Yeah, I know, first world problem. I have a membership at Planet Fitness ($10 month), and I have a sensitivity to light. They use these very bright (overly so, IMO) overhead lights for their general purpose lights.
I could wear sunglasses, sure, but I don’t want to come off as a pretentious douche. Is there a solution I’m overlooking?
Wear cheap dollar store sunglasses, that look more utilitarian than pretentious-douchey? 
Wear sunglasses and don’t give even one nanosecond of thought to what people think. It’s none of their business.
Close your eyes:) I kid. Maybe some lightly tinted regular looking glasses. I have seen some with Amber shades lenses that don’t look too doucey.
Planet Fitness is the place with the Lunk Alarms, right? Better check to make sure dark glasses are allowed. Wouldn’t want to get harshly judged in their non-judgmental space.
This seems like a reasonable solution. Would amber cut the brightness… or enhance it?
Yeah, I did consider this option.
If you’re too self conscious for sunglasses try a ball cap. Ball caps seem to be more likely in the gym than sunglasses.
Another vote for just don’t care what others think.
One consideration with sunglasses is that women may think you’re wearing them so you can leer. Even if that’s not the case, the women in the gym wouldn’t necessarily know that. So rather than just thinking it looked odd, they might consider that you were trying to creep on them.
One way to sidestep that is to get some glasses with light-sensitive lenses. This way they would just darken slightly from the overhead lights and the other members could still see your eyes. You could also try some fashion glasses that have lightly color tinted lenses. Blue might be a good choice, as sometimes the blue frequencies can be more intense.
If you do go with darkly tinted glasses, consider getting some that look sort of medical related. Like the kind that old people with cataracts wear. While this will look odd, people are more likely to think you’re wearing them for medical reasons rather than to leer.
Wow, I wouldn’t even thought of that. Really, that’s a thing!?
You could get some of that stuff the football players smear under their lower eyelids; with a ball cap, you’ll look de rigueur.
Or you can wear sunglasses and those that don’t like it can go screw themselves.
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen it at the gym, but I’m sure some guys wear dark or mirrored sunglasses so they can check out women.
If someone was in the locker room or showers wearing mirrored aviators, one of your thoughts might be that were doing it to check out the other people. But if instead they were the cataract-style medical glasses, you would probably assume it was for some sort of eye condition. There’s also the way the person is acting that might make you wonder as to their motivations. If you consistently see them staring in the direction of other people, you’re going to wonder more. But if they seem oblivious to those around them, you’ll won’t be as worried. So just keep in mind that although people might initially think the sunglasses are for a bad purpose, there’s lots of things you can do to ensure they realize that’s not the case.
I say just embrace the douche. Get a pair of wraparound half-frame sunglasses, always wear bike shorts, get a too-big tank top and slice it to hell with a razor and cut it off just below the pecs, and tie the cut off portion around your forehead, and when you talk, use the word “brah” as much as possible.
I’d go ball cap or sun visor.
It seems clear to me that a pair of Randy “Macho Man” Savage sunglasses would be the thing to wear.
you know I sooo wanted to post a bad “nella the princess knight” pun here
Wear one of these and no one will find you cool or pretentious, guaranteed:
Home-X Wrap Around Sunglasses
-or-