The biggest cause of 'gym-phobia' revealed: Almost HALF of women are scared to exercise in case they get a camel toe, study finds
The biggest cause of 'gym-phobia' revealed: Almost HALF of women are scared to exercise in case they get a camel toe, study finds
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Women are being put off going to the gym by the stress of what to wear and overbearing men. Exercise now comes with the pressure of deciding if a crop-top is age-appropriate, if leggings are too revealing and if a new gym outfit looks too 'put together', a study has revealed.
![[Describing having to fight for space with men, while being stared at and commented upon, some women said they felt uneasy, exposed, objectified and even unsafe in the gym (stock image)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/15/94642003-0-image-a-65_1738165098912.jpg)
Meanwhile almost a quarter of women have received at least one unsolicited comment from a man in the gym, ranging from unwanted compliments on their appearance to feedback on their exercise technique. The findings come from a survey of 279 current and former gym-goers, all women, who answered 130 questions on their exercise experiences.
The research, led by Liverpool John Moores University, found a major theme of women feeling judged for their appearance and performance in the gym. Women feared being laughed at, or seen as inadequate, with their concerns about looking 'stupid', unfit or new to exercise even affecting their choice of clothes.
One woman responded: 'I think wearing new clothing sets and looking 'too' put together may make others take me less seriously.'. Another said: 'I'm too old, and my waist/stomach does not look good in a crop top'. Workout clothes left women worrying about visible sweat marks, while 48 per cent of current gym-goers feared their underwear could be seen through leggings. Tight-fitting gymwear exposing the outline of women's genitals - often described as a 'camel-toe' - came up as a repeated concern (stock image).
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