Friday, June 8, 2012

Nude Group Showers?

When I was in Jr. High in ultra-conservative Logan, Utah, we were "required" to swim naked during gym, and we got naked to shower as a group. Then an earthquake made the school unsafe. Maybe that's why swim suits started to be required, or may I'm just getting old. Ken Here are some thoughts from others about the changes that are occurring in this "modern" world. Anyone else have some thoughts about that? "I just started going to the gyms in the past 5 months and in 2 different gyms I was amazed at the number of men who will put on gym trunks in the locker room, then go to a shower stall to shower, then change back into their street clothes in the locker room. This makes no sense to me at all." - Clevenaturist "Started out taking gang showers from Jr. High all the way through High School. That continued during my stint in the service. Not a thing wrong with it. Just a bunch of guys getting clean and ready for the next class, rest of the day, etc. There was no harm and nobody made an issue of it. While at the gym later on in life, the shower stalls were open gang type as well. Nudity was common. Again, nobody made an issue out of it." - NudeM "I remember when I was growing up . . . being naked in a locker room was not only not an issue, but it was something you were supposed to do. You changed, walked naked to the showers . . . then walked again naked to the locker, and in between you could be chatting with a friend, or with a friend of your father´s. . . Every month we had to undergo a medical check up. The Dr. Office was in the locker room, so it was not unusual for men to be standing in line naked, waiting to see the Doctor. There was a season when the original doctor was off, and a female doctor subbed for him." - 788 "When I was in the Marines there was no privacy in the shower not even stalls without doors much less with. We removed our uniforms outside the showers in one large room, picked up your soap & washed. When you were finished you walked back to the bench where you left your clothes, dried off & dressed." - Pahjo "I'm 35 and when I had a gym membership . . . I stuck out because I wasn't ashamed to be naked in a locker room. I was a rarity for my age and generally you had to have white hair otherwise to be nude in the locker room. I once sat in the sauna with a fully dressed guy - probably aged 20. He had his full gym wear, socks, and sneakers! He left the steam room and left the gym without changing, into February cold." - Chris "Somebody made a decision to end showers, and high school has stunk to high heaven of sweat and Axe ever since." - Mark "I am amazed by how many young people my age go through great lengths to ensure no one sees them as they change or undress. Some wrap towels around themselves and some go as far as enterting a bathroom stall to change. I can only shake my head in disbelief at their stupidity. . . I attended an all boys high school ('96-'00), and no one dared to get naked in the locker room. After gym period, no one showered. . . . I recall my freshman year, it was hot outside and everyone was sweating and once we all went back to the locker room, you can smell the sweat. I had English afterwards with most of the students and the class room smelled reaal bad. The teacher cracked all the window and was angry at us for being inconsiderate and not showering. He had to cancel class because the smell was so bad. From what I heard, he brought it up to the attention of our principal and gym teacher but nothing changed. I also was on the track team and a football club in HS and even when we had games, no one showered. We changed back into our clothes and left. I think this is the same story for most young people and it has to be a major reason why they are so paranoid and shy about public nudity." - Croydon "My HS had a pool that was open to the public. . . After the swim, we would always take off our swim trunks and shower. Others would be in the showers too. I thought nothing of it. I remember one time as I was getting older, entering the showers and seeing kids my age with their swim suits still on. I remember debating whether I should have my suit on too. No one teased me or anything, but I wondering which was correct: on or off. That was the first of many debates when I had to choose between being like my peers or my family. If my family showered in our suits, there would have been no debate. When I was in HS, showers after gym were mandatory. Everyone did it nude. Since it was the norm, no one thought twice of it." - Kouak "A few years ago I was at a public beach and I went into the mens shower room to shower and change before going home. After I came out of the shower I was standing standing in the common area of the shower room toweling off and a man was holding up a towel sheilding me from his childrens view, both of who were boys, and he said in a very cross manner "Do you mind, there are children in here!", to which I replied, "no, I don't mind that they are here at all!" and continued on as I was. He "hurumphed" and hurried his kids out of the shower room so they would not be forced to see a naked person in the shower. It was all very crazy. I still can't understand what he thought was going to happen if his boys saw a naked person in the shower room." - Eagle59 "This is amazing to me also. Anyone under 30 at the gym seems to have a deep fear of nudity. They change into workout clothes with a towel wrapped around their waist and wear board shorts into the shower. They also sit in the sauna fully dressed. My friends at the gym, the 45 to 55 crowd seems much more relaxed. We walk to and from the showers naked and can even have a conversation along the way. I have thought about doing a survey about attitudes towards nudity. I suspect it comes from the fact that junior and senior high school students no longer shower at school. We have let the hysteria over the rare cases of pedophilia override common sense hygiene and body acceptance." - Hikenaked "Wow, yeah. These accounts have me shocked and horrified. Society has really stigmatized nudity even in locker rooms. Sad. Really sad that people are so ashamed to be nude even in front of people of the same sex. That mentality, to me, is what is shameful." - Steve-O

3 comments:

  1. When I was in high school 69-71 it was mandatory that after PE EVERYONE took a shower,
    we were NOT allowed to leave until everyone did
    so. Our coach or his assistant made sure of it!
    It seems that hygene is NOT a priority for students these days!

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  2. I have also seen 30 something guys in the Sauna with everything on, even their shoes. So far I have held my tongue but sooner or later I will give some fatherly advice to these young guys, especially if they complain that they have jock itch.

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  3. Not only is it worry over pedophilia, I also think it is homosexuality. People are exposed to sex at such young ages through the media or by accident that their emotions and thoughts on it are very confusing. They are afraid that they might accidentally become aroused by a friend, or that a friend might become aroused by them, so they don't even want to hint at it. Better to be paranoid and smell bad than to risk becoming gay or having another guy fall for you. That kind of thing just wasn't a concern when the 45-55 crowd was my age (early 20s).

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