Nudity in Gym Locker Rooms.

[Wishing on a star]

In my opinion, nudity within a family is different than being exposed to nude strangers.



Probably, but as you say, it's legal. My question is still how society views female nudity versus male nudity. Lots of women who don't think too much about taking their 5 year old son into a women's locker room would probably not feel as comfortable with their 5 year old daughter being taken into a men's locker room. Just an observation of our culture.

I agree that family is different than strangers!

And, yes you make a good point. (even if we are back to the parents bringing children of the opposit sex into changing rooms...)

To me, I don't care if it is the same sex or not... It is basic human nature, like the old "three feet of personal space". I know that there are exceptions, take nudists for example, which I personally find very very odd. Like one poster said, we all wear clothing for a reason.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I can't believe that people are actually arguing that locker rooms shouldn't be used for changing.

People need a place to change out of the swimsuit and rinse off (or change after other activities.) The locker room was created for this specific purpose. It is the place to do it!

I'm not parading and in no way wish to show off. As I said, I am damned uncomfortable being naked around young boys, which is why I'm glad the Y put an end to this practice of taking boys into the women's locker room.

It isn't that I get a kick out of being nekkid in front of others. It took me quite a long time to get comfortable just rinsing and dressing, truth be told. But that's what needs to be done and I got over it.

There is nothing inappropriate about using the locker room for its intended purpose.

 

[Frye7127]

We belong to a community recreation center that has a pool, tennis courts, fitness room, etc, as well as gymnastics and various fitness classes.

When I take DS (6 y/o) to swimming lessons, I take him into the ladies room to change afterward as he has a lot of trouble with the wet bathing suit. There are not private dressing areas in there. I feel uncomfortable worrying about people being offended by my child in there, not at all about him seeing anyone nude. Maybe we are weird, but at our house nakedness isn't hidden...none of us shut the door when dressing or changing clothes, and we don't always shut the bathroom door either. My son doesn't even notice someone is nude, its just not something exceptional to him.

My son is the same way. We don't make a huge deal about nudity, everybody has parts that are their own and he knows it - no biggie. Sending him to the men's locker room however is not an option for me. I know this is a rarity, but there was a 10 - 13 year old boy molested in a very affluent gym's locker room two years ago by well respected head of union in our town. Just don't want to take that chance. I usually take him to a gym with a family locker room. If DH is with us, he takes him to the men's locker room with him. If it is just me and him, to the family room we go to shower and change. If this is not an option, we will just head straight home and take care of business there.

 

[DawnCt1]

I would feel the same way if I had a daughter. No one needs to be walking around naked in semi-public, locker room or elsewhere.

And why don't little boys need a locker room? They need to change sometimes too. I'm certainly not going to send my son alone into the men's locker room to change.

Exactly. I don't want to see nude women strutting around and I wouldn't want my DD (if I had one) to have to see it either. Privacy curtains work both ways. They don't have to expose themselves and I don't have to be exposed to them. And what mother would allow her child to ride home in a wet bathing suit when its 20 degrees outside?

 

[DawnCt1]

I can't believe that people are actually arguing that locker rooms shouldn't be used for changing.

People need a place to change out of the swimsuit and rinse off (or change after other activities.) The locker room was created for this specific purpose. It is the place to do it!

I agree, the locker room is the place to do it and when that locker room has plenty of private areas with showers and a curtained changing area attached, why get naked outside of the changing area before entering the shower through the changing area? Why not at least take bras and panties into the changing area and dry off there before exiting? And if one does exit, why not get at least partially dressed before running to the toilet, hopping on the scale, spinning the bathing suit, putting on the lotion, make and doing the hair, chatting with strangers? I really don't want to talk to naked people.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I agree, the locker room is the place to do it and when that locker room has plenty of private areas with showers and a curtained changing area attached, why get naked outside of the changing area before entering the shower through the changing area? Why not at least take bras and panties into the changing area and dry off there before exiting? And if one does exit, why not get at least partially dressed before running to the toilet, hopping on the scale, spinning the bathing suit, putting on the lotion, make and doing the hair, chatting with strangers? I really don't want to talk to naked people.

If there were a private, curtained area for changing, I'd probably use it!

I don't think the old ladies would, though. I wonder if I'll be like that when I'm an old lady - just walking around not giving a crap. And they do talk to each other, very matter factly or complaining about something or whatever. Like they are completely unaware that they are nekkid. They crack me up.

 

[Beth76]

I can't believe that people are actually arguing that locker rooms shouldn't be used for changing.

I never said they shouldn't change. They should do it quickly and discretely. But there is NO REASON that anyone needs to be walking around doing other things naked. They make robes for a reason.

 

[Barbossa]

Maybe we are weird, but at our house nakedness isn't hidden...none of us shut the door when dressing or changing clothes, and we don't always shut the bathroom door either. My son doesn't even notice someone is nude, its just not something exceptional to him.

To a boy, there's a big difference between seeing his mom and sisters in the buff versus females in general. A DS6 probably wouldn't pay any mind, but I remember becoming "accutely aware" of members of the opposite sex when I was around 8 years old.

 

[SandraVB79]

Amen!

I am so tired of the entitlement mentality of parents. I am in a women's locker room, there are not even curtains on the shower stalls. I am in the right to be naked while I shower.

Your boy does NOT belong there. Take him through the mens room - it is not like there is anything in there you have never seen before.

Seriously - why not join a gym with a family changing area.

Let's turn the bolded part the other way around: Dad takes DD to swimming lesson. After swimming lesson, he takes DD into the women's locker room, so that DD can get changed. After all, in women's locker room, there is nothing that Dad hasn't seen yet, right?


No, I'm not at all for parents who take their kids of opposite sex into the locker rooms, but as someone said, kids deserve respect too, and thus their own locker rooms.

The gym I went to was 18+, so no such issues. However, some women also needed to walk around naked for more than half an hour. Usually, it were the women who shouldn't show off their body like that

 

[sunlver]

Oh, sorry. I guess I was just wondering why moms do this when there IS an opportunity to use a family room.

FTR, the only people I've ever seen walk around naked at my gym are the little old ladies that come in for water aerobics.

I see this as well with my gym. But, Ive also seen ladies who walk from the showers with a towel wrapped around them, walk to their locker, drop it, and are completely naked looking for thier stuff, getting clothes out, make up etc...
Honestly I dont want to see naked women walking around. I dont care if we are all females, I do not walk around naked(that would be very scarey )and dont care to see others naked, old ladies or young ladies. That is just me, I am modest, and I force myself to look away.

 

[teskak]

Well out our gym they have both family rooms and single gender locker rooms.

But because the family rooms are closer to the gym floor than the main locker rooms they are as often as not taken up by individuals wanting to pee rather than "family" shower & change.

DH & I still shower with our 3 year old, but when I am at the gym I use it as a lesson of "nobody wants to look at your or my xxx xxx" and you do not look at thiers as I am trying to install the idea of public vs private.

But the same lesson goes for staring at all body shapes, there was a woman who was morbidly obese walking through the gym to go to the pool and DD asked why her legs were all dimply - so it turned into a lesson of look at my cellulite everybody has different bits and bodies but you do not stare at anybody else (let alone ask loud questions )

 

[PlainJane]

I have dated a few girls that also do this. After they shower they are naked while they do their hair, make up and etc. A couple of them said that it gives their body time to cool off after a hot shower. If they put their clothes on too soon that it causes the body to heat up and start to sweat a little. So they just didnt put any clothes on after the shower.

I second this. I get way overheated when I get out of the shower. While at home I normally put my makeup on naked and them blow-dry my hair naked or I'll get sweaty again, which defeats the purpose of taking a shower. If I'm at the gym I normally do those things while wearing a towel or underwear because I think it's rude and unsanitary of people to sit down on things bear bottomed. I also try to avoid changing in those little changing areas that you walk through to get to the shower because the floor is normally really wet, and I don't want to get my clothes soaking wet. It's a ladies changing room, and I think you should be able to walk around naked if you want to, sitting however should be banned they could at least put a towel on the seat but some people just don't have the common decency to do that. In the end, I don't want to change in front of little boys, so I go to a gym that has a family changing room making it a non-issue. Changing in front of women on the other hand doesn't phase me in the least.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Sometimes when kids are around, regardless of if they are in the RIGHT or WRONG, Adults (acting Adult) should have to tone it down a bit. .

In my office, we curse tell dirty jokes...etc. When kids come to the office, they SHOULDNT be there, but we all tone it down a bit. Why shouldnt the adults in a locker room, cover it up when kids are around.

Kids deserve respect too!

I think this is crazy! I can go to work and STILL work with telling dirty jokes... I cannot shower without getting naked.

Nudity does not equal sex! and this has nothing to do with respecting kids .... I am doing what is normal in a locker room .... they are NOT (if they are the opposite sex)

 

[teacups]

Our town has two hoity toity gyms with locker rooms... and then we have the Y with locker rooms AND an area of FAMILY rooms. I cant recall (I just took a tour too) but I think they have 4. When the gal was giving me the tour we walked thru the womens changing room. 4 naked bodies milling around and two talking leaning against lockers. That's just odd... BUT at least they have the family ones if I decide to join with my kids.

I'd tell my kids to pee in the pool before Id let them go in the mens locker rooms!

 

[jenm2878]

I think alot of it comes down to mutual respect which seems to be a rare commodity lately.

If you are in the locker room with your kid of the opposite sex, I'll try to tone it down for you. However, if you come in with your child and see that I'm in a state of mid-dress, please don't plop your stuff next to where I am and let your child stare. If your child is staring, please tell them that it's rude to stare. (and yes, that happened to me where I was in the middle of changing and two women brought in 3 or 4 8yr old boys, and stopped right next to me. Needless to say, all the boys directed their attention to what I was doing and the moms didn't seem to notice. My gym DOES have a large family changing room btw)

 

[Fitswimmer]

I've been swimming at my local YMCA for nearly 20 years and I can't believe the fuss over naked people!!! We've got some people who "wander around naked", but honestly, I'm too busy dealing with my own issues to care. I've got a very limited amount of time from the minute I get out of the pool to when I need to be on the road and I'm just not looking. And yes -there is an amount of time every morning when I was without towel or undergarments. Avert your eyes-God knows I would if I could.

We have an 18 and older locker room and we have occasionally had to remind mothers that they need to go into the children's locker rooms with their little darlings. From what the people with kids tell me, the boys locker room is full of mommies before and after swim lessons. No need to have Junior in with the ladies.

If I had as much trouble with nudity as some folks here seem to, I think I'd stay away from a locker room where I might encounter it.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

My boys have swim team practice every week. I send my boys (10 & 8) into the Men's locker room to change. The problem I have is my 5 year old. He still needs help getting changed. We normally change in the family locker room, but....you have to walk through the gender specific locker rooms to get to the pool. The doors are super heavy and I don't think he could pull it open by himself. So, I normally have to schlep him through the women's room. I feel bad for the little girls in there trying to change and the shower is a big open community thing. I try to shield his eyes...for the sake of the girls, not him.

You know, I may have to come up with another solution.

BTW, we used to belong to the Y before we moved. We had only 4 family changing rooms. It used to bug the crap out of me when moms would take their daughters into the family changing rooms. Please, take them into the ladies locker room so that Mom's with little boys (who have no other choice) aren't standing around wet for 20 minutes.

 

[mjkacmom]

My boys have swim team practice every week. I send my boys (10 & 8) into the Men's locker room to change. The problem I have is my 5 year old. He still needs help getting changed. We normally change in the family locker room, but....you have to walk through the gender specific locker rooms to get to the pool. The doors are super heavy and I don't think he could pull it open by himself. So, I normally have to schlep him through the women's room. I feel bad for the little girls in there trying to change and the shower is a big open community thing. I try to shield his eyes...for the sake of the girls, not him.

You know, I may have to come up with another solution.

BTW, we used to belong to the Y before we moved. We had only 4 family changing rooms. It used to bug the crap out of me when moms would take their daughters into the family changing rooms. Please, take them into the ladies locker room so that Mom's with little boys (who have no other choice) aren't standing around wet for 20 minutes.

I take my 5 year old twins to the children's Y, so adult locker rooms are not an issue, but they 100% get dressed by themselves, including brushing their hair. Being twins, and being #4 and #5, they became independent early on. Since your ds has older siblings, couldn't they help him? When my 9 year old ds tags along, he loved taking my 5 year old ds into the boys locker room, and "helping" him, and then bringing him to the pool

 

[Freyja]

Wouldn't bother me but then in Europe nudity isn't such an issue (topless sunbathing etc.).

True. Here in Iceland you are required to shower without any clothes on before entering swimming pools. There are not shower stalls, just one big room with showers in them. Noone minds and many people have young children of the opposite gender with them.

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

I agree that family is different than strangers!

And, yes you make a good point. (even if we are back to the parents bringing children of the opposit sex into changing rooms...)

To me, I don't care if it is the same sex or not... It is basic human nature, like the old "three feet of personal space". I know that there are exceptions, take nudists for example, which I personally find very very odd. Like one poster said, we all wear clothing for a reason.

It is not Human Nature, it is American nature.

The hang-ups about the human body is very much an American thing. Americans tend to be way more prudish than our neighbors across the pond.

Go to Europe. People are much more open about their bodies. Every beach I have ever gone to over there has a number of women sunbathing without their tops on. Kids are running around without a care. These are family beaches, not beaches specifically designated for topless bathing. And they are not exhibitionists. It is just that Europeans, as a whole, have a different viewpoint (in my opinion much healthier) of the body.

You definitely have the right to feel the way you do. However, it is a bit unreasonable to expect people to cover up with towels and underwear in a locker room, a room specifically designed for people of the same sex to remove their clothes.

As I said, I personally could not prance around in my birthday suit. But I don't hold it against anybody who does in a room designed specifically for degrees of nudity.

If the person next to you is carrying on a conversation without their clothes on, then either turn your back to them or maintain eye contact.