Gym sparks fury with sign saying ‘only elegant women are allowed’

A gym in South Korea has been criticized for putting up a sign reading “only elegant women allowed” in an apparent attempt to exclude older women from using its premises.

The gym, located in the city of Incheon, near the capital Seoul, put up a sign that read “off limits to ajummas.”

“Ajumma” is a common term in Korean to refer to women in their late 30s or older, but can also be used to describe rude or unpleasant behavior.

Local reports did not name the gym or its owner, who quickly defended putting up the notice, citing claims that his business had “suffered harm” because of these women and their unruly behavior.

In an interview with South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, via BBC News, he said: ‘[Some older customers who are women] would spend an hour or two in the locker room doing their laundry [and] stealing items including towels, soap or hairdryers.

He added that they would also “sit in a row and comment and judge the bodies of others.”

The owner also pointed out that some younger women chose to cancel their memberships because the comments made them feel upset or uncomfortable.

He continued, “It’s not like I was trying to make a hate comment against older women or women in general.”

‘I think people are furious about that [the notice] are the ones with the problem.’

While the owner defended his actions, the gym was also criticized by social media users for assuming such bad behavior was linked to women of a certain age.

One comment on local platform instiz read: ‘How did the term ‘bad customer’ become the same as ‘ajumma?”.

“If you’ve worked in the service industry, you know it’s not just older women who fall into these categories.”

Another comment said the decision was a sign of outdated views, describing it as related to “early 2000s sentiments.”

In response, the gym defended itself by saying that an additional notice had been written attempting to distinguish between ‘ajummas’ and women.

File image of a young woman training in a gym with a barbell

It said the former preferred “free stuff, regardless of age,” while accusing them of being “stingy with their own money, but not with that of others.”

While there has been widespread reaction to the announcement, some people supported the move – apparently associating bad manners with middle-aged women.

Commentators hounded them for being “territorial” and “pointless.”

Another post on YouTube read: ‘The ladies are annoying… They take their kids to restaurants and cafes. They are oblivious and insulting’.

Individuals supporting the gym’s actions also referenced children and accused these women of taking up excessive space or attention in public.

South Korea is known for setting uncompromising standards when it comes to women and their behavior, which they have responded to by defending short hair and single life.

File image of a young woman wiping away sweat after exercising in a gym

Many women justify their actions by saying that South Korean men are rarely convicted of similar behavior.

Commenting on the controversy, a psychology professor said the gym did not need to exclude women at all, arguing that older men are just as likely to behave badly.

Speaking to television network JTBC, Park Sang-hee said, “Older men behave the same way.”

‘Older men are also obsessed with free things and repeat themselves over and over again. Rude behavior is not exclusive to older women.”