‘Watch this creep’, women call out unwanted male attention at gyms on TikTok

For a long time, women have been hyper-vigilant regarding the unwanted male attention they receive at the gym. With the technological advancements, recording the offenders in action has become a sport of its own on TikTok, as women place their phones covertly on record and then watch the recording to know the person who was staring at them when they were doing squats.

On TikTok, the hashtag “gym weirdos” received over 1.9 million views, as videos showed men trying to flirt or harass women who were trying to complete their exercises unbothered.

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One such TikTok detective is Gina Love. She visits the gym around four times a week because the endorphin boost helps counteract the daily stress.

“Watch this creep come over to my personal bubble while doing (Romanian deadlifts),” wrote Love in the caption of a video she posted on TikTok which received more than 50,000 likes.

“The gym was practically empty, and so many corners to be in and he chose this one," she added. In the video uploaded, the man is seen staring at Love from behind as she lifts dumbbells.

“I would say I experience creeps 15% of the times I work out,” Love, who lives in Atlanta, said. “It’s almost like they’re trying to undress you in their heads,” she added.

Talking about inappropriate male gazing, she said, “It makes me feel disgusted, anxious and my survival instinct kicks in. I’ll typically cut my workout short because I can’t get back into feeling comfortable with that person around me.”

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Other women also posted similar experiences on her post. Several women agreed that gyms have turned into predator spaces. However, others dismissed the complaints of women as overreactions.

“It’s not your personal space,” wrote one person. “WTF is a personal bubble at a public gym?” another quizzed.

(With inputs from agencies)

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