To feel embarrassed about walking around naked in gym changing rooms?

[IShouldNotCoco]

It isn’t because I dislike my body or anything but I do feel incredibly awkward about just stripping off and walking around. Is it upbringing?

I am quite envious of all the women who seem totally unbothered about doing this. If you’re trying to get changed without exposing everything, you’re definitely in the minority at my gym.

So I’m wondering how common it is for people to feel the way I do?!

Currently I just go to classes so shower when I get home, but I have witnessed this over the years OP! Slightly comical as it often goes on way beyond what is convenient , like they are just trying to make a massive point of how comfortable they are with their bodies. I don’t want to shame them and it is a good thing that they’re so confident but I would draw the line if they sit on anything but their towel. They also seem to wander around a lot more than others, loads of back and forth and wandering around far more than I ever have! Although reflecting I might only notice them if they’re wandering constantly… I’m not a prude, I put my towel down to put my underwear on (facing the locker) and don’t panic if there’s a bit of towel slip whilst I’m sat doing my hair etc but I do think people should put underwear on fairly quickly at least

I think the culture has shifted to become more private in the last 20 years. In my early adulthood, it was pretty normal to remove your cossie in communal single-sex showers, and at a few 1970s leisure centres in their original format that I went to there wasn't a cubicle option. One leisure centre had partial cubicles that only went to about shoulder height for changing.
With older ladies there might be a combination of confidence with age, and just being used to getting on with communal changing.

When the DCs had baby swimming lessons I got a poncho towel so I could deal with them first then dress myself. They were less common then so mine is a child's one. Not thorough coverage (it's probably shrunk with age), but enough to go from shower to locker, and it fits in my cubicle-sized bag more easily than my wild swimming upgrade. I towel dry in the shower so can quickly dress my lower half, then take it off to shove a t-shirt on. I tend to find cracking on with it quickly less noticable than faffing around trying to keep covered up.

If someone was taking a prolonged period without dressing and faffing around, that would be odd and stand out at my gym, but functionally going from shower to locker doesn't bother me.
Probably just as well... I have been to Icelandic swimming pools

I've used gyms for 30 years - a total of 10 different ones. In the open-plan, no cubicle ones, women would undress quickly, wrap a towel round themsand go to the showers, dressing quickly after. In the ones with a few cubicles, most women use them.

I've rarely noticed women being naked for longer than a few seconds but I tend not to look directly because I feel it's intrusive and rude.

Obviously it happens in some changing rooms more than others.

Different locations/areas/venues often have a certain culture that develops.

I grew up in Scotland, have lived all over the UK and stayed in about 7 different areas of London alone, so I’ve seen my fair share of gyms over the years. It happens lots in some, hardly ever if at all in others.

If you’ve not encountered women walking around naked that’s great - but it happens. You can obviously avert your eyes or whatever when you first notice them but you can’t really unsee whatever you’ve seen and peripheral vision is a thing.

I go to the council run gym 6 days a week. I never see anyone naked on weekdays but I think it’s because I go at 6am and people turn up in gym gear and I assume leave to go home and shower before work.

At weekends I go later and you may see a bit of nakedness but it’s seconds, not prolonged. People do the towel change thing.

I used to hide my body a lot when younger but just became immune to it when I started going to gyms and using changing rooms. It wasn’t that I became more body confident I don’t think, I just (a) cared less about people seeing my body because it’s just a body, and (b) realised that nobody else gives a shit about someone else just minding their own business changing freely …. Or so I thought before I read this thread haha.

I see a lot of PPs saying “there’s no need”. I mean, there’s also no need to hide under a towel trying to awkwardly pull on clothes over not fully dried skin, but each to their own I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️

Who does that? Sure there are some women who stand in front of their lockers and change their clothes or come from the showers (wrapped in a towel) and take it off to change but no one is walking around in my gym. People want to get changed and get out.
Im not walking around naked either - I don’t like my body but even do why would I? I don’t like walking naked around my empty house either.

Not seen this thank god, people are considerate at the places I’ve been. There is no need for it

There is a woman at my local gym, mid 50s ish, who walks around naked and even uses the provided hair dryers to stand and dry her pubic hair which I find really odd! But it’s certainly not the norm.

I go to DL, don't see a huge amount of nudeness and rarely see anyone wandering around naked.
Some people are happy to dry and then dress naked, others keep wrapped in a towel.
I am more likely to be covered but don't have an issue with my breasts being on show if I'm putting my swimming costume on or my bra on.
It's not body confidence, my boobs are shrunken spaniels ears, I just don't really care.

The changing rooms I’ve been in people just get changed, so sometimes bits of them are naked but they’re definitely not walking around (for what purpose?) or completely naked (unless there’s an open shower).

I still remember a girl back in high school who would do this 🤣 I'm so uncomfortable at the thought but admire people who aren't bothered by nakedness

Seriously, gyms don't have cubicles 😮 People pay gym membership to get changed in communal facilities? I will stick with the local swimming pool.

Nope, never been to one that has!

I went swimming last night and a large lady came to the poolside wrapped in a towel. I mention she her size not to be insulting but as to attempt to explain her following actions. Peri menopause has given me the gift of carrying some extra baggage I’m desperately trying to lose so I’m in no place to judge and would never judge anyway! I’ve battled my weight and eating disorders all my life.

There were two women swimming who she obviously knew and was coming to join. She walked to the steps to the pool and went to unwrap her towel but then seemed to change her mind and pulled the towel back round her in a self conscious way and went to sit on one of the poolside loungers and continued talking to her friends in the pool.

Unfortunately her towel didn’t quite close round where she’d wrapped it round her waist from behind so it gaped at the front. She was wearing one of those swimming costumes with a skirt and sat on the lounger with her legs slightly open and elbows on her knees leaning forward, she was obviously thinking the towel and skirt on her swimming costume were covering her modesty.

As the swimming pool is lower what she didn’t realise was the gusset part of her swimming costume had turned into a front style thong and when anyone was swimming towards her they were looking up into a full frontal view of her growler, it was like it was winking when she was opening and closing her legs 😂.

She stayed chatting with her friends a few minutes and went back to the empty changing room which seemed a shame when she’d obviously come to swim.

This is obviously completely different to women in a changing room just focusing on themselves, it’s another when you get an eyeful and there is nowhere else you can look.
There is a woman at my gym who throws her towel over her shoulder when she comes out of the shower and spends a lot longer then seems necessary just walking around and getting in the way. It’s a small space so most people get changed on a small section of the bench with everything contained in one area and not blocking lockers or bending over naked to apply body lotion, I admire her confidence though.

I don’t mind getting changed in the communal area and being briefly naked (but using my towel for as much modestly as possible) the women are all shapes and sizes and as long as they actually are the same sex I’m comfortable.

We did have an issue for a while with a woman insisting on bringing her 12 year old son into the changing room (no SEND I know the woman well and she just didn’t think he was safe in the men’s) but luckily the gym banned her when she refused to respect the age limit rule of no boys over 8 years old. Thats a totally separate discussion though.

I don't tie myself in knots covering up, just dry myself and put my clothes on. I do get naked in the process. I usually try to keep my back to people, to protect their embarrassment rather than mine. Nakedness doesn't bother me, but I don't flaunt it. I'd put a towel on if I was crossing the room, but again only because I know some people are embarrassed by nudity.

I’m comfortable with my naked self. Personally, l’m relaxed about being seen in the nude, l was born naked. I’ve modelled for life drawing classes in the past and mum and dad were relaxed about nudity. But sister and l were warned by them about risks from “bad people”.

So, yes, l suspect your upbringing has something to do with it OP, it does for all of is with so many things. But do what you feel comfortable doing.

But you just said ‘I wish I had their confidence’. Make your mind up. You seem judgemental. It is a changing room not a drawing room. It is fine for people to be naked.

I see the competitive prudishness spiral is well underway. They're just bodies. We all have one. They aren't embarrassing or disgusting or weird. It's a room specifically for being naked in, as required. What's the big deal?

Oh yes. Their loos even have a "poo shelf" where you can have a good look at what you've done.

What kind of set up does the changing room have that the majority of people have cause to walk around naked? Where are they walking to and from? Even in situations where I was 100% comfortable to be seen naked whilst changing publicly I can’t really imagine a need to walk anywhere? Do they strew their clothes around the changing room before they start dressing to give them places to walk to?

I wouldn’t and have never walked around naked in a shared space like that and find it odd when people do. However, I guess
it cultural too. Recently I went to a thermal spa in Germany with a (also British) friend. After changing into our swimsuits in the totally private changing areas, we pushed a door open to the shower area and were confronted with a dozen women showering naked in the same space. I couldn’t handle it and walked on. We couldn’t stop giggling at the irony of rules around changing solo in completely private locked spaces but then showering naked with everyone, like that’s normal and something I want to do.

it’s a bit weird and exhibitionist

I’ve seen women come out of the shower, dry off a bit, then proceed to dry their hair naked before getting dressed. I was always like, this isn’t your house love, no one wants to see that.

What's wrong with being naked?