There’s a fitness craze currently underway in the United States.
Some estimates say that 1 in 4 Americans now has a gym membership. While utilization of those gym memberships varies considerably, utilization of athletic facilities has consistently increased year over year.
Young people are among the main groups driving this growth. A 2025 survey from the United Kingdom found that nearly three-quarters of polled Gen Z members exercised at least twice per week. Not only that, but over half of new gym members are Gen Z.
Given that young people are playing a major role in driving this increase in gym interest and that young people are generally thought of as more accepting of others, one might think that the gyms themselves would become more inclusive places.
Sadly, this isn’t always the case.
Why Did A Group Of Men Boo This Female Gym-Goer?
In a video with over 95,000 views, TikToker Tara LaFerrara (@taralaferrara) recounts an uncomfortable experience she had at the gym.
“Last week I walked into a class at the gym and everyone booed,” she starts.
According to LaFerrara, she had entered the gym to see a group of “probably 15 men.” After she entered, the group booed “like, pretty loud.”
“I’ve been going here for a long time and it was like, ‘Haha! Boys will be boys,’” she says, denying that mentality with a hard “No.”
“One of the guys goes, ‘We said we’d do that if a girl walked in,’” LaFerrara says. “Mind you, I’m probably stronger than 75 to 80 percent of the men in there, and I’ve been in fitness for 12 years at this point.”
While LaFerrara was upset about the situation, she says her main concern was for the other people who could have been exposed to this behavior.
“A girl I’ve never seen before walked in about three minutes after me, and I am very glad that they did it for me and not her,” she concludes.
In the caption, she summarizes, “‘It was just a joke.’ No. Hard no.”
How Are Women Treated At The Gym?
While many gyms promote themselves as inclusive spaces, women still face significant pressure and mistreatment while at the gym.
A 2021 survey found that over half of polled women reported experiencing harassment in the gym. Most of the time, this harassment went unreported to gym staff; in that same survey, less than 8% of respondents said they reported the harassment.
Some of these stories have gone viral. In one case, a woman was filming her form at the gym when a man grabbed her phone and began deleting the videos.
Gyms have responded to this in a number of ways. Some gyms have enacted specific anti-harassment policies. These policies promise to investigate any alleged harassment and ban perpetrators. There are also a growing number of women-only gyms.
Commenters Are Furious
In the comments section, users expressed their anger at LaFerrara’s situation.
“Find their info. Message their mothers. Since they wanna act juvenile like that,” wrote a user.
“Part of the reason why I hate the gym and go to Pilates instead lol,” added another. “Bad juju.”
“If that was me, I would’ve burst into tears, turned around, and left the gym forever. Straight up,” stated a third.
@taralaferrara “It was just a joke”. No. Hard no.
♬ original sound – Tara LaFerrara
The Mary Sue reached out to LaFerrara via email.
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