weightlifting

Immortal

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As you can probably guess, Immortal isn’t my real name, but it’s the one I feel comfortable using on here I’m in powerfit (a weightlifting class) at my high school, which is generally advertised as for males (which is understandable, I’m biologically female and the workouts are designed for male physiques) but normally I have no issue with the boys… until a couple of weeks ago I was lifting weights (and I do lift less than most of the boys, I’m built like a pixie, tiny and skinny and not much muscle) and the boys were having a conversation about G-d knows what, when it lead to them talking about the v-gesture (the one that generally implies someone licking someone else’s vagina) and were just talking about how frequently they used that gesture, which is absolutely disgusting. Why do males feel the right to objectify women like this, or even feel that it’s okay to use these sexual gestures in everyday life, especially school? It’s just gross. Lots of the music they play is also rap, and it contains lots of phrases that call women “hos” “bitches” and “whores”. My teacher puts a stop to it when he hears, but honestly? It’s just gross We need to stop letting people get away with this, and teach them this is NOT OKAY Thanks for reading

Anonymous

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Guy at the gym, if you ask to share the machine with me, then notice I’m lifting more than you and feel embarrassed about it, don’t then proceed to give me a lecture about how I need to reduce the weight. I’m probably only lifting more than you because I’ve been doing it longer and I’m pushing to my maximum. This works for me and has seen me quadruple what I can lift in a year. It’s still not that much and you will get to lift more than me soon, because you are male and that gives you a natural physical advantage, but until then try not to be a twat. Despite Einstein’s laws of relativity, making random women you descend upon in the weights room lift lighter won’t make you lift any heavier. I don’t go to the gym to perform emotional labour and to sabotage my own progress for the sake of random dudes who can’t bear to think of women being able to do more than them, so kindly let me get on with my workout in peace. Instead, concentrate on your weightlifting and you will progress, as I have – although I would suggest that if you’re doing it to make yourself feel more important than people without muscles, you’re probably doing it for the wrong reasons and a course of therapy might serve you better instead. Thanks.