Joey Swoll Spreads Gym Positivity, Condemns Toxic Culture
Bodybuilder and coach Joey Swoll is a famous TikTok fitness coach and the self-proclaimed “CEO of gym positivity”.[0] He frequently reposts videos with commentary on gym etiquette, either exonerating the so-called “creep” or validating the frazzled woman’s feelings to his 6 million TikTok followers.[1] Recently, Joey made negative comments about a female TikToker on her video.[2] The bodybuilder reviewed the TikToker’s video in which she filmed an old man working out at the gym.[2]
On January 31st, 2023, TikToker @thejoeyswoll posted a video responding to a now-deleted upload by TikToker @gwinie_the_pooh. In the video, Gwinie secretly filmed an elderly man working out, then posted a video captioned, “What was that” and set to audio of Wendy Williams saying the same thing.[3] In Swoll’s video, he says Gwinie “should be ashamed of herself” for making fun of the old man and adds “we wonder why so many people want filming banned in all gyms.”[3] The video spread online following @thejoeyswoll’s response and Gwinie ultimately deleted her TikTok account.[4]
Swoll continues to spread the word against toxic gym culture by reacting to videos found online.[5] In the captions, he wrote: “Women are harassed in gyms and it needs to stop, but you are not one of them. An act of kindness or a glance does not make you a victim.”[1] Additionally, he questioned, “Making fun of an old man working out for likes and attention? Really? Thank everyone who defended him.”[0]
In 2021, a survey was conducted of Myprotein staff regarding their experiences, with the results showing that 76 percent of female respondents felt uncomfortable exercising in public due to being harassed. Run Repeat conducted another survey wherein 56% of women mentioned being harassed while exercising.
Gina Love, a 29-year-old living in Atlanta, commented on the issue.[1] She said, “It makes me feel disgusted, anxious and my survival instinct kicks in. I’ll typically cut my workout short because I can’t get back into feeling comfortable with that person around me.”[6]
The “gym weirdos” hashtag on TikTok has over 1.[7]
0. “Gwinie the Pooh Deletes TikTok After Controversy: Details” Distractify, 1 Feb. 2023, https://www.distractify.com/p/gwinie-the-pooh-tiktok-controversy
1. “‘Watch this creep’: the women exposing gym harassment on TikTok” The Guardian, 2 Feb. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/feb/01/gym-weirdos-tiktok-videos-women-recording-sexual-harassment
2. ““Doesn’t Make Them a Creep”: Bodybuilder Bashes Influencer for Falsely Accusing a Man In Gym” EssentiallySports, 29 Jan. 2023, https://www.essentiallysports.com/us-sports-news-olympics-news-bodybuilding-news-doesnt-makes-them-a-creep-bodybuilder-bashes-influencer-for-falsely-accusing-a-man-in-gym
3. “Gwinie_the_Pooh Old Man Working Out TikTok Video Controversy” Know Your Meme , 31 Jan. 2023, https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/gwinie_the_pooh-old-man-working-out-tiktok-video-controversy
4. “Joey Swoll’s viral call out video causes gym TikToker to delete her account” Dexerto, 1 Feb. 2023, https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/joey-swolls-viral-call-out-video-causes-gym-tiktoker-to-delete-her-account-2049437
5. “Joey Swoll Reacts To Female TikToker Making Fun Of Older Man At The Gym: “You Should Be Ashamed Of Yo…” Generation Iron Fitness Network, 2 Feb. 2023, https://generationiron.com/tiktok-joey-swoll-gym-old-man/
6. “TikTok star Gina Love explains why she films ‘gym creeps’ while working out” msnNOW, 4 Feb. 2023, https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/mindandbody/tiktok-star-gina-love-explains-why-she-films-gym-creeps-while-working-out/ar-AA176DhN
7. “‘Watch this creep’, women call out unwanted male attention at gyms on TikTok” WION, 3 Feb. 2023, https://www.wionews.com/trending/watch-this-creep-women-call-out-unwanted-male-attention-at-gym-on-tiktok-558643
