Why do some/so many women feel uncomfortable with other naked women?

[Habbibu]

Bit of a spin-off from the blowdrying thread, which was funny, so I didn't want to drag it down with this. However, many of the posts were a bit dispiriting - lots of discomfort in the presence of naked women, lots of disparaging comments about other women's bodies and grooming.

I'm hardly a parading naturist, but I'm happy enough being naked and around naked women - not v. interested in beaking about, tbh, but happy to chat while drying off (with a towel...), and I really don't get why women are so squeamish about this. And in an age where so many women are said to have poor self-image about their bodies, do we really help each other with this attitude? Where does it come from? Why such nerviness about what's essentially just skin, and nothing particularly exciting?

I'm the same really Trillian, when all is well anyway. Does nobody find my bath story freaky though?

I'm not sure I got if BoF: you were in the bath. DP was chatting to you. She walked in unexpectedly and acted like it was perfectly normal. Is that right?

If I walked in on youu in the bath I would retreat fairly hastily and apologise, on the basis that even if I were comfortable with your nudity, you might not be.

Thats what I mean...and it was the first time we'd ever met! That was the bit that threw me.

I never shower in gym changing rooms because then it means I have to haul a bunch of stuff into the gym and the last time I did, some asshole broke into my locker and stole most of my beloved music collection.

I drive home and clean up there.

One of my old flatmate's friends burst in on me when I was in the bath once.

Poor guy, I never saw him again . Apparently he went back into the living room where a group of them were having drinks and watching a video, made his excuses and left. He must have been utterly traumatised - I don't like to think what that says about my body.

Anyway, I wouldn't feel comfortable talking to someone other than ds or dh in the bath. I don't know why, I'd just feel quite vulnerable. Maybe if it was very bubbly..

I do not feel uncomfortable surrounded by other naked women, but I worry that they feel uncomfortable when confronted by me nekkid. I am (very) overweight and thus not a pretty picture.
But other people's nekkidness does not bother me in the slightest.

I absolutely HATE being around naked women. Don't know why - just a feeling. I would much rather be in a changing room full of naked hairy arsed men anyday. I even feel uncomfortable at the hairdressers when a women washes my hair! That's intimate enough without seeing women naked.
Whenever I've seen documentaries of those naturist camps I feel quite faint and want to lie down - how can those women not leave snail trails everywhere they sit down? And by the law of averages some people have got to have a smelly bum surely? Saggy, baggy skin? It's disgusting looking at it in the mirror let alone on other people...
PUT. SOME. CLOTHES. ON. Arrrrghhhh

fairynuff, you have issues, love

I feel uncomfortable around nudey women...my Mum was very prim when I was growing up and never pranced around in the nude, and I blame it on that. I just never know where to look. But me being nude in public is worse.

Now nude men....thats a different box of sausages altogether.....

Anyfucker - probably - but just don't waggle your naked tits in my face and I'll go quietly

Its all the bending and legs akimbo stuff in gym changing rooms that gives me the heeby geebies.

Put it away!!

Not bothered at all. But some women are and that makes me feel awkward.

The hairdryer thing was just odd though,

I think there is a big difference between just being naked for a short time while you do practical things such as towel-dry

...and being a complete exhibitionist and prolonging the show-casing, bending over, drying (head) hair interminably whilst bollock-o, sitting with legs open and muff hanging out etc etc

a gym I used to go to there was a show-off woman who used to chat for ages in the nude and absentmindedly fiddle with her pubic hair (which was very abundant...)

I had a shower next to someone I vaguely knew at the swimming baths once and she vigorously cleaned out both fanny flaps whilst carrying on the conversation.

Bearing in mind my extreme aversion (see above) I was silently saying to myself "find a happy place. find a happy place..."

I have no problem being naked in front of other women, but I have a few friends that do.

And sometimes I see (usually young, ie late teens) women tying themselves in knots at the gym changing rooms - trying to put swimwear on without removing their clothes - I think wtf! Nobody is that interested in their nakedness!

Mind you, we also get the other extreme - drying hair (head) when starkers, bending over naked to rub cream in their feet and showing off far, far too much genitalia!

I also shared the steam room yesterday with a woman who had at least two inches of pubes sticking out of her cossie! But that's for another thread, probably...

I would love to know actually, if there are any pyschologists on, why I have such an aversion to women's naked bodies? I even feel a bit queasy when I see mothers breastfeeding which is complete hypocrisy because I used to whop my huge, grey, veiny, ugly tits out all the time when I was breastfeeding.
I don't have a moral aversion to it and I agree with elsiepiddock that a brief, discreet flash of nakedness is much more sensible than some self-absorbed delusion that "everyone is going to see me".
I guess I just don't feel that comfortable with my body. But even when I was young, slim and gorgeous I went on holiday with a mate and used to get really annoyed when she went topless even though I was in the minority.

your upbringing ?

Yes there's naked (necessary to get changed)and there's tmi-naked (have you met my muff?)

I don't have a problem with it. In fact I always used to find it really odd that people changed furtively under towels or went in cubicles. But I was a competitive swimmer and spent years getting changed and chatting in front of others, so to me that was "normal".

yes surfermum, but do you twiddle your pubes and groom them while you are "chatting" ?

I don't think so .

I have never been naked around anyone apart from very closest family so chatting while towelling down my arse leaves me cold.

I'm pretty uncomfortable with nakedness full stop, to be honest . I feel ugly and judged if I get naked. Paranoid, moi?

I don't feel 100% comfortable with being around naked women ... partly because I am always conscious about looking/not looking/averting my eyes etc. I went to boarding school where you were considered a "perv" if you looked at anyone else when you were changing and I think some paranoia rubbed off on me! That said I still change in the changing rooms without too many problems but I would not feel comfortable strutting around!

I am very open but my DH is sooo shy with other guys in the whole communal shower thing. He said one particular incident left him feeling rather ill; a colleague of his joined his gym and met him in the changing rooms after squash and started towel drying his bollocks one leg astride the stool. They were literally swinging there whilst he was talking about work. He said he just didn't get the image out of his head whenever he saw the guy...