The Weight of It All
How WWU Girl Gains has brought feminism into the gym
Both club members and members on the executive board sit on The Stairs to Nowhere with encouraging signs promoting the club in May 21, 2023. // Photo by Madison Fraser
By Deven Meddaugh
“You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin.” ~ America Ferrera as Gloria in Barbie (2023).
Since the movie’s release, female audiences all over the world have connected deeply with screenwriter Greta Gerwig’s work in Barbie. For years, our predominantly white patriarchal society has held an imaginary scepter that controls the “idyllic” body image for women. This picturesque woman settles into the minds of young girls as a goal to be achieved, an ideal that can result in a mindset of lower self-worth. Sometimes she is presented to audiences through the media — celebrity gossip magazines, movies, reality TV shows — while other times she is introduced to us by our very own parents and relatives. But what they don’t tell you is that she is not a dream: as a matter of fact, she is a nightmare. She does not exist, yet she is the defining factor for women’s physical self-esteem, making them think they are worthy only as long as they look like her.
A club at Western Washington University is fighting to break the stereotypes this unreachable image of a woman has created in the realm of fitness for young girls. Founded almost two years ago, WWU Girl Gains is racing to destroy barriers and get women into the weight room to help them feel secure as they work toward personal fitness goals.
WWU Girl Gains is a branch of the greater national Girl Gains organization that originated at San Diego State University and is now popping up all over the country. After seeing a video on TikTok, the club’s founder was inspired to create a club that would be a safe space for women and non-binary individuals to feel comfortable exercising in a public gym. Two years since the club was started, many adjustments have been made, and the current president believes they have a solid foundation for club executives and members alike to work with and continue providing a space for girls from here on out. Serena Calkins has been president of WWU Girls Gains since August of 2022, but was involved with the executive board from the beginning.
“We were really just trying to figure out what we were doing, which was a lot of pilot testing events and meetings and figuring out what each role on exec board was and what everyone’s responsibilities were. It wasn’t very organized before I became president,” she said. Calkins described the club’s mission as being about empowering women and creating a community for women and non-binary identities alike to feel comfortable and passionate about health and weightlifting. The club has hosted a variety of events, such as group workouts, diet and supplement informational classes, and social media education on topics such as how to stay away from toxic diet culture.
Many young adults turn to the internet, including social media, for information about exercise. According to a recent Pew Research study, older teen girls often avoid posting certain things on social media because of various reasons, including fear of embarrassment. When it comes to overall health and fitness, there are things to know besides workout techniques, and the club hosts a lot of teaching events aimed at combating the constant stream of misinformation that is fed to young women via the internet on a daily basis. Often, the best way to learn is from other people, and Calkins is a big believer in the club’s community aspect.
“A lot of people have said that they met their best friends, met their roommates at our club meetings, so I think that’s something really special that I feel like doesn’t happen at a lot of clubs on campus,” she said. “[S]eeing all of our different members and seeing everyone’s journeys and seeing all the different types of people that show up to our club kind of combats [gym] stereotypes in itself. You really see that a ‘gym girl’ doesn’t fit any one image, there are tons of different bodies or different ways to workout that you really are just able to show up and be ‘a girl who goes to the gym.’”
Club member Eden Thorpe discovered WWU Girl Gains when she started looking for weightlifting clubs on campus. “I wanted to improve myself. I think that I was at a point where I wasn’t really feeling good about my body ... and I wanted to get to the gym more,” she said. “It sounded like a really supportive environment full of people who were just there to help and guide you.” Although people often hear that going to the gym and exercising is good for one’s overall physical and mental health, girls can find it hard to be motivated to step foot into any fitness sphere. There is a fear of being watched or noticed in an atmosphere that can be paralyzing when a woman is trying to decide whether or not to go work out. Whether it’s fear of being judged for appearance or for not knowing how to use the equipment properly, gym anxiety is a very common experience among young women.
“If you’re shy about going to the gym and it’s hard for you to go by yourself, I totally get that … joining a club might even help you take that step,” Thorpe said. “The worry of being watched is a lot smaller with numbers.” Everyone is in a different part of their personal fitness journey than someone else, and Thorpe has observed only acceptance and patience since joining. She also said she never sees anyone not enjoying themselves at events. “The club has helped me a lot with keeping up my motivation,” she said. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. [W]hen I first started going [to the gym] I was really embarrassed to go by myself and I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to be my best. Take it easy … and don’t be mad … if you can’t get to the gym everyday.”
One of the most beautiful reflections of the club’s contribution to students can be seen in the rallying support from Wade King Student Recreation Center staff during events and by word of mouth. “Having that support from our Rec Center, which is where the majority of our members work out, is extremely beneficial,” Calkins said. Riley Hammack, now a fitness staff lead, has been working at the Rec Center for almost two years and believes the team is an advantageous resource to students.
“There’s definitely a good mixed vibe of female, male and non-binary identifying workers on the staff, which I was very pleased with, especially since all the other gyms I had been to ... most of the people who worked there were male,” Hammack said. One member of Hammack’s LGBTQ+ Power Hour class is also a member of WWU Girl Gains, and Hammack appreciates being able to share those spaces with a club that has a similar mission to her class: introducing weight room fundamentals and creating a safe space for people of all identities to work on fitness. Her three principles for accomplishing this include accountability, a solid support system, and experience, all principles she believes WWU Girl Gains is establishing. Hammack explained that despite the intimidating atmosphere of the gym, the club has “fun vibes” that make exercise more inviting and welcoming. “I see that around the weight room a lot more recently ... more non-masculine [students] ... which has been great because you can look over from your set and see two people just dancing in the corner,” she said. “I know the weight room is a very concentrated, masculine environment ... but I'm just hoping that the kind of diverse vibes and diverse people can ... work together to break that energy apart until it seems like a more intertwined space.”
Both Hammack and Calkins heaped praise on Ron Arnold, the Fitness Program Advisor and also the person in charge of hiring the Rec’s fitness staff. “[WWU Girl Gains has] worked a lot with Ron ... and he loves our club. He’s brought his daughter to one of our events before and he’s been very supportive and very helpful with helping us do events at the Rec Center or directing us to the right people,” Calkins said. Hammack spoke to the team that Arnold has created as a resource for students utilizing the Rec, encouraging them to not be afraid to ask questions. “Half of the staff are kinesiology majors, so if you wanna know a ligament or a tendon on your body, they probably know what it is, and they have the greatest advice,” she said.
WWU Girl Gains wants to continue spreading the word around campus about inclusive spaces because everyone who values or has a passion for fitness deserves to be able to exercise in a safe environment. “It is a very masculine space, but I guarantee that no one is paying attention to anyone else other than themselves in [the weight room],” Hammack said. “[I]t’s such an inviting space when you start to talk to people and meet people. It’s just a very social atmosphere, which I feel like is the opposite of how sometimes gyms are marketed.”
The WWU Girls Gains club was created with the hope that women would be able to explore a potential passion for fitness within a community while learning to love themselves and whatever phase their health journey is currently in. Paying attention to society’s expectations takes a negative toll on one’s mental health. Women should not be expected to only succeed if they are perceived by the general population as “beautiful.” WWU Girl Gains will continue to grow its membership and work to achieve comfort for all in Western’s gym spaces, because every student deserves the right to be able to practice fitness. Students can follow the club on Instagram, where they have a pinned post on how to become an active club member, or find the club on the WIN.
“[The weight room] is a space I wish more people knew is not a very stereotypical gym,” Hammack said. “It may feel like it, but it definitely is not, which is why I’m glad that we have clubs [and] groups that are working towards dismantling that stereotype of Western’s atmosphere. I want everyone to be able to work out.”