M&S men's changing rooms this weekend?

[wheresmymojo]

Anyone fancy trying on some bras in the men's changing rooms this weekend?

M&S have invited all customers to use whatever changing room they 'feel most comfortable using'.

I think I will find it most comfortable to try bras on in the men's changing rooms this weekend. I may talk loudly about 'lady things' and do normal stuff like ask panicking men which one looks best.

Anyone else up for this?

I'm in the Surrey/Hampshire area. Maybe we can form some little groups...?

No one will take you seriously.
when ManFriday used the Hampstead mens pool men took it seriously - they called the police!

The point, ex-wife and Pictish, is that most men are horrified at the idea of walking out of the men's department, out of their way, through the lingerie and women's clothes, to deliberately choose to use a changing room full of women.

Predatory men and peeping toms will be flocking there. There will be none in the men's.

The men's is now where we as women are safest.

I tweeted my intentions to do exactly this the other day so will be joining you!

Alright then...have fun.

I like that idea too joolz.

I wouldn't propose to ponce around in my undies in the men's changing room. I think the mere presence of a woman in a cubicle would probably be enough to make the point.

I wonder if StickerWoman and her helpers will be paying any visits to M&S over the coming weeks
Yes they will!

Have you factored in that the men might actually LIKE to see bare naked ladies in their changing rooms?! The perverts.

If I was closer and free I would totally join you!

do you seriously think someone looking to attack woman or something is gonna do it in a marks and Spencer?? Lols 😆**

I think men looking to attack women do it wherever they can get access to women.

I imagine if I suggested a woman could be attacked on a packed bus in the middle of a Saturday afternoon you would laugh.

But that's one of the times I got attacked.

...and for a closer example I was targeted by a male voyeur in the tanning area of a large and busy leisure centre.

I've been attacked in a street, in a shopping mall, in a taxi and in a full bar.

So yes, my experience tells me that you can be attacked anywhere.

But laugh if you like.

@WoollyMollyMonkey I'm very fat these days.

They'd have liked it 8 years or so ago, probs not so much now

I'm not up for trying on a bra the men's changing area as I feel it might backfire but can some clever designer type create a sign we can all home print onto stickers saying. 'Women's changing room. Men
welcome to feel comfortable here with young girls and vulnerable females' with an m&s logo that we can all take in a stick outside their women's changing rooms.

@Sparklfairy

Predatory men and peeping toms will be flocking there. There will be none in the men's

does this not sound even just a little hyperbolic to you?

Thank you for posting this OP, I was going to suggest the same thing and have made the point on other threads that I think we are at the time where we need to try and show that this will not just impact women but men as well. I don't, for one minute, think they will like it however it will raise awareness and, as we know, men are listened to more than women.

I was also going to suggest that prior to using the mens, a member of staff is asked about the policy. This will tell us, and I think would be very helpful to M&S management, whether the shop floor assistants have actually been told what to do. So it's probably worth asking if all changing rooms are unisex, what happens if a man uses the womens/lingerie changing room and vice versa. We can then collate all the info and report back to M&S management. I think they'll be really pleased because evidently they have had to down size their communications team.

Lastly for those saying we shouldn't do this. I maintain that from now the mens is probably the safest changing room in all of M&S because all the pervs will be in womens and there probably won't be any cameras in the mens.

Strictly speaking, you don't have to try the bra on to make the protest, you just say you are and see if any men complain , whereupon you have succeed in raising the profile of the problem

I’m imagining all these Cosmo Smallpieces flocking to M&S to have a good look!

exWife creeps are, by nature, opportunists. If a creep wants to get his kicks and has been given the green light by m&s, of course that's where he'll choose to go. I won't put myself in that situation anymore than I'd leave my drink unattended in a bar or walk home alone drunk late at night. If it happens to one woman, once, it's once too many. Nothing hyperbolic about it.

I will do this but probably not this weekend.

I will now feel much more comfortable in the men's changing room, far more so than the women's now.

The men in the men's are trying on clothes.
The men in the women's are not there to try on clothes, although that is what it may appear to be.

Besides, the queues will be shorter!

I do feel sorry for the staff who will ultimately be dealing with the fall-out of this policy change and I doubt they would have had a great deal of training and support in handling this sort of thing. It's not their fault but it is their problem sadly, but I agree that the point needs to be made.

I worked in retail in the 90s and picked up semen covered women's thongs in the men's changing rooms with a coat hanger of a busy Saturday. This is not new, it's just now you can do it in women's.

The point is that you don’t have to get undressed. Just standing in the queue with an armful of underwear and taking up a cubicle for 15 minutes whilst you read mums eat makes the point. If enough women were doing this male customers would start complaining about this policy too and it will be more likely to be overturned.

I also like the order and return idea.

*Mumsnet not mums eat!

I can only do Friday morning but yes I'm up for this.

Very good point, made by several PP: there is now a green light and a welcome mat out for all the creeps to use the changing room nearest the lingerie dept.
So logically the safest place for women would be the changing room in/nearest the men's dept, which the creeps no longer use.

I also like the idea of turning up at the changing room in/nearest the men's, with armfuls of lingerie, and then sitting in a cubicle reading MN for 15 minutes (and perhaps making shuffling noises, every now and again, just for the look of the thing?!)

I ordered £130 worth of bras the other day and had them delivered to my home as I no longer feel safe trying on bras in Marks and Spencer's changing rooms. It was free delivery so cost me nothing. In fact it was more convenient than going to the store. Unfortunately none of them are quite right so I will be using their free delivery label to post them back to them.

Oooh I love Joolz' idea - will be doing that too. Repeatedly.

When I was young m&s didn't have changing rooms. Maybe they should go back to that.