This past week, Harvard University restricted their gym use by designating certain times for women only. The rule came to pass after women, Muslim women, voiced concern that they felt uncomfortable working out in front of men.

I was pretty happy when my friend showed the story to me. Though I’m not athletic myself, I remember how annoying it would be to run or do sit ups in P.E. in high school, the fringes of my scarf flying this way and that. My hijab didn’t disable me from doing any physical activity – I would occasionally just get irritated when my scarf would flap in my face, but that was about it. So with this new rule, with only women allowed in the gym, that’s one-thing Muslim woman don’t have to worry about.

But women in general can benefit from this new rule. In my opinion, a good percent of the women who go to the gym so that they can be less self conscious of themselves, but in a regular gym, I would find it pretty hard to find a guy who wasn’t checking out the sweaty girls walking by in their tight gym shorts and sports bra. Even if the guys don’t mean to, they still do it. There’s no denying it. In this time designated just for women, more women can get a good workout and not be as self-conscious. Women, for that reason, already have helped women only gyms like Curves thrive. For those in school, it’s great to allow them the same privacy and comfort as a women’s only gym. And as for the girls who go to gyms for some eye candy, know they’ll have less competition in the room. – Maahum Chaudhry