In a world of cut-out booty shorts and strappy crop-tops, social media is debating if women should dress more modestly at the gym. Discourse over whether the world of stretchy matching sets are too revealing isn’t new. Some say they can see people’s butts when they really don’t want to. Others say they practically need a gown to cover up to feel safe from men who leer at them. Many also argue it’s their right to wear what they want to get active. One TikToker said the issue is brands not making clothes that are size-inclusive, meaning big backsides and chests are inevitably exposed. No matter what side people fall on, women are left asking if their outfits are enough.
“Am I a slut?” one TikToker asked in a video asking viewers what she was supposed to be wearing, if not the shorts shorts and spaghetti straps she had on for a workout. That simple question got over 9 million views, showing that many others are wondering the same thing. And the confusion comes at a time when society seems to be favoring modest dressing as fashionable. Look no further than Kendall Jenner’s butter milkmaid dress at Coachella or the naked dressing ban at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival (which came shortly after reactions to various revealing looks at the Met Gala earlier this month). But the conversation shouldn’t be about modest gym outfits versus revealing ones, according to Einav Rabinovitch-Fox, professor of American politics and gender at Case Western Reserve University. It should focus on what happens when we think we can comment on what women wear in the first place. In part, the move toward more modest workout wear has been elevated by a some religious women who have taken to social media to compare, discuss and praise covered-up gym looks. “I want to cover up more. This is new,” said @coachbells on TikTok this month. “I’m someone that has always worn shorts in the gym, being on this journey with God has made me realize that no one deserves it.”
“And that’s on The Lord’s conviction,” another user wrote in a post showing photos of her workout outfits before and after embracing gym modesty.
There’s nothing wrong with dressing modestly at the gym, and for many it’s a welcome trend, says Rabinovitch-Fox. “The judgement of ‘you look like a slut,’ that’s the problem,” she explains. This division doesn’t serve progress for women, she adds, but actually locks them in a cycle of constantly trying to the meet the standards society sets: Be sexy. Be modest. Be both. Be neither. Rather than blame other women for their choices at the gym, Rabinovitch-Fox suggests we refocus the debate on the underlying motivation. Remember, what you wear should be about you and no one else. “If you’re not doing for yourself, it’s not an empowering tool.”
