Woman thanks man for not looking at her when she was squatting at the gym and people are divided

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A woman has thanked one of her fellow gym members for not staring at her as she does squats, and she is sparking a debate on social media for doing so.

In a TikTok video posted on 1 January, @libbychristensen was squatting on an exercise machine, as a man was sitting on a bench behind her.

“I just need to shout out this man who was behind me while it was hack squatting bc I was so uncomfy that I was being stared down,” Christensen wrote in the text of the video. “But very thankful that my booty was not his focus <3 watched this back & felt at ease.”

At the start of the clip, the man was looking at the floor. As the TikTok user continues squatting, the man laid back on the weight machine he was using.

“Ty for your service kind sir,” Christensen wrote in the caption.

This video has more than 4.5m views so far, with TikTok users in the comments noting that they also try to be as respectful as possible to other people at the gym.

“When I’m in this position at the gym I have to move in fear of the woman thinking I’m a creep,” one viewer said. “The uncomfortable feeling goes both ways sometimes.”

“I think there’s more guys doing everything they can to make sure it’s very clear they’re not staring at women in the gym,” another added.

Another emphasised that this man’s behaviour in the video was “gym code 1010” for “any decent guy.”

“Head stays looking at the ground or your phone till your (sic) done with the set,” they wrote.

However, some disagreed with Christensen and claimed that she should have just been worrying about her workout instead of her surroundings.

“Maybe just focus on your mind muscle connection instead of what everyone else is doing and you might make gainz,” one wrote.

Other viewers claimed that Christensen might have been in the wrong for filming this guy at the gym without him knowing.

“What about making others feel uncomfortable because you just have to record what you’re doing there,” a comment reads. “What if he doesn’t want to be on someone’s video?

In a follow-up video posted the next day, Christensen responded to a comment that said: “OR wear something not so revealing.”

She noted in the caption that the comment section from her original video was a “madhouse”.

“Posts a harmless tiktok about valid feelings about being a woman in the gym then waking up to see that it got into the wrong hands & there’s people spewing violence in the comments attacking me & each other.”

Viewers of the follow-up video agreed with Christensen and explained that they often feel like they’re being looked at at the gym, regardless of what they wear.

“I literally wear baggy sweatpants and baggy tshirts to the gym & guys still stare,” one wrote.

“I swear, the people commenting “just wear sweatpants” have never stepped foot in a weight room,” another added.

Others praised Christensen for posting her videos in the first place, despite all the negative comments she received.

“Haters gonna hate keep up the good work,” one said.

The Independent has reached out to Christensen for a comment.