Photo courtesy of Health and Sports Editor Sonia McSwain

   The Introduction to Strength elective offered at San Luis Obispo High School allows students and athletes to stay fit throughout the trimester. While students are encouraged to lift weights and support one another, many female students feel uncomfortable during class after receiving unsolicited feedback from male students.

  “The whole situation is very intimidating. It’s hard to feel confident. I feel more self-conscious about how I look and what I wear. I’m just there to lift weights, not be judged by how much I can lift, or be looked at differently by my classmates. The comments that boys can make, whether they are trying to be constructive or not, makes me uncomfortable, especially if I didn’t ask,” said an anonymous female student in Intro to Strength. 

  Currently, five out of 38 students enrolled in P.E. teacher Jack Greer’s Intro to Strength class are girls. This deficit is not uncommon, as women around the country feel uncomfortable in a gym setting as they fear harassment by their male counterparts. About fifty-six percent of female gym members have experienced some form of harassment in gyms, whether it be staring, negative comments, or stalking.

  “A lot of girls at SLOHS aren’t involved in the weight training program simply because they don’t want to feel uncomfortable. Even though our coach does a good job at encouraging equality among students, there’s still an underlying disconnection. As a woman, I feel it’s my instinct to avoid any risks of feeling uncomfortable or feeling harassed. I strongly believe this is a possible form of indirect sexism that’s been incorporated into our societal norms,” said Intro to Strength student and senior Josie Berryman.

  Despite the negative comments, girls still want to have a space where they can utilize the high school’s brand new weight room and feel comfortable doing so. There are current discussions in the P.E. department of possibly creating an all-girls weight training class to create a more comfortable exercising environment for female students.  

  Girls in the Intro to Strength course will continue to uplift and empower one another during class to create a more positive environment.

Source: RunRepeat.com