Charity “Challenges” Women to Be “Empowered” by Working Out Shirtless [Would you do it?]

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I dunno Lane Bryant, I just don’t think our relationship is to that level yet where I tell you which strange fruit my girls most resemble. (Image Source)

Tutus, spangly leotards, glittery leggings, neon arm warmers and even a cape and motorcycle helmet (I was a human cannonball for our most recent TurboKick circus-themed dress-up day) are just a few of things I’ve shown up in at the gym recently – suffice it to say, I have worn some weird stuff to workout in. I’m not a shrinking violet when it comes to fitness fashion (or any fashion, really). But, there is one thing I haven’t ever – not even once! – worn to the gym: A sports bra. Lest you think I’m flying free, I should clarify; I’ve never worn just a sports bra to the gym.

For me it’s always been sort-of a no-brainer – my LDS (Mormon) religion has a code of modesty I adhere to, I have stretch marks and scars so badly that my son once christened me the “tiger lady”, I’m pasty pale, my stomach sweats, I had a traumatic experience from a skin infection I got from dirty gym mats and I have never ever had defined abs even when I was at an unhealthily low body fat percentage. Just to name a few. But there are lots of ladies who do wear just a bra as a top and it’s never bothered me when someone else does it. No matter what they look like or what they’re doing. Of course the group who seems to wear bra tops solo most often are fitness models in magazines but I’ve also seen plenty of real ladies sweating in sports bras. I mean, it’s your underwear.

(Side note: There have only been two times in my entire gym career I’ve ever questioned a lady’s choice of a bra. First was the lady who showed up for class in a black half slip and a lacy Playtex 18-hour number. I’m guessing she came straight from work and forgot her gym clothes? While I give her props for being that dedicated to her workout, I have to draw the line at any top where I can see your nipples. And also, it looked super uncomfortable. Second was the woman who showed up with no bra whatsoever and a crop top. I’ll never look at shoulder presses the same way again. Please reference my rule on visible nipples.)

But a recent news story covering the annual SEAK foundation‘s “sports bra challenge” made me question my attitudes on bras-as-tops. Per their site,

“The Sports Bra Challenge is a day for all women to participate in a series of group fitness classes in their sports bras as a way of supporting and empowering one another to feel comfortable in our bodies. Body image issues, lack of confidence and feelings of self-hate are all topics that most people encounter but are never addressed. The Sports Bra Challenge is about bringing people together to accept and share their insecurities and overcome their fear of them. The Sports Bra Challenge will be launching in cities nationwide.” [Emphasis mine]

As it was illustrated with this photo from the NYC event, several issues became immediately apparent to me:

seak

1. See the lady in the orange bra, just left of center on the back row? See her butt?? THIS is what I’m talking about with the see-through pants! Finally, vindication! So glad I’m not the only who’s had this issue with workout pants and I’m even more glad I didn’t get my tushie snapped by the AP whilst wearing said pants. (But hey, at least she’s got a thong on?) And also, what is up with the lady in the rainbow shorts next to her? She either split her pants or that is some kind of new crack-highlighting design I’m not aware of.

2. What are all those little kids doing up front? That is a lot of cleavage to be staring down some poor 4th graders!

3. If you’re going to go topless, crouched over a bike is basically the least flattering position you can assume.

4. All those women showing their “body confidence” are skinny white women (and one dude!) who already look pretty smokin’. Now, I totally get that you can have a poor body image even if you look like a supermodel and I’m not trying to say what the state of their mental health is but I always get a little tetchy when someone who is so obviously conventionally beautiful tells me that I just need to have more self-esteem. I’m just saying that standing next to any of these girls would probably not make me feel more confident in my body. And really, I’m not sure it takes a lot of “confidence” to show your skin when it’s the type of skin most idolized by our society. In fact, sometimes I think it takes more confidence not to show a lot of skin. Seriously, check out these classic super-heroines reimagined with full coverage costumes and tell me they don’t still look like they could totally kick your butt!

I may be just showcasing my own mental issues here (don’t I always?) but the more I read through their site, the more this “challenge” rubbed me the wrong way. The mission of the SEAK foundation is to donate fitness equipment to schools and to fund a “a week-long health and wellness program for young women between the ages 16-22 who have dealt with, or are currently dealing with, body image issues, eating disorders, insecurities, and lack of self-worth.” These are awesome goals but doesn’t telling these kids that undressing is empowering for women run a little counter to their mission?

But SEAK isn’t the only entity that pulls this stunt. Think of every lingerie and swimsuit commercial equating their product with power. Think of the commercials for razors, lotion and even yogurt and breakfast cereal encouraging us to bare our “bikini bodies.” How is baring your skin in public empowering to women? Isn’t that kind of what society wants us to do all the time anyhow? And aren’t there already plenty of opportunities for women to take off their clothes in a public setting if they want to? I think the point is for women to embrace their flaws – like my stretch marks, perhaps? – and stop hating their bodies but I’m not sure that taking off my shirt and standing next to a woman with perfect abs would do that for me. In fact, the things in the past that have helped me the most in this aspect are things that have surprisingly little to do with my body at all: helping someone out, talking to a good friend, making my husband laugh – these are things that make me feel confident and beautiful.

The public nature of the event also bothers me. The point of doing this in public is so that people will look at you, right? So you can… prove that you don’t care what the colloquial “they” think of you? Get compliments on your fine physique? Fat-shame yourself? Compare yourself to other women? I’m not sure what the whole point is – just to say you did it?

Plus, for me, wearing a full-coverage top really doesn’t have a ton to do with how empowered or comfortable I am in my own skin. While I will admit to preferring to keeping my stretch marks covered, for me it’s more about staying true to my personal beliefs and what is most comfortable for me to workout in. At the very least the shirt fabric protects me from germs and keeps my back sweat (mostly) off the weight benches.

I can understand if a lady tells me that she jogs in just a sports bra because that is the most comfortable option for her and offers the most functional range of motion for the movement she is doing. Or if she tells me she is wearing just a bra top because it’s super cute and she loves it. Or if she tells me that she gets overheated easily in the aerobics studio and a bra keeps her comfy and cool. (I’m also fine with it when a man tells me he wears a sports bra to prevent nipple chafing on his long runs!) But telling me she’s doing it to prove she’s “empowered”? REALLY?? Let the record show: I’m not telling anyone they can’t wear a bra top if they want to. I’m just saying I don’t do it and I don’t like it when other people tell me I need to do it as some sort of cultural right of passage.

The female body is beautiful. All of them – in all shapes, sizes, ages, state of gestating, stage of life – I think there is something artful and worthy of love and admiration about every woman’s body. But is the best way to demonstrate that to tell us all to take off our shirts and “prove” it? I mean, it kind of feels like a fraternity prank. But hey maybe I’m a prude. Standards of modesty are quite variable between cultures, situations and even groups. Just because wearing a sports bra as a top doesn’t do it for me doesn’t mean it wouldn’t help other women? Maybe? I don’t know. And hey, if this is just a media stunt to get attention to their foundation well then success all around!

What do you think? Am I missing something important? Would you participate in a “sports bra challenge”? What is your workout top philosophy? Anyone have any gym bra horror stories to share??

Edited to add: Gym Buddy Krista made a good point when she added, “I’ll believe it when men are “empowered” into their jock straps!”

36 Comments

  1. I’m all for body confidence and everything, but it makes me laugh a little bit (ironically) that the women here, and on their website and Instagram are all pretty conventionally thin. I look at them and think “of course you don’t mind showing your body,” but if I were to go out there like that, I’m sure some would think it was in poor taste to expose fat rolls and stretch marks. Instead of being empowered, I would have a fear of showing up in Page Six or on Perez Hilton.

  2. I’ve run in only my sports bra exactly once. It was in a crappy hotel gym that had little to no air circulation. I felt uncomfortable the whole time and the only people in the gym were myself and my BF. I have a preconception that I have to earn the right to run in only a sports bra when I have more ab definition.

  3. Just watched their video and, yep, if I looked like most of those women, I would be a lot less intimidated to bare it all in public. It makes me wonder if they think the only reason to wear a shirt is due to self-esteem. I have a myriad of reasons as to why I wear a shirt when I work out. I actually find I feel more confident when I’m covered and I don’t have to worry about it. No matter how empowering they think it will be, I’m keeping my clothes on, thank you very much. If others want to do it, go for it, but for me, personally, this would be the LEAST empowering thing I could do.
    P.S.- I hope everyone there wears sunscreen!

  4. I don’t see it as empowerment either–it sounds more like a publicity stunt.

  5. I think they’re doing it to get a reaction, like women who go topless on a typical beach here. It’s more about getting a reaction from other people than anything else.
    I live further south than you Charlotte but I see women in just sports bras a lot, especially in the summer when it’s so humid. It’s like guys going shirtless when they run or go to the gym-some do, some don’t, whatever floats your boat. Sports bras still cover more than most swimsuit tops, and if that’s what you’re most comfortable working out in here when it’s 101 plus humidity, go for it.

  6. Edited to add: Gym Buddy Krista made a good point when she added, “I’ll believe it when men are “empowered” into their jock straps!”

    Don’t give them any ideas; I know at least a few guys at my gym who would be more than happy to prance around naked!

  7. Yeah. . . as we say here in the bidness, eff that noise. It’s *such* a coincidence that empowerment = partial nakedness and/or conforming to societal standards, isn’t it?

    If you’re really empowered by your body, you wear whatever’s comfortable, because you want to be able to use that body to its fullest extent. If you’re not, you let marketing executives, most of whom are still men, tell you to strip down.

    Bah, humbug.

  8. I see the empowerment issue… but not in this prescribed context. I see it as a personal challenge.

    You see, I’m a Boy Scout. And every year at Summer Camp, my Scouts declare Wednesday to be Shirtless Wednesday, where the Scouts wander around the campsite sans shirt.

    Last year, some of the other dads whipped off their shirts and turned to me and said, “C’mon, girl. Join in!” (Now, don’t get all huffy. Calling me girl is just the way this man speaks. It’s not demeaning. In fact, from him, it’s the opposite.)

    To be confident enough in my body to be able to whip off my shirt and spend the day in a sports bra (Hey, it’s SHIRTless Wednesday. No one said anything about foundation garments!), for me, will be an empowering moment. Because it’s about ME being confident enough to bare my midriff. Shirtless Wednesday is just an excuse.

    For the record, I’m not planning on it happening this year. We’re aiming for next.

    (Oh, and one other thing? When my marriage fell apart, I couldn’t even lay on my back to do situps at boot camp without anxiety. Baring my belly is keying into some primal instinctive thing, apparently!)

  9. I’m taking a risk writing this right now. You all are going to have a field day with this so here goes…

    I have taken my shirt off at the gym. I wore the wrong fabric and felt completely smothered during a circuit workout and did it just to cool down. I’ve had body issues all my life even though people look at me and see a “fit” girl so it was a bold leap for me. Its a misconception that fit or skinny girls don’t have body issues. Body issues aren’t always the result of what you look like on the outside, they’re a result of how you see yourself from the inside. There’s a lot that can happen in life to mess up our self-confidence as women. Seriously. Its not about taking your shirt off. Its about having the guts to do it. No matter what you look like. We also shouldn’t judge other women and think they don’t have issues just because they’re “fit”. I’ve struggled with confidence all my life. The difference between me and the overweight woman next to me is that I don’t fear going into the gym, but I still struggle with the way I see myself sometimes. But I’m trying to change that. No one can ever presume to know what other people have dealt with or are dealing with by just looking at the shape of their body. The moment I took my shirt off in my gym they reported me and sent someone to come tell me to put my shirt back on. I was wearing a VERY modest sports bra and really have nothing to share “up there” anyway. Really? What kind of message does that send women?

    • Oh Krista – First, NO worries here about anyone “having a field day” with either you or your comment:) I swear I have the nicest commenters on the planet and everyone here is really awesome and supportive so feel free to speak your mind. I’ve only had to delete two comments in all 7 years of this blog and they were obvious trolls. Second, I think your experience is wonderful and I’m glad it helped you see yourself more positively. Like I wrote in my post, ” I totally get that you can have a poor body image even if you look like a supermodel and I’m not trying to say what the state of their mental health is.” Sadly women of all shapes are made to feel badly about how they look and I don’t doubt your feelings at all. Also, I tried to make it clear that I don’t judge anyone for working out in just a bra if THEY want to. It’s when it’s imposed from the outside I get twitchy. You chose to do it so I’m totally down with you:) Third, I’m sorry that your gym wasn’t as understanding. I’ve never been to one (girls at my gym regularly workout in just a bra with no problems) but I’m told there are some gyms with dress codes that prohibit bras as tops – they were likely just enforcing their company policy? Still, it sounds like you learned a lot from those few minutes:)

  10. Yeah this is definitely a little weird. I’ve run in my sports bra but that’s because it’s been hot and I just couldn’t handle having a shirt on. I think empowerment is about wearing what you want when you want not just because there’s an event. You shouldn’t feel pressured to wear just a sports bra any more than you should be pressured to cover up…not sure this make sense. Monday ramblings

  11. Honestly, women in just sports bras makes me uncomfortable and it has nothing to do with what kind of shape they’re in. And I feel the same way about bikinis. It’s a minor reason as to why I hate the beach (the others being I think sand is gross and itchy and I burn in 5 seconds flat). Obviously people should do whatever makes them happy but it often comes off as attention-seeking to me, even if that’s not the intention, and it makes me unfavorably compare myself (no matter what kind of shape I or the other person is in). I guess I’m kind of a prude too because I don’t see it as empowering either. It just seems unnecessary.

    Also, if SEAK wants to donate fitness equipment fine, great but I wish they’d leave eating disorders out of their week-long program. I think lumping it with things like low self-esteem belittles the fact that eating disorders are biological illnesses that have no empirically-proven treatment because research funding is pretty much non-existent. Just kind of a pet peeve. More women in sports bras would definitely not have prevented me from getting anorexia and hasn’t helped in my recovery.

  12. To me, the empowerment aspect comes in not from taking off your clothes, but from seeing that everyone’s body is different, everyone’s body has both “good” and “bad”, etc. I see this as more about exposing people to the reality of a wide variety of body types instead of thinking we all have to be perfectly shaped, tan, and cellulite-free. It’s about showing there is no good, or bad, or right, but that we’re just different.

    This is part of the reason I wear a bikini in the summer, even though I’m obese. I think it’s cute and I want to set an example for others that you can wear whatever you feel like wearing, even if society usually frowns on it. So for me, it’s empowering not because I’m baring skin, but because I’m making a statement that I’m okay with looking fat and wearing whatever I want to wear, rather than being shamed into a one-piece with Spanx and a cover-up.

  13. I think you bring up a lot of good points in your post! I agree that their main goal kind of counter-acts with their message. I don’t like the idea that they are comparing striping down to almost nothing signifies empowerment. Confidence is a great thing, but not everyone would be comfortable expressing it in this way. Thanks for sharing your opinion on this topic, it was great to read!

    Rachel

  14. It’s not empowerment if you’re not comfortable doing it…
    I have a few workout bra/crop tops, but I usually save them for home workouts or sunny saturday morning runs. Bellydance is another time the abs come out so I can see my form and practice the moves well, despite my stretch marks (which I’ve come to embrace as my battle scars). Regular workouts though? Not so much. The gym I go to has a modesty policy where you must wear full tops in the gym, and I appreciate it. I’ve always had decent abs and so I don’t mind showing them off, but I sweat a LOT and don’t really see the point of working out in a sports bra. I don’t have issues with doing it, but I don’t see the point of it really, as I’m there to workout over anything else. I do think it’s good to see others as “just us” and that there are lots of different shapes and sizes and we should be proud of our bodies. Some people aren’t comfortable doing that or looking at that. Doesn’t bother me, but I’m not the only one at the gym so I try and be respectful 🙂

  15. I am with you on this 100%! My very first thought when I read about it is – so what they’re telling us is that instead of just the models and people of walmart walking around under dressed we’re all supposed to be that way and feel comfortable doing it?

    No way. Aside from the modesty thing, and the I’ve had two kids thing, and I literally live where the sun don’t shine, I wouldn’t do it. It’s uncomfortable! Skin sweating on skin leads to chafing, rashes, and comfortableness. Seriously. Plus, even the lightest tech fabric helps wick away that sweat.

    Again, I agree with you. Being comfortable with who you are has very little to do with WHO you are, but everything to do with how you feel about yourself. At the exact same weight (I don’t really fluctuate) I have been happy with myself and unhappy with myself. It had nothing to do with my actual physical appearance, but everything to do with my mental state. Learning to be comfortable working out without a shirt is not nearly as useful as learning to be comfortable with who you are!

  16. I am totally with you on this one Charlotte. There’s a huge difference between challenging women to take off their shirts as a publicity stunt versus encouraging an accepting environment where people just mind their own business and adapt a “to each her own” attitude about workout wear.

    I get really hot working out, but have never managed to find a sports bra I like that doesn’t scream “underwear”, so I save my topless workouts for the home basement. But that’s my choice, and it’s not so much about body image as it is about internalizing decades of societal ridicule of anyone caught wearing undergarments in public. Kinda nonsensical, given that swimwear often exposes more skin, but not worth the psychological effort to retrain myself.

    Btw, great comments on this post, too!

  17. Umm..I always workout with shorts and a sports bra – sorry!!
    That’s what I wear when I do yard (or other outdoor) work, too. I just figure I might as well get some sun while I’m out there working and sweating.
    I do agree that it should be a choice and I’m not sure that I agree with the “empowerment” idea of the sports-bra challenge. I just know that I’m much more comfortable without a shirt when I’m working out (and I sweat a lot during each and every workout).

  18. In my 20’s I wore my sports bra a few times in order to work out. In Southern California. During the summer. And also at a few Bikram classes. But even then I didn’t feel all that comfortable, so the shirt went back on.
    “Empowering” women to take off their clothes kinda sounds like getting breast augmentation in order to feel better about oneself. Go ahead and do it if you’d like, but there are most likely some deeper issues that need to be addressed.

  19. I’m obese. No if and or buts about it. I get negative reactions from people when I am fully clothed and equally when I wear shorts and a skimpy top to exercise. I’m just past it, is all I can say. I know what I look like and I am hot when I work out so I am wearing as little as possible while conforming to my definition of decency. I sometimes get people asking to get the bike beside me so nobody will look at them as they are looking at me. Whatever! I am just going to do what I need to do so everybody can look or not. I don’t care!

  20. My first thought was, what sportswear company is sponsoring this? Totally agree with you, Charlotte: Don’t be telling me when and where to take off my clothes.

  21. If the idea is to promote healthy body image why not promote a day where people of all sizes, abilities and ages work out in whatever they feel comfortable. And take a picture that includes some obese women and non-white people. Why do we have to be half naked to be empowered? Feeling empowered and comfortable comes from within- wearing a sports bra will just make whatever issues people have seen more prominent and make people more uncomfortable.

  22. I would not work out without a shirt, but I also don’t leave the house in pj bottoms or sweats and only in work out pants if I’m actually going to work out. As far as sports bras, does anyone know of a good supportive one with lining? I hate being nipply at the gym.

  23. I wear a sports bra while running in the hot weather because it is the best way to keep cool… plus, then there is less laundry! I would honestly also wear it to the gym if other people did, but no one else does so I fear I would look like a freak who was in love with herself. But as far as this whole “movement”… I am not one to do things because people tell me to or because they claim I will feel empowered by it. I’m a big girl, I know what makes me feel empowered and what doesn’t. 🙂

  24. When it comes to wearing a bikini, I have always thought that if you wear one confidently, you will come off as attractive, regardless of whether or not you have six-pack abs and a tight butt. With this mindset, I can see how a challenge like this boasts empowerment.

    HOWEVER, the reason I can wear a bikini confidently is because I CHOOSE TO, and that choice is exactly what this program downplays. If a woman feels confident in a tee shirt, a sports bra, a tank top, or a garbage bag, then that is exactly what she should wear—and that choice to dress comfortably and confidently will empower her much more than joining the crowd and stripping down at one of these events.

  25. The only time I went running with just a sports bra on, I got locked out by my roomates and had to spend a very uncomfortable 45 min. with a neighbor, waiting for someone to come home. I was always the baggy shorts and top exerciser, until recently, when I realized having some workout wear would be nice, and it really does make a difference. But really, I just want to feel comfortable. It’s my time to focus on me and not think about what other people think.
    I have to say, the purpose of that event makes no sense. Wearing a sports bra in public would only make me more self conscious.

  26. Hmmm I’m with you- but that wouldn’t stop me from trying it. It’d be fun to do it all together but I can tell now that a lot of comparing would take place.

  27. I wear a sports bra and shorts to the gym every time I work out. I do a lot of cardio. I sweat buckets, I don’t care what anyone thinks 🙂 I think it’s all about being comfortable in your own skin more than what you actually look like.

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  29. A few years ago I did spend some time at the gym; tried to go at off times of day so no one was there. I did notice the ones that are already in good shape seem to be there to strut their stuff (males and females).
    The rest of us – well, I usually wear an oversized t-shirt to cover up as much as possible of the wobbly bits.
    I could workout without a bra, in fact I don’t usually wear one, but would need a big shirt on to cover up my stomach…lol

  30. I use sports bra, when I go to outside in my home for cycling on rock. My boyfriend like that very much..

  31. I vote no. It’s not empowering to me to show skin. It’s not about size or weight. It’s about what makes you feel strong. To me, working hard and sweating is empowering. What I am wearing or not wearing, is irrelevant. For the record, to answer your question, eggplants.

  32. Wow !! great article with some picture. I have enjoyed my time when I was reading your post.

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