To be a bit taken aback?

[Iveputmyselfonthenaughtystep]

Been going to my gym for a while now. Changing rooms are a mixed bag of women coyly retreating to cubicles, coyly wriggling under a towel in the open plan bit, semi-boldly stripping off to change but doing it very quickly and the odd octogenarian who obviously no longer gives any kind of a fuck and just gets undressed and dressed in her own good time.

All of these are fine and dandy and I do my best to give them privacy by keeping my eyes focused on my own stuff. This week though there was a woman who made me double take and then not know where to look.

Ignoring the fact that she left all her stuff laid out over an entire bench for the duration of her residency in the gym (ie - it was there when I got there. There when I went to change for the sauna and showers and there when I came out of the showers, so a good 90 minutes) she sauntered out of the shower with her towel wrapped round her head and flip flops on. Nowt else. Dries herself off thoroughly whilst admiring herself in the mirror. So far, so bold, fair play to her, though I wish she'd been a little more considerate of space.

This is the bit that flabbergasted me though and I genuinely want to know if I'm being unreasonable to have wished she'd kept it to home....

Still stark bollock naked she wanders over to the full length mirror in the centre of the changing rooms, which is in a central thoroughfare bit, so everyone has to go past relatively closely to move from one bit of the changing rooms to any other, holding a mitt and a bottle and proceeds to spend nearly 20 minutes applying fake tan to her naked self. I think the worst bit was glancing up as she bent over in front of me to do her legs. I mean, she had a nice figure, she obviously looks after herself, but there's some views that only intimate partners and gynaecologists should be privy to in my opinion, yet I was treated to a good old look.

Aibu to expect extensive nudity and fake tanning to be done in private? Am I a horrible old prude? I had a giggle about it afterwards but I do kind of hope I'm not subjected to that again as it made me rather uncomfortable.

Although I think I have more of this definition in my head than the flirtatious one I also spotted when l looked up 'coy' just now in case I'd misused it. Perhaps i have slightly.

"reluctant to give details about something regarded as sensitive."

Just what I wanted to say - Nothing wrong with her being naked, as you say, but she sounds like an exhibitionist. Making a whole song and dance of being naked, putting on lotion or fake tan, bending over and whatnot. She enjoys the attention/shock.

Did she have bollocks or not?

@PrincessPaws

People are weird, I was leaving the changing room a couple of months ago (I'm definitely a coy cubicle changer) and saw one woman topless with a towel on her head FaceTiming her husband/boyfriend while she was wandering around and faffing with her makeup! Ok for her but I suspect everyone else in there was verging on murderous (but too polite to say anything)

That would get her thrown out of my gym. One woman was tracked down by the owner and made to delete her changing room selfie because she'd caught naked children in the background. There are BIG signs about no photos or videos in the changing area.

I've also looked up from tying my laces to a vag in all it's naked bent over glory about a meter away from my face.

Worst thing is that was at a workplace gym, I never looked at it's owner the same way again 🤣

@AppleBottomedJeans

Did she have bollocks or not?

Nope. Single sex changing areas.

I wish I didn't know this, but no pubes, certainly...

When I was much younger I went swimming and going back into the teeny changing room there was an elder lady, stark bollock naked with one leg up resting on the sink, drying her bush with a hairdryer. I didn’t know where to look 😆

I like your descriptions, OP. Nothing wrong with them! She's an exhibitionist. Why on earth would you do that in public otherwise?

I did report it to reception as I left, but no idea if anything happened (I doubt it did, they looked at me as if to say 🤷‍♀️)

I admire her confidence!

I’m always a bit surprised at people who do things like apply body lotion at the gym. I don’t even wash my hair unless I’ve gone in a pool. For me a gym shower is a functional affair, I’d skip the body lotion, that to me is something you do at a leisurely pace at home.

@Floundery

I apply fake tan at the gym - I'd rather their towels get Tango'ed than mine, frankly.

I do it in a cubicle though. No need to frighten the horses.

It's BYOT here (bring yer own towel). Like I said, not that swanky!

I've never understood the bush drying with a hairdryer. I mean, doesn't a quick rub with the towel get most bushes dry?

Not the point of the post I know... But I also hate unnecessary parading around in the buff in the gym changing rooms.

A woman does this at my gym. Mine isn’t swanky either. Usually there are some kids doing laps at the same time. When I last went she was on my bench and applying body moisturiser. In the time I arrived, dried and changed and out my hair up she had moved from moisturising one arm out to the upper area of the same arm. I concluded she never had time to do this shit at home. Must be exhausted by the time she is home.

@GhostCurry

I’m always a bit surprised at people who do things like apply body lotion at the gym. I don’t even wash my hair unless I’ve gone in a pool. For me a gym shower is a functional affair, I’d skip the body lotion, that to me is something you do at a leisurely pace at home.

I dunno, I mean, I'll stick a bit on my arms once I've got my bra and undercrackers on. I'm either stinky after the gym or wet after the pool, so I just wash there. Saves time later when I get home and time is a rare commodity as a general rule.

I think fake tanning in public is weird. Wouldn’t do it myself.
But I’ll comfortable with nudity, so don’t bother covering up myself. But I certainly don’t bend over and flash my bits at people either.
That said, if there’s a cubical I’ll use it-so I don’t have to chat. Although I’m fine being naked the introverted part of me doesn’t want to have to socialise! 😂

I’ve seen many a bollock naked woman in the gym changing room, worse bit being I was going to the same class as them on a regular basis for years .. and for years (from day 1 btw) you’d get complete nakedness and them having a full blown conversation with you. I always put my bra and pants on at least before getting into chat 🤣 each to their own I suppose

@ButterfliesAndDaffodils Hmm I think I’m 2021 they’d just watch some porn rather than do creative writing!

*in

I've been in so many gyms and it's unbelievable how much the culture varies from one to the next. I've been greeted by the sight of a (definitely natural redhead) woman sitting on the couch seat with her feet raised up and apart while she happily lathered lotion onto her thigh. Another changing room seemed to be filled with entirely naked thirty something mums chatting loudly, taking phonecalls and writing lists. Then the other extreme of people putting swimsuits on to go into the shower.

I realised I was the shocking person in one gym near a new job. I went every morning before work in my gym gear, worked out and got ready for work. It was great, very quiet at that hour of the day and lots of space. I used to shower, put on my (full brief) knickers and bra and sit down in front of the mirrors to blow dry my hair and do my makeup. I thought I must be paranoid and imagining the nasty looks I was receiving from two other women who came some mornings and were clearly friends until I got a very spiteful telling off about 'putting it away please'. I was shocked and quite shaken up. People sunbathe in far far less.

I once did an army course with someone like this. Shared rooms with about 12 people and she stripped off completely to apply fake tan on her bed in the middle of the dorm.

Being naked - fine.
Applying fake tan - not fine.

The changing rooms are exactly that - to get changed in.
Obviously you can brush your hair and even apply a bit of make up but putting on fake tan is a step too far.

I wonder if she lives in a van or somewhere where she can’t have a full body mirror as I can’t think of any reason you wouldn’t fake tan at home.

Just to add to the above post - I was getting dressed after drying my hair so I didn't get my work clothes all crumpled or wet from my hair. Basically the way I do it at home.

Hmmm moisturiser is fine I have to say, I have eczema so if I've swam (swum?) or steamed I have to use emollient all over as soon as poss.

Fake tan is a bit weird. What if she got it all over the place? I think I have to hope that she lives in a flat share and her bathroom is small so she does it at the gym.

Could've chucked some pants on though.