Joey Swoll is a popular fitness influencer and consistently advocates for ridding the world of bad gym etiquette. In a recent TikTok video, Swoll addresses a woman claiming she’s being stared at by an older man while attempting to exercise at the gym.
Social media and gym-going have operated in tandem since phones started having accessible cameras. With streaming platforms like TikTok climbing in popularity, people take opportunities at the gym to show their audiences what they’ve been working on. More often than not, hostile situations come about and spark viral online disagreements. One such instance happened last month when an ego lifter crashed a fellow gym-goer’s workout and showed off instead of offering a helping hand.
These instances fuel what Joey refers to as toxic gym culture and it comes in many different forms. According to Swoll, influencers are often more concerned about garnering views, likes and interactions than actually helping one another when working out at the gym. Joey understands how quickly something innocuous at the gym can result in chaos.
Back in Jan., Joey made an example out of a female TikToker who was attempting to shame a man for staring at her. As it turned out, she was just blocking the TV and the man was watching an episode of the comedy series, Mr. Bean.
Joey Swoll Speaks on Minding Your Business Inside the Gym
Joey Swoll took to TikTok and reacted to the woman who claimed she was minding her business. The caption for Swoll’s video reads, “Women are harassed in gyms and it needs to stop. This is not it”.
“What upsets me most about this video is somebody in the comment section said they would slap the wrinkles off this man for disrespecting you. Meaning, this man deserves to be hit for looking at you for a few brief seconds and you liked and supported that. In the video, you say, ‘minding your own business’.
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Well, in reality, when you’re filming in a public space, you’re not really minding your own business. It’s okay to do that, but you need to be respectful of others.
You also say normalize not staring. You were in this man’s peripheral. You picked up some weights. He looked over for a few brief seconds to see what you were doing and then he looked away to mind his own business. I do this. People are in a public space. People are going to look at you.
There’s a difference between staring like a creep and simply looking at somebody to see what they’re doing. Women are harassed and disrespected at gyms. You are not one of them. You need to do better. You need to mind your own business.” Joey Swoll posted.
@thejoeyswoll Women are harassed in gyms and it needs to stop. This is NOT it. #MYOB
During the video, the female TikToker grabs some dumbbells and gets in position to start her exercise. In the few seconds the woman takes to get situated, an older gentleman is seen glancing at her for a few seconds. Joey maintains that when people are in a public place, they’re inevitably going to be looked at.
Since the old man looked over in a brief manner, Joey suggests that there are massive differences between creepily staring at a female, or simply looking at someone in the line of view.
Not only did Swoll condemn the woman for falsely accusing the man of ogling her but Joey also went after people in the comment section who supported her behavior. One such commenter mentioned that they would of ‘slapped the wrinkles off this man’, which Joey believes is simply wrong.
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Joey’s TikTok video has gone viral after amassing tons of views and over 310,000 likes. Spreading awareness about toxic gym culture is one of Swoll’s main objectives on the streaming platform. After calling out the female TikToker, Joey is adamant that she wasn’t minding her business while recording inside the gym.
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