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Ms S

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I’m 54 and a woman. I’m also a decent power lifter-elite standard for my weight. When I’m in the gym with my (young, male) training partner everyone gets out of our way, it’s nothing but respect. When I’m on my own, which is most days and I ask to share a lifting station with a man I’m frequently turned down, or I find that the equipment I need to use has been moved and not put back. I get stared at, and it’s not friendly, it varies from ‘I can’t believe she can do that’ to ‘I want her to leave’. Or there’s the questions-both to me and to my husband about who wear the trousers (obviously we both do, also shorts). I’ve been told the weights section of the gym is ‘for men’ and that ‘proper girls only come to the gym to make their arses bigger’. As far as I’m aware I can lift and press more than any other person, male or female in the place and yet every day I go in to train alone I’m made to feel like I don’t deserve to be there. I do all I can to encourage and support the other women who come in, but in spite of the fact I hardly have bulging muscles I have been told, by other women that weight training will make them bulky and unattractive to men-something which is untrue. Most days it’s all fine with me, some days, like today I just hate it. Why does everyone want women to be weak, quiet and decorative? Being strong in body feels great! But it’s a joy being denied to women because of an outright lie.

T

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I was texting my (former) crush a few weeks ago, when he told me that he only likes women who are flat chested or have small breasts. He can’t stand women with large breats. Considering the fact that I am very small, I thought, “Perfect, he probably likes me.” Then I respond, “Are you serious? Did you ever consider their personality? Their accomplishments? Their hobbies and interests?” Of course he didn’t. Men are idiots.

Elena Jones

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When on my lunch break, I went to my Costa for my usual americano. I was second in the queue behind a man, who had already ordered and was waiting for his drink. Whilst the barista was making my drink, I spotted some flapjacks by the till point. I went to pick up one of the flapjacks to see how much it was, and the man standing in front of me said, ‘Ooo they’re fattening. They’ll ruin your figure.’ I was completely taken aback. The worst part about this was that he himself was overweight! He had a beer belly that was practically resting on the Costa counter. Had I not been working, I would have pointed this out to him. Instead, I asked him to not make such comments to me and I purchased the flapjack to prove a point. The reason this annoyed me so much is because even though we were strangers, he felt it was his right to point out what I, as a woman, should and should not be eating! (I just know that if I was a man he wouldn’t have made the comment!) In making the comment he had also clearly checked out my figure, and seen it as his responsibility to make sure I maintained it. Like it’s his business! I didn’t check out his beer belly and say, ‘you better have skimmed milk in that mate. Try the salad.’ He didn’t look too pleased when I corrected him either. I really wish I’d have told him I was eating out at Nando’s that evening!