The Conversation (0)
A women-only gym has been hit with a torrent of online abuse as men voice their fury at being excluded from the space.
Blush Fitness, in the US state of Kansas, boasts of being “everything a woman needs”, offering personal training, nutritional guidance and free babysitting to members.
It was visited in April by TikTok user Heather Huesman who shared her delight at the facility, saying: “We need these everywhere, we feel so safe and comfortable going to the gym, gonna be my new favorite spot.”
Her post soon racked up millions of hits and more than 1.8 million comments, with scores of women voicing their support for the initiative.
One wrote: “I would feel sooo much safer using a machine wrong because I’m a beginner. I would feel way less judged and more comfortable asking for help.”
Meanwhile, a Muslim user who wears a headscarf pointed out: “Perfect for hijabies too.”
And a third TikToker said: “Until men can learn how to be respectful and not make women feel uncomfortable or unsafe, spaces like this are 100% necessary.”
However, not everyone agreed with the suggestion that Blush Fitness was the “best gym”.
One fellow TikToker responded: “We need one of these for men.”
While another purportedly male user said fiercely: “Illegal.”
When he was challenged on the comment, he replied condescendingly: “It’s discriminating based on gender. You can’t argue facts, boo.”
Responding to the male fury, one woman wrote: “Now the men [are] mad because we found a place where they can’t harass us anymore.”
When a user named Raul asked what she meant by “harass”, another TikToker replied bluntly: “Taking pictures of us without our consent, making comments about how we use equipment/our workouts, staring while we exercise. Literally all of it.”
Elsewhere, another user commented: “These guys [are] acting like there’s no such things as gentlemen’s clubs and male-only country clubs,”
While another laughed: “The fragile men in the comments calling this segregation has me ROLLING.”
Blush Fitness bills itself as “the only full-sized health club in Kansas City that is designed for women” and “dedicated to“creating an empowering experience for women who are ready to make a change.”
It says its community is made up of “stronger, happier and healthier women,” with customer testimonials lauding it as a “judgement free” zone.
Of course, social media is far from a “judgement free” zone, but we hope the attention garnered by Huesman’s TikTok post means more safe spaces like this might start to emerge.
Indy100 has contacted the gym for comment.
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