Men in changing rooms

[TheWernethWife]

Went shopping yesterday, popped into a well known women's shop and there was a man in the changing room. When I asked why he was there the assistant looked at me like I had three heads and said he was probably helping his wife and most people wouldn't be bothered. Well I was bloody bothered.

Morphene.

Why are separate changing rooms for men and women sexist?

francis I can't see how single sex spaces can be considered anything other than sexist. I genuinely can't.

You are deciding who can entire based on nothing but sex. This is the definition of sexism.

There is no obvious reason biologically to segregate people while trying on clothes (ie. this is not one of the very few cases where it genuinely makes a difference which variety of genitals you have), hence it must surely fall under sexism.

I wouldn't care if someone was looking at me naked because it has no affect on me whatsoever.

I don't care about it in the same way I don't care if someone eats a cake or not. It just doesn't have anything to do with me.

Why would you care?

I think both are prejudiced against.

I don't want to have golf clubs for women and golf clubs for men either. Just because there is provision for both sexes doesn't mean it is okay?

"I wouldn't care if someone was looking at me naked because it has no affect on me whatsoever"

Good,

That is not how most people feel.

And it would only be sexist if one sex was in some way disadvantaged.

What we could do is ditch all the victorian baggage and stop assuming that people seeing our naked bodies is a bad or shameful thing. We could just get changed in front of each other in general.

Women's bodies wouldn't be a source of titillation for men because they would have grown up around naked female bodies all their lives.

We could just get over it.

Why would you care?

Really? Have a think why it might bother someone,try really hard.

You clearly don't understand what sexism means-you have redefines it to suit yourself. So no point carrying on, really.

are we pretending then, that the provision of changing facilities is the same for men and women? Because it never is.

So you don't comment on the golf clubs. Is it okay for a gold club to be men only as long as their is a club available to women also? Is it okay for a company to employ only men as long as there are other companies that employ women?

Was it okay to have schools for white people as long as there were also schools for black people in South Africa?

This argument really doesn't wash with me at all.

dame why don't you just tell me why its a problem for you? what negative affect does someone looking at you have on you?

"are we pretending then, that the provision of changing facilities is the same for men and women? Because it never is"

Sorry?

Francis some people might prefer to change with their own race. Or not in front of homosexual members of their own sex.

Doesn't mean they get to go around the place demanding white only or straight only changing spaces does it?

Either it isn't sexism to have male only and female only spaces or it is. You can't say its fine when it is changing rooms, but not fine when it is swimming pools or golf club lounges.

dame why don't you just tell me why its a problem for you? what negative affect does someone looking at you have on you?

Because I don't want a man in a female changing space.

I would actually prefer to change with men than women if it really came down to it. I find the gaze of other women to be more judgemental and more intrusive.

Does the fact I feel this way entitle me to demand a space I feel comfortable changing in?

I'm guessing it doesn't. Because my biases and prejudices are my own problem.

I'm just not sure why everyone else feels entitled to bring their prejudices to the shops with them.