Gymshark - The Tennis Whites of the Lifting Realm

Gymshark is a fitness brand that is represented by athletes around the world. After getting into powerlifting about four years ago, even I myself began buying my workout clothes strictly from this company. The clothes are very tight fitting, stretchy, and give the buyer a sense of both comfort and confidence while wearing the gym clothes. Compared to brands like Nike and Lululemon, these clothes are not outrageously overpriced, but still are on the higher end of the cost spectrum. This brand connotes that the user is strong, dedicated, yet stylish. A hegemonic meaning, at least from what I've picked up on, is that those who wear this apparel are among the elite in the lifting realm (or are striving towards this).

I personally like this apparel because a good portion of their clothes are aimed at women. The weight room is changing in its inclusion of women, just like tennis was during the late 1800s and early 1900s. As Schultz described in the first chapter of "Qualifying Times", what women wore for tennis underwent a series of very dramatic changes to end up as the dress we associate with tennis today. Likewise, what women wear for lifting has changed, as has their gradual inclusion and acceptance in this sport grown. To me, Gymshark is not only similar to the dress of tennis whites, but is representative of the strength and athletic capabilities that women have, too.