Hm and I thought I was insecure and worried too much about being judged, but that seems to be quite common. I had to laugh at your post, but not because I think it's stupid to feel this way. I guess I qualified for one of those "strong" (albeit not that muscular) guys and always assumed that girls thought of me as a meathead and that was the reason they left. So maybe both sides feel like they're being judged by the other.

Trust me, no dude who has a remote idea of what he is doing will judge anyone for using the weight he/she uses. If I see someone who never trains anything but chest, arms and aby I'll have less respect for him than for a "weakling" who works out with proper from and puts in effort.

If you don't leave but use the free weights instead I'll guarantee you that you'll have a bunch of those guys swarming around you and offering help/trying to strike up a conversation by giving you advice.

I'd say it's even refreshing to see a woman actually WORK out in the gym. To be honest, I tend to view the girls who wear make-up to the gym and are dressed up more critically than the ones who don't use anything and wear real workout clothes. The first group always seems to disappear after a few months. Unfortunately, most women I see at the gym are more concerned about their looks than about their workout, or so it seems. I started going to another gym recently and it was the first time that I saw a women doing squats with good form and not just because her trainer told her to try them. She just came in, went to the rack, loaded up a bar with about 130 lbs and started. This girl was much more appealing/interesting despite the fact that I didn't even find her physically attractive. But she just stood out from all the women who won't touch a dumbbell unless it's pink and spend hours on the hip abductor to get toned legs.