When a Gym Buddy sent this to me:
I’ll admit my first reaction was to be a bit flattered. Even if they didn’t mean me in particular, all the ladies I work out with (and by that I mean pretty much every girl in the gym at the same time) are hawt mamas.
But then, I started to feel a little creeped out. After all, we don’t know who he is. And we certainly don’t work out with the intention of being “scenery.” While we do have a lot of fun and make a lot of noise, we don’t do it to attract male attention. At my gym, with it’s hugely varied population (we’re right across the street from TWO nursing homes hey-o!), it’s easy to forget the meat market mentality that rules so many other gyms. The thought of someone watching us without us knowing is a little disconcerting.
The other factor I find a little weird is that he probably posted it not thinking we would see it. If that’s the case, then what is the point of posting it to a public forum? To tell other guys to come to our Y because it has great scenery? If he had said it to us in person, I would have probably laughed but something about the anonymity weirds me out.
I’m probably over-analyzing this. (Me overreact? Never!) I don’t believe the Craigslist poster means us any ill will (although who knows really, that the problem with Craigslist) and most likely meant it as a compliment. And I hate it when people get offended over something that was never intended to be offensive. My gut instinct, honestly, is to be creeped out but my socialization tells me to be complimented.
So with that in mind, I say thank you, sir… I guess?
Am I reading too much into this? Ladies: Would you just say thanks and think yeah my hard work’s paying off? Or would you feel a little creeped out? Or both?? Gentlemen: Any insight into male behavior? Am I missing something?
Written with love by Charlotte Hilton Andersen for The Great Fitness Experiment (c) 2011. If you enjoyed this, please check out my new book The Great Fitness Experiment: One Year of Trying Everything