[safety1st]

> many women do minimal to no strength training because they're worried that muscle tone will make them look masculine.

I've observed this as being a very widespread belief too, and it seems like we need to be giving women a better biology education or something, because holy shit is it wrong.

I guess it's more a misconception among the general non weight training public that this stuff is so easy you can basically develop a muscular, masculine body on accident.

For all but the youngest and most genetically blessed males it takes years of very specific diet and exercise regimes. Or steroids.

Whereas just adding some weighted squats into her routine will have immense health benefits for most women as well as making their body look more feminine and attractive.

[sapphicsnail]

Men could also stop policing women's bodies and activities. I have had my doctor tell me to do load-bearing exercises but I've also heard men mock not just masculine-looking women, but women who are interested in male-coded activities like weight lifting.

[safety1st]

No one is "policing bodies and activities" here, sounds to me like you are just being oversensitive and trying to twist the discussion into one that hates on guys. This sort of coded misandry doesn't work on me anymore, it's so overused, many people have wised up.

So I will say it again: any woman who thinks she will accidentally develop a masculine physique is a fool. She has a poor understanding of weight training and the human body.

Just as any man who thinks he'll get that physique on accident is also a fool!

[lupusreal]

I wager more men like it than men who mock it. Sports Illustrated is popular for a reason, fit women being considered attractive is very mainstream. There will always be a few assholes that will mock anybody for anything, but what can anybody do about that?

[brezelgoring]

You must have heard it already but you won’t turn into Arnold by doing bodyweight squats 3 days a week for a year. It will, however, shape your body and rearrange fat deposits into more conventionally attractive positions and I don’t think there’s anyone around saying that’s not attractive.

[erklik]

Far more men like women with good-looking fit bodies. It's a statistically insignificant minority that likes "fat women", so "men" overall aren't policing women's bodies to the point of influencing women to not go to the gym. It's largely women who do it to each other.

[DiscourseFan]

>It’s a statistically insignificant minority that likes “far women”

Well, I’m not sure if that’s true, many men like “curvy” women, but generally even they are regularly working out. It would be more accurate to say that men dislike unhealthy women. But then you could say the same thing about men.

[ClumsyPilot]

> heard men mock.., women who are interested in male-coded activities like weight lifting.

This sounds like some really insecure men