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Original poster

Did anyone in your secondary school ever use the showers?

240 replies

Soubriquet · 24/08/2021 13:16

In American programs, teens are always shown using the showers after PE

I remember never seeing anyone using the showers at my school. At best, they were used for some groups of girls to change in semi privately. At worst, they were completely ignored.

So. Your school?

OP posts:
UnitedRoad · 24/08/2021 14:37

Exactly the same as @Rollergirl1980 apart from one girl in my class used to have a really good wash. The rest of us did it as quickly as possible so she really stood out.

user1497787065 · 24/08/2021 14:37

Yes, we were actually ticked off by the games teacher in her book as we walked out of the row of communal showers. If you had your period you could be excused and she put a large P in the box against your name.

ThroughThinkandThing · 24/08/2021 14:37

Communal showers up to yr8, individual showers (curtains) yr9 onwards.

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itssquidstella · 24/08/2021 14:41

We were made to use them once in middle school (I think we were in Y7 or Y8). They were big open plan showers - no cubicles or curtains. We all turned up in our swimming costumes. That was the only time we were made to use them and I'm still not sure why - the teacher had forewarned us, hence the swimming costumes (she might have even told us to bring them!), and we hadn't been doing anything different from usual that might have especially warranted a shower.

Evenstar · 24/08/2021 14:45

Compulsory at my first secondary school, we had to strip and then walk through the changing room and go back to the bench to collect our towel after the shower.The PE teacher watched us too. My second school (we moved areas) nobody used the showers at all. This was late 70’s/early 80’s.

I am so glad to hear that girls don’t still have to go through this.

TheDogsMother · 24/08/2021 14:49

At school in the 70s and showers were compulsory after PE. The Games teacher would stand and supervise and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience. We all hated it and would try and get out in the minimum time allowed Blush

PullTheWeeds · 24/08/2021 14:52

Never. We had about 3 minutes to get ready for our next class and had a teacher barking in the door at us to hurry up and get out the whole time! I could just imagine their faces if we'd said we needed to shower!

nonotmenotI · 24/08/2021 14:52

The swimming ones did but only to rinse off. I've no idea if the other showers worked.

My husband said they had to use the showers because some of the kids would pee on other kids after pe so would need to shower.

Original poster
Soubriquet · 24/08/2021 15:02

@nonotmenotI

The swimming ones did but only to rinse off. I've no idea if the other showers worked.

My husband said they had to use the showers because some of the kids would pee on other kids after pe so would need to shower.

What?! Ew
OP posts:
icedcoffees · 24/08/2021 15:05

We used the swimming ones, but not the ones in the regular PE changing rooms.

GreenTeaBlackCoffeeAndRedWine · 24/08/2021 15:10

We never used them, I think there were 2 closed showers in the changing room and often more than 30 girls so we would of never had time anyway.

I don't know what the boys did. Suspect they didn't use them either.

Bloodybridget · 24/08/2021 15:11

I was at secondary school in the 60s. What showers? I stayed on a kibbutz at the end of my first year at university, and was completely taken aback by the women volunteers' communal showers, with no partitions. Before that, I hadn't seen another naked person since I was a small child, occasionally sharing baths with my brother or a parent.

Kanaloa · 24/08/2021 15:13

We didn’t have any. Bit disgusting now I think of it, running round playing hockey then chilling out in double maths. I’d never go to the gym now then just stick my work uniform on and saunter over to work.

It might be common in America though, wouldn’t surprise me. Have you ever been in an American public toilet cubicle? Might as well not even have doors.

Looneytune253 · 24/08/2021 15:15

Eh? We had to when I was there and I'm only 38. It was like a corner with a few showers and teacher would hold your towel as you walked round. Surprised that wasn't the norm for everyone

SockQueen · 24/08/2021 15:16

We always did, but had proper cubicles. There's was a weird culture in the first couple of years of some of the older girls deliberately showering with the curtains open and telling anyone who didn't "How pathetic! You're ashamed of your body!"

The first day of secondary I didn't bring a towel (it was on the kit list but I assumed it was - like several other items on there - only for girls who were boarding). Got ripped to shreds by the older girls after our first games session about how disgusting I was. 6 weeks previously I'd been in primary getting changed with everyone in the same classroom, so having showers never crossed my mind! It was the start of a fairly awful few years.

LER83 · 24/08/2021 15:18

When I first started we were made to, pe teacher watching, used have to walk through, awful! Wouldn't be allowed today! Then we got nice cubicles with doors put in, which we were happier to use, although think we used to just splash our feet and shoulders so we looked like we had! We had one horrible pe teacher who used to check.

silverstrawberry · 24/08/2021 15:22

In my school pupils would always fear someone was ogling them while showering or bullying them afterwards if their body part was different.. even the possibility of a teacher being a perv so can totally understand ur curious question

bebanjo · 24/08/2021 15:23

Left school in 86, yes we had to have a shower. You could take note to excuse you, but if you used a note 2 weeks in a row a letter was sent home to take you to the doctor.

SlamLikeAGuitar · 24/08/2021 15:23

Either for semi-private changing.....or where people used to shag between lessons Confused

GizmoIsSoFluffy · 24/08/2021 15:24

Yes, we had to use them - shouted at if we didn’t. Communism, everything on display to everyone else in the showers. Hated it and still shudder thinking about it 30 years later

CookPassBabtridge · 24/08/2021 15:24

Nope they were never used, no-one wanted to get naked in front of each other. There was no time anyway and it was all so cramped. Ugh my memories of high school PE changing rooms are grim! Not sure about the boys ones!

Belli668 · 24/08/2021 15:26

We had them in the back of the changing rooms (I was at high school 1996-2003). Never used. Apart from for a few weeks the PE teacher nagged us about showering and got a bit huffy that no one did.

We did use the swimming showers after swimming, but kept swimming costumes on. It was mainly for hair washing - noone used to wear a swimming cap so we’d wash our hair before the next lesson (no driers though!)

StuntNun · 24/08/2021 15:27

We were forced to by the PE teacher. It was one of my worst school experiences many of which were related to PE come to think of it.

Peanutsandchilli · 24/08/2021 15:49

Yes, we were forced to. Private girls' school. Ultimately, it was a test to see who could could stay the dryest whilst showering in their bra and knickers.

Rubyupbeat · 24/08/2021 15:53

Yes, we did, had no choice.
This was in the 70s