# What's the deal with women only gyms? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 15, 2015, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575 "2015-06-15T12:57:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/121 "2015-06-24T04:57:42Z")
> [@Crawlspace](#): > > Funny, it sounds to me like you were every bit as guilty of ogling those men as the male oglers you’re criticizing. Any reasonable person recognizes there is a difference between “ogling” and noticing someone who is doing something outrageous, like exposing their ass or genitals in a public space (which these men were doing). ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/122 "2015-06-24T05:13:31Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Oxford Dictionary-[Mansplain](http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/mansplain) And hell, I wasn’t even the first (or second, or third) person _in this thread_ to use the term. Didn’t escape my notice that he didn’t actually address any of my points… ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/123 "2015-06-24T13:13:30Z")
> [@Crawlspace](#): > > Do you have any data to back up this cartoon? I see this stance trotted out often and I’m interested to know if there’s any objective proof behind it or if it’s just an exercise in critical thought. Cause frankly it reads like what a radical feminist with too much time on her hands would come up with if asked why some men make rude comments. > > . So I read this whole cartoon, and I have experienced every one of those things. I don’t see anything in there that seems out of reach, at all. Radical Feminist? How about an ordinary feminist? (me). But then again, I am talking to someone who thinks that noticing someone’s pants falling off their ass is the same as the men who are letting them fall. doorhinge, you ARE mansplaining. It boggles me to realize you actually think telling someone “Is there something YOU did that make people not want to help you?” is useful at all. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/124 "2015-06-24T13:56:42Z")
The OP essentially is asking, “Why would women want to go to a place where men are excluded?” and gets a bunch of responses that amount to, “Because men pull shit that women don’t want to deal with while we’re sweating into our eyeballs on the machines.” … at which point a few posters exhibit some of those behaviors (victim blaming FTW!) themselves, in case the OP needed further illumination. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/125 "2015-06-24T15:22:27Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > …doorhinge, you ARE mansplaining. It boggles me to realize you actually think telling someone “Is there something YOU did that make people not want to help you?” is useful at all. It may not useful for you but others might find it useful. Unless you believe that speak for everyone on the internet? I assume that made up words can be useful, also. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/126 "2015-06-24T15:57:53Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I assume that made up words can be useful, also. Wow, you’re just digging in till the bitter end, aren’t you? Neologisms are indeed useful, which is why hundreds, if not thousands, of them have become mainstream terms in your lifetime. You may want to drop the snark of “I assume” and acknowledge that this occurs, and that no one in this thread made up “mansplain” – it’s been in use for over five years. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/127 "2015-06-24T16:20:44Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I assume that made up words can be useful, also. All words are made up words. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/128 "2015-06-24T17:21:55Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > Wow, you’re just digging in till the bitter end, aren’t you? > > Neologisms are indeed useful, which is why hundreds, if not thousands, of them have become mainstream terms in your lifetime. You may want to drop the snark of “I assume” and acknowledge that this occurs, and that no one in this thread made up “mansplain” – it’s been in use for over five years. Politically rather Liberal, my speech habits tend to be Conservative. “Decimate” means 10% casualties, _not_ total destruction. “_cis_” still seems an odd prefix. With some knowledge of Spanish, I find “Latino/a” & “Latinx” dreadfully clumsy in two languages. _Etc…_. But “mansplain” makes a lot of sense. As this thread reminds us! ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/129 "2015-06-24T22:36:26Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > So I read this whole cartoon, and I have experienced every one of those things. I don’t see anything in there that seems out of reach, at all. Radical Feminist? **Anaamika** , it’s clear that this was written by a radical feminist. How can you not see that?? Just look at this rabid, misandric bit: [ul] [li]Let harassers know that\*\* not all men share their toxic views\*\*, that **most men aren’t like them.** [/li][/ul] And the most hateful, seething invective: [ul] [li]Men are our greatest allies in ending casual sexism and harassment! **We believe in you!** [/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/130 "2015-06-25T00:50:32Z")
> [@Q.N.Jones](#): > > Any reasonable person recognizes there is a difference between “ogling” and noticing someone who is doing something outrageous, like exposing their ass or genitals in a public space (which these men were doing). Whatever you have to tell yourself. I myself have never paid enough attention to the genital regions of my gym-mates to notice whether or not they’re wearing underwear. > [@Anaamika](#): > > So I read this whole cartoon, and I have experienced every one of those things. I don’t see anything in there that seems out of reach, at all. Radical Feminist? How about an ordinary feminist? (me). My post didn’t include the text she quoted for some reason. Specifically, I’m referring to this: > [@](#): > > Remembering that the basis for harassment of women in public spaces is around the ownership of space by men, and consequently control of the women in those spaces… > > If you’re a guy and you’re with a woman…you are less likely to witness casual harassment towards that women. > > To the person who feels like he needs to control women by harassing them, that woman with you _is already controlled. She is yours. They generally wouldn’t challenge you as a man by harassing her._ Italics in the original. I’ve seen variations of this line of thought pop up many times, but it always struck me as baseless; the comical result of mental masturbation gone unchecked, but something that doesn’t get challenged because it might make someone appear to condone harassment. Do you agree with this and if so do you have data to back it up? > [@Anaamika](#): > > But then again, I am talking to someone who thinks that noticing someone’s pants falling off their ass is the same as the men who are letting them fall. Negative. You’re talking to someone who thinks it’s funny that someone would cite men ogling their gym-mates as inappropriate in one breath, and in the next admit they were paying enough attention to the genital regions of their gym-mate to notice whether or not he was wearing underwear. > [@zweisamkeit](#): > > **Anaamika** , it’s clear that this was written by a radical feminist. How can you not see that?? Just look at this rabid, misandric bit: > [ul] > [li]Let harassers know that\*\* not all men share their toxic views\*\*, that **most men aren’t like them.** [/li][/ul] > > And the most hateful, seething invective: > [ul] > [li]Men are our greatest allies in ending casual sexism and harassment! **We believe in you!** [/li][/ul] It appears you don’t know what a radical feminist is. It’s not synonymous with man hating, but rather a construct through which the oppression of women is seen as the result of patriarchal gender roles interactions, as opposed to classical feminism which views oppressive laws as the cause. In some cases, such as the historical dearth of medical studies centered around women, this is correct. However, it’s also backed up by data. Stating that the basis of harassment is men seeking to assert ownership over public space and the women in those spaces, and defining public spaces as “men’s spaces” not only strikes me as unsupportable, it’s also _de facto_ radical feminism as I understand it. Sorry, I don’t make the rules. ---
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/131 "2015-06-25T02:48:55Z")
> [@Crawlspace](#): > > Whatever you have to tell yourself. I myself have never paid enough attention to the genital regions of my gym-mates to notice whether or not they’re wearing underwear. I confess, I am guilty of noticing everything that’s going on about 4-6 feet in front of me (the distance between my elliptical machine and the one directly in front of me). It’s a sick habit. :rolleyes: I assume he was not wearing underwear because his genitals were falling out of his short-shorts repeatedly, but I admit I don’t really know. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/132 "2015-06-25T04:30:29Z")
> [@Crawlspace](#): > > Whatever you have to tell yourself. I myself have never paid enough attention to the genital regions of my gym-mates to notice whether or not they’re wearing underwear. > > My post didn’t include the text she quoted for some reason. Specifically, I’m referring to this: > Italics in the original. I’ve seen variations of this line of thought pop up many times, but it always struck me as baseless; the comical result of mental masturbation gone unchecked, but something that doesn’t get challenged because it might make someone appear to condone harassment. Do you agree with this and if so do you have data to back it up? > > Negative. You’re talking to someone who thinks it’s funny that someone would cite men ogling their gym-mates as inappropriate in one breath, and in the next admit they were paying enough attention to the genital regions of their gym-mate to notice whether or not he was wearing underwear. > > It appears you don’t know what a radical feminist is. It’s not synonymous with man hating, but rather a construct through which the oppression of women is seen as the result of patriarchal gender roles interactions, as opposed to classical feminism which views oppressive laws as the cause. In some cases, such as the historical dearth of medical studies centered around women, this is correct. However, it’s also backed up by data. > > Stating that the basis of harassment is men seeking to assert ownership over public space and the women in those spaces, and defining public spaces as “men’s spaces” not only strikes me as unsupportable, it’s also _de facto_ radical feminism as I understand it. Sorry, I don’t make the rules. lol ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/133 "2015-06-25T14:40:32Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > …doorhinge, you ARE mansplaining. > [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > …But “mansplain” makes a lot of sense. Then, just for the sake of clarity, and to advance the conversation, you should have no problem providing your definition of “mansplaining”. Is this mansplainmentum actually gaining ground, or is it just another sexist term used by some to confuse or curtail a multi-sided debate? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/134 "2015-06-25T14:59:29Z")
It’s hard to argue that “mansplaining” is made up when you’re giving us so many good examples of it. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/135 "2015-06-25T15:04:37Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Then, just for the sake of clarity, and to advance the conversation, you should have no problem providing your definition of “mansplaining”. > > Is this mansplainmentum actually gaining ground, or is it just another sexist term used by some to confuse or curtail a multi-sided debate? It really seems you’re just arguing for the sake of arguing now. You’ve already been given a link to the definition, and in the Oxford Dictionary no less – despite your claim that it’s not there. And you can google the term to get additional definitions of the word, its history, and info on how widespread it is. It is a term for sexist behavior, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a sexist term. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/136 "2015-06-25T16:31:14Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > …You’ve already been given a link to the definition, and in the Oxford Dictionary no less – despite your claim that it’s not there. And you can google the term to get additional definitions of the word, its history, and info on how widespread it is. Really? Are there two Oxford Dictionarys? \*OED Oxford English Dictionary The definitive record of the English language Quick search results No dictionary entries found for ‘mansplaining’. Check your search and try again.\* > **[Oxford English Dictionary](https://www.oed.com/?tl=true)** > > The OED is the definitive record of the English language, featuring 600,000 words, 3 million quotations, and over 1,000 years of English. Or in the Cambridge Dictionary \*Cambridge Dictionaries online The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English Search suggestions for mansplaining We have these words with similar spellings or pronunciations\*: > **[mansplaining - Did you spell it correctly. Alternative spellings in the...](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/spellcheck/english/?q=mansplaining)** > > mansplaining - Did you spell it correctly? Alternative spellings. See more in the British English Dictionary - Cambridge Dictionary ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/137 "2015-06-25T17:02:10Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > [Oxford English Dictionary](http://www.oed.com/noresults?browseType=sortAlpha&noresults=true&page=1&pageSize=20&q=mansplaining&scope=ENTRY&sort=entry&type=dictionarysearch) > > Or in the Cambridge Dictionary On that page,“More from Oxford” look below the blue box. There are 3 links of more dictionaries from Oxford. Click the first one, that’s where the definition I linked to came from. Shows you didn’t bother following the link in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/138 "2015-06-25T17:12:54Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > On that page,“More from Oxford” look below the blue box. There are 3 links of more dictionaries from Oxford. > Click the first one, that’s where the definition I linked to came from. Shows you didn’t bother following the link in the first place. I think that shows that the Oxford dictionary(s) seem to be confused about the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/139 "2015-06-25T17:55:43Z")
Somebody’s (pretending to be) confused. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575/140 "2015-06-25T20:03:01Z")
Women are upset that he’s mansplaining gym harassment to us, and now he’s upset because we’re … womansplaining the concept of mansplaining. I think. I’ll admit to being a bit lost. But one thing I’m NOT lost about, and that’s the fact that I agree with the part that \*\*Crawlspace \*\*was asking about, this sentence here: > [@](#): > > To the person who feels like he needs to control women by harassing them, that woman with you _is already controlled. She is yours. They generally wouldn’t challenge you as a man by harassing her._ Yes. Some men really do seem to think and act this way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-women-only-gyms/722575.md?page=8)