Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at KCL chapter.

As most women are aware, beauty standards are an ever-changing ideology, mainly formed nowadays by social media, fashion branding and, of course, the patriarchy. The media that we consume significantly influences the interpretation of body ‘norms’ or ‘goals’. In the 2000s, Regina George and Bridget Jones (infamous characters from Mean Girls and Bridget Jones’ Diary) are just two examples of women who become or are deemed ‘fat’, when they are actually very normal sized, if not on the more petite side. They are characters that have been consumed by audiences internationally and intergenerationally, and the misjudgment of their body shape as ‘fat’ has stuck with me all throughout my growing up. We are constantly fed doctored images online and people who are promoting a miraculous weight loss programme or drug indicating that there is a need to constantly be looking at ways to better your appearance. 

A few years ago, at a time in my life when I was convinced that the only way I’d feel better about myself is if I was skinnier, I began to go to the gym. I did random workouts that I found online that preached a quick and painless weight loss journey. Of course this was a total fad, and I realised that I never needed to lose weight in the first place. Having come to this revelation, I was aware of how much moving my body helped with my mood and so I decided to give weightlifting a proper go, learning the right form and starting to experiment with different exercises with the intention of learning something new and challenging myself. It became a healthy habit, but when I mentioned it to my peers, I often was asked whether I was worried I’d become too ‘manly’. To that my answer was, and still is, that I go to the gym not to look a certain way but to feel it! Occasionally I did feel quite isolated, not really knowing any other women that took weightlifting that seriously, until, one day, I stumbled upon a platform The Gym Girls Locker Room, originally a Facebook group created by gym influencer Sydney under the handle @sydgrows. This platform inspires women to take up space in public gyms, a place most often dominated by men, and not be perturbed by the idea that women can’t and shouldn’t lift heavy weights due to their bodies becoming ‘too’ masculine. This platform made me feel included and inspired me: they celebrate all different types of women’s bodies, breaking the mould to inspire others that you don’t have to look a certain way to go to the gym. They presented the gym as a place of community, fierce support, and full of people who are all there to move their bodies and feel good because of it.


I’d like to address the concept I have mentioned about what is deemed as a woman being too ‘manly’. It seems clear to me that this idea that a woman can’t and shouldn’t show signs of muscularity stems from a patriarchal fear that women could be equally as strong or stronger, both physically and mentally, than men. It is then, quite simply, an idea that must be ignored when an individual, in this case, a woman, is considering starting an activity, such as weightlifting, especially since it is not just an activity for physical health, but also a mentally stimulating and challenging option. Another reason why muscularity in women is often seen as a negative thing is because of the sexualisation of the female body as something that should almost aspire to be childlike, hairless, blemishless and petite. The muscular woman is an unattractive idea to some men, as the threat of her being stronger than him is emasculating.

If ever I get weighed down by what I think my body should look like as a woman I like to remind myself of the historical representations of the female body, particularly in ancient Greece, according to their mythology. In paintings, sculptures and pottery of Greek goddesses, they are almost always women with a muscular form, strong thighs and arms, a soft but firm belly, wide, curvy hips and a ferocity in their countenance that is wonderful. If going to the gym and lifting weights makes me look like, and more importantly feel like, one of the Goddesses, then why would I not want to be a gym girl?

Chrissie is a writer for the Life section of the Kings College London (KCL) chapter. She will be writing about a variety of topics that will be relatable to everyday University life. Chrissie is in the second year of her Bachelors degree studying English Literature with Film Studies. Chrissie has a long history of speech writing and performance, as well as, more recently, a great interest in screenplay writing. She has written, produced and directed her first short film and there will be many more to come. After graduating in 2026 Chrissie hopes to pursue a career in the film industry as a writer/director of feature films. Chrissie has worked over the past few years with tutoring English students at GCSE and A-level - most notably students with dyslexia and learning difficulties and has hence gained an appreciation for the different ways in which young people learn and retain interest and knowledge. Chrissie loves to paint and play music in her free time as well as read and escape into the world of film. She is also adores cold/wild water swimming and will jump at any opportunity to take a cold plunge. She loves animals and has a growing interest in animal welfare in the meat trade and sustainability in day to day life. The perfect night in for Chrissie would be to cook with friends and enjoy wine and card games and good conversations.