"Only Elegant Women Allowed": South Korea Gym Slammed For Promoting Ageism

A South Korean gym has banned misbehaving "aunties," reviving the debate about bias against older women in the nation. There were signs saying "off limits to ajummas" and "only cultivated and elegant women allowed" at a gym in Incheon city, which is close to the capital city of Seoul, as per a report in the BBC.

Although 'ajumma' is a general term for older women, generally defined as those in their late 30s and beyond, it is also pejorative actions deemed impolite or obnoxious.

The gym's owner justified the decision by saying that his business had "suffered damages" as a result of these women and their disruptive attitude. "(Some older women customers) would spend an hour or two in the changing room to do their laundry, steal items including towels, soaps, or hair dryers," he said in an interview with news agency Yonhap.

"They would sit in a row and comment and judge other people's bodies," he added. The owner also stated that several young women quit the gym due to these comments, which made them uncomfortable and upset.

Notably, businesses in South Korea have come under fire for preventing seniors and children from entering specific public areas. The gym has also been slammed for associating inappropriate behaviour with ladies who are a specific age. A user said, "How did the term 'bad customer' become the same as 'ajumma'?" Another wrote, "If you have worked in the service industry, you'd know that it's not just older women who fall into those categories."

The gym defended itself by citing another sign that attempted to make a distinction between ladies and ajummas. Ajummas are described as being "stingy with their own money but not with other people's money" and having a tendency to "like free stuff regardless of their age". The owner of the gym added that he might not be alone in feeling this way among other business owners. "It's not that I tried to make a hate comment against older women or women in general.  I think people who are enraged by (the notice) are in fact the ones with the problem," he said.