h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In my local gym/sports centre, which is partly run by the local council, there was a notice in the showers the other day, which read -

'As this is a family area, we request that all users wear shorts or trunks while using these showers'.

Yes, that's right, I am requested to get dressed to go into a ******* SHOWER, in case some 4 year-old sees my privates. I'm not sure why this annoyed me so much. Any thoughts?

Utterly, totally daft

I dont see the big deal if it is one for you or just a momentary feeling of being pushed around.

Look at it like this I dont know anyone who thinks it isnt a good idea that more people use leisure centres and local authority sports facilities. If not wanting to take their child of the opposite gender into a changing rooms is putting people off using gyms where is th harm in taking a small extra peice of cloth to conceal your rude bits with you gonig to be sucha huge problem to make the whole thing more accessible to adults and children alike.

We get all kinds of inconvinient edicts issued to us as a club who has a youth section. So I know the feeling of being pushed around and forced to jump through hoops to comply with new regulations, but a little thinking has made every new rule something we can deal with without much fuss.

I think its sad that little children dont get to see the opposite sex naked in a natural or normal way like this, but obviously some people are uptight enough to avoid these situations and if that's the case its cheaper and easier to stick apair of shorts on to make the whole experience acceptable to everyone. Then there's that cut off point where *Id* feel genuinely odd at (in my case girls) seeing me naked. upto 3 or 4 years id think fine. However I know from experienc that some 5 and 6 years get changed so slowly that half their PE time is spent gettting into and out of clothes and for this reason parents might want to take their children to get changed with them. This would either mean less single parents and their children getting to take part or me suddenly feeling very

I know you havent said its unaccepatble for you to comply Its certainly not too difficult to comply. So anyone who does say its too difficult or an unacceptable imposition is perhaps just being difficult for the sake of it or because they specifically want children to see them naked.

Obviously, I don't know all the circumstances but my .

My local leisure centre (where I use the gym) is undergoing refurbishment. As part of that, for a period of a couple of months the Dry Changing area (for gym users etc) has been shut. I have, therefore, had to use the unisex swimming pool showers for which I had to take some trunks to shower in after working out. I have no problem with that.

The issue for me is that after getting hot and sweaty in the gym, that wasn't a very satisfying shower. Especially given that I am talking about my lunch break, when I then have to come back and inflict myself on others.

Now that the Male dry Change is open, and I can therefore shower "properly" again, I wouldn't want to "have" to wear trunks in there.

My gym is adults only so no worries there. When I do go to public pools or gyms I usually pull the trunks forward, soap up and rinse, repeat with rear.
The trunks tend to take a long time to de-soap but I'll take the time if it means I'm not perverting the minds of children or causing grown men to faint.

here in Germany most public swimming pools aren't as chlorinated as they are in the UK. As a result of this people are requested (very strongly) to shower using gel/soap before swimming (after... it's up to the individual)

There are mens and womens showers, but kids of either sex can be found in one or both of them depending which parent/guardian/whoever is taking them swimming. There isn't the fuss about nudity, either people strip off or they don't. But there isn't any hiding away of bodies - it's a healthy attitude that I would like to see spread to my home country - where I know women who go into the loo at the gym to get changed rather than stand in front of other women in their undies.

*sigh*

Do the gym bit first, get changed into your swim stuff, have a quick rinse, get into to steam room, have a swim, rince, sauna, rinse, off to the hot tub, maybe a bit more of a swim in the outside pool, rinse, steam room, then go and get a "proper shower." Wrap a towel around you untilil you get dressed.

Have seen notes posted, no children to be alone in the changing rooms, not sure if it said under 8, or over 8 years old.

Anything that stops flabby men wandering round the changing rooms flashing their bits 'n' bobs has got to be a good thing for all, never mind kids.

It's something that had never even crossed my mind, now or when I was a child.

Kinda revealing as to the mindset of whoever thought the rule up though

I can see why you'd have such a rule in unisex showers. In same-sex showers it makes no sense.

As my mother used to say: now don't be silly, you've got nothing I haven't got.

Pedro,
Do the women have to wear costumes in their showers, or is it just men's bits that might scare young boys?

"The mind set." Hmm, I wonder, is it just an 'expectancy' to see these signs from customers. The one I spotted looked like it was done with a stencil, and in a rush.

The showers in question are for both swimmers and gym users. I don't know if the ladies' is the same (might have a look tomorrow though). The thing is, the notice is inside the shower room. As if anyone's going to walk back to their locker, find a sweaty pair of shorts and return to the shower.

I think the thing that annoys me *so* much is that there's some underlying attitude that I can't quite pin down. Stupid attitude to nudity, maybe? It might a response to some parents or whatever, I've no idea.

There is one area where I can see why this rule might be introduced.

Came out the shower with my lad to find an elderly gentleman using the hairdryer - in lieu of a towel. He has one leg on a shelf and was using the hair-dryer to remove all water from his genital area.

My son was utterly fascinated by the site of two testicles flapping about in the breeze as the hair-dryer was moved from side to side.

Quite surreal.

To be honest, I've never been to a swimming pool (don't use gyms, if I want to run, cycle or row I'll do it outside where it isn't boring) where it'd be alright to strip naked. The idea just seems a bit wierd, but that might be because of my experiences of public nudity and how it just isn't done. I've always done what cl zoomer does - wear my trunks and just soap and wash myself inside them.

The only time I've been in a situation where it was okay to strip completely was when I was learning to Scuba dive, the club I was a member of rented out the entire basement pool, so we were the only ones down there. After training for an hour in a drysuit, washing with trunks on just isn't good enough but it felt very strange to see my friends showering naked, and kinda awkward because I was the only gay bloke there.

However, I reckon this is more my issue than anybody elses - it was just the norm I grew up with.

The single parent problem is certainly an issue - fathers with daughters, mothers with sons. Where you have communal (separate gender) changing rooms/showers, it's fine when the children are small (apart from their odd questions voiced loudly).

It's when the children get to an age where they're a bit too young to go off on their own, but uncomfortably old (in the UK anyway) for changing with the opposite gender.

I don't think I'd be very comfortable with mixed gender changing/showers, unless individual cubicles are provided. When I've visited facilities in other countries where same gender nudity is open e.g. Japanese onsen, it's no problem for me because everyone else treats their & your nudity as normal.
At swimming pools where you are requested to wash before entering the water, it seems OK (although not the preferred option) to do so with a costume on.