The College Fix

A group of Princeton students recently launched a campaign to inform the university that “strength is not masculine.”

The Daily Princetonian reports that the “Faces of Fitness” initiative was begun by three students taking an entrepreneurship course. The campaign, which took place at Princeton’s Stephens Fitness Center, sought to “encourage gym-goers to think about the presence and effects of hypermasculinity in the gym environment.”

Slogans associated with the initiative included “Strength is NOT Masculine,” “There’s no Gender in Physical Exercise,” and “We Could All Be More Supportive of Each Other and All Genders.”

According to the students in charge of this initiative, its main objectives were “to bring awareness to the issue of hypermasculinity, and two, to form solidarity around hypermasculinity.”

From the story:

Kim said that the group received feedback from 77 students and that 65 percent were in favor of the initiative.

Valicenti said that some guys said, ‘Oh I hate this, it needs to be taken down. Grunting’s fine, we should be able to grunt.’ He noted that the group’s findings reaffirmed their hypothesis that there needs to be more awareness on campus regarding the issue of hypermasculinity.

“Our vision is that eventually we’ll tackle hypermasculinity not just within Stephens Fitness Center, but hopefully also within other spaces where there is hypermasculine behavior that makes other people uncomfortable,” Dehejia said.

Later today, the group plans to present an expanded project idea to representatives from “the Women*s Center, the Men’s Allied Voices for a Respectful & Inclusive Community Project, and the LGBT Center.”

h/t The Daily Caller.

MORE: Students warned: Bulging biceps, big guns advance unhealthy masculinity

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