public health and French and Francophone studies double major with the Honors College
Huguenot Endowed Scholarship
Serving as an alumni fellow at the Institute for American Universities in Aix-en-Provence, France, with plans to pursue graduate studies in global health or public health administration after completing the fellowship
Thirteen years ago, a major fitness chain popularized the terms lunk to describe gym-goers who grunt loudly or draw attention to themselves while working out and gymtimidation to describe intimidation in fitness spaces. While researchers had explored the idea of fitness intimidation since the late 1980s, this was the first time the word itself really took hold in the public conversation. People could certainly relate.
Soon after arriving to the College of Charleston, Maren Stroup ’26 experienced gymtimidation firsthand. A former competitive gymnast, she wanted to continue training after high school but initially felt intimidated going to the gym alone.
“One day, I made myself go alone,” she says. “I realized the gym is a social space, and many people are focused on themselves or feeling intimidated, too.”
That realization stayed with her. When the public health major began brainstorming research topics for her Honors bachelor’s essay, she kept returning to the question of why gymtimidation persists, especially among women.
“There was already strong research recognizing gymtimidation and its link to reduced gym participation, but I was surprised by the lack of broader public health attention to the issue,” says the Honors College graduate who received Huguenot Endowed Scholarship. “I was also excited by how many people across disciplines connected with the research.”
Guided by Shaon Lahiri, assistant professor of public health sciences, Stroup explored how people experience the gym as a social environment. Her research examined two behaviors commonly associated with intimidation in fitness spaces: excessively loud grunting and monopolizing multiple machines. Supported by a Major Academic Year Support (MAYS) grant, her work was presented at the College’s EXPO and at the Feminism in Motion conference.
“Dr. Lahiri helped me turn what started as a broad curiosity about the gym as a social space and its connection to public health into a well-designed study,” says Stroup, who plans to continue collaborating with Lahiri to refine the research for submission to peer-reviewed journals. “His expertise in social norms helped transform my interests into measurable outcomes, and I learned so much from him about the research process overall.”
Her work aligns closely with her long-term plans of addressing barriers to health and advancing equity on a global scale.
“My goal is to pursue a career combating health inequities, particularly those tied to gender and global access to care,” she says. “This research was my first step in putting that goal into practice.”
Stroup will soon begin a yearlong Alumni Fellowship at the Institute for American Universities in Aix-en-Provence, France. Afterward, she will pursue graduate studies in global health or public health administration, combining her interests in public health, cultural competence and the French language.