'No aunties, only elegant ladies allowed': South Korean gym's rule draws flak online

Believe it or not, a gym in South Korea has placed a 'ban' on middle-aged women by inviting only "elegant ladies" and "no aunties." In a world already set up for women to fail, this ban is another drop in that ocean. The gym posted the senseless notice at the entrance, which proudly declared: "Only well-mannered and elegant ladies are allowed to enter." Here's what went on.

Why did the gym in South Korea draw flak?

The notice read: "Only well-mannered and elegant ladies are allowed to enter." | Image: Unsplash/representational

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The word aunty, as most countries in Southeast Asia and India know, means an older woman, someone who is your mother's age. While the word is used as a form of respect, over time, popular culture has convoluted its meaning, so now it is used to "shame" women who are older, have crossed "prime age," or are simply "unfashionable." Hooray!

In South Korea, too, the word ¡®aunty¡¯ refers to middle-aged women along with all negative connotations. According to the South China Morning Post, it was invoking this term that a gym (not named) in Incheon proudly propped a notice at its entrance that read: "Only well-mannered and elegant ladies are allowed to enter."

What did the gym owner have to say?

The gym owner claimed these "aunties" harassed younger women | Image: Unsplash/representational

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The owner of the gym defended the establishment's move saying the notice was a reminder for ¡°rogue customers" or certain ¡®aunties¡¯ who allegedly verbally harassed young female customers, saying things like ¡°You should be good at having children¡± or simply taunting them.

He further claimed that these older women would literally wash their dirty laundry in washing machines placed in the locker room, and they would do this for up to two hours which, apart from being an inconvenience on its own, caused the gym¡¯s water bills to double. To make matters worse, they even stole the free towels and soap the gym provided to its customers.

The gym eventually came up with the peculiar notice to keep such folk at bay while retaining valued customers: ¡°These aunties come in and turn the gym into their own world, causing young people in their 20s and 30s to leave."

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