I was imagining an overweight woman walking into the gym taking her shirt off and starting climbing topless. How would I react? Would I be shocked or would I be distracted? I would like to say I would be alright with it. But in all honesty it will distract me. And so am I distracted by guys in six packs doing it.
When I see these guys walking around in the gym I wonder, would you do the same if you would have a beer belly? Some of them are probably warm and can move more freely without that shirt. If all it was about comfort, I would expect so many more different body shapes unveiling their topless skin. Male climbers with bellies and even female climbers. So I find it difficult to believe that that sixpack is not the reason that shirt goes off.
I will be honest, only a few years back going swimming I would always wear two swimming shorts. I always wore two pairs of shorts: tight swim trunks underneath, and a baggy pair of board shorts over them to cover up. Now, last summer holiday my partner observed I did not wear the outer shorts anymore. I wondered why, it was not a conscious decision. The big change in me? Yes I felt way more comfortable in my body. I do not have an overly present sixpack, and I never had any belly fat… Running, biking and mostly bouldering have made me more comfortable in my body. Only my psychological mindset changed and with that I felt more comfortable showing more of my body.
I feel lucky that in my own gym climbing topless is not allowed, but when I climbed in a gym in Amsterdam a few weeks back there were many. Looking at those sixpack guys in the gym, I could not but project the feeling they had just a little too much ego. That was not fun to watch, too much adrenaline and macho. People I avoid.
That reminded me of a podcast where they discussed this topic. They said that they didn’t mind people (men) climbing topless, yet they added an acceptance criteria: the topless had to climb at least a specific grade. If you would climb topless an easy bouldering problem and fall off you would look like a fool.
Youtuber Magnus Mitbo is a boulderer influencer. In his movies he often takes off his shirt, saying it gives him this additional strength to climb harder. Is that where the macho or adrenaline starts flowing faster in his veins? Why would taking his shirt off make him climb better? It’s not the weight of the shirt. So something psychological is happening.
We can not deny climbing topless is a male privilege. Should we forbid it to promote equality? And if we do, how does this compare to the beach? There too inequality reigns.
I don’t have answers here, I am just making some observations. Observations that are nudging me not to climb topless. Politeness, or maybe because I do not feel comfortable with showing my boobies? Are we allowed to not making a decision for others?