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It can be daunting for a woman to walk into a room full of men who are lifting weights heavier than she is.

The opportunity to be a part of a community designed to empower women is within reach at WSU, the second university in the world to offer a Pink Gloves Boxing class.

A fitness instructor at WSU has taken the opportunity to spread this type of class to the Middle Eastern country of Dubai.

Jessica Whitt, assistant director of University Recreation, is master-training certified and specializes in martial arts and kick-boxing. Upon finding out she could teach a female-focused boxing class, the transition from kick-boxing to Pink Glove Boxing was smooth for Whitt.

“We’ve heard from patrons that it is really intimidating for them to go down into the weight room or the boxing area,” Whitt said. “It’s a fitness class but it’s designed for the patrons to see themselves grow.”

Whitt said she appreciates the community that has developed around Pink Gloves Boxing. She is excited to share her passion and is dedicated to improving the self-esteem of other women.

The University Recreation Center’s (UREC) intention for the class is not fitness, but rather to help members recognize their continual progress and to help build the confidence that is gained through boxing, Whitt said.

In some classes, the women create vision boards, and every class ends with a group reflection of their day and their future goals during the cool-down period, Whitt said.

When a woman attends her first class, she doesn’t automatically have pink wraps or gloves. After the first completed session, she earns pink wraps, and at the end of the second session, she earns pink gloves.

“Part of our goal at UREC is to break down barriers,” Whitt said. “There is a barrier for women in recreation. There is way more men than women and what we’re trying to do is give women an outlet to be like, ‘Hey, you can do this too.’”

Whitt hopes that through classes like Pink Gloves Boxing, women will build up the confidence to go into a weight room where she has the right to exercise.

“This women’s-focused boxing class has been a way for women to find space and be with each other and create that group empowerment feeling,” Whitt said.

In each class, members range from beginner to advanced, allowing the more practiced members to help those with less experienced. This builds even more connection within the group, Whitt said.

Pink Gloves Boxing was started by a personal trainer who noticed the insecurity and body image issues one of his female clients displayed, Whitt said.

Whitt said the trainer began boxing with her outside where there were no mirrors. She gained comfort in being outside of the gym environment where there weren’t any people around.

Whitt said once the client started bringing more people to box with them, the group continued to grow, and they decided to name the class “Pink Gloves Boxing.”

The personal trainer traveled to various places around the world, and he ended up meeting a woman from Saudi Arabia who told him how the female population in Saudi Arabia needed something like Pink Gloves Boxing, Whitt said.

Soon after, Pink Gloves Boxing was invited to Dubai for a training camp, but the organizers needed females to instruct the class, which is where Whitt fit into place.

“To be able to be in that space and teach women how to box in Dubai is a dream of mine,” Whitt said. “I always look forward to meeting the people. I love meeting whoever I’m training with.”

Whitt’s father lived in Dubai for 10 years, so she visited and lived there while growing up, developing a personal connection to the country.

“It’s interesting to see a different culture’s view of fitness and what their experience is with fitness and how it impacts them,” Whitt said. “Hopefully, we will be able to diversify it even more with what we offer.”