boobies distract you so much. I see a home gym in your future.”
While others believe that women should be comfortable at the gym, they didn’t entirely agree with Julianna’s take.
“Women should be able to wear what they want at the gym for sure, but let’s be honest here – some women’s gym attire is excessively revealing, and yes, it is designed in a way to get attention,” another commenter said.
“My biggest issue is seeing TikTok’s and YouTube’s of women complaining about being stared at while in the gym, and my first thought is always ‘if you’re wearing body paint, expect to get stared at.'”
She’s right that women don’t exist to feed into men’s fantasies, but should there be a standard that everyone follows when getting dressed for the gym? The debate continues!
