“My kids take swim lessons at Tyler Junior College, and we have to go through the women’s locker room to access the pool,” writes Jennifer in Texas. “Something tells me that some of the ladies here in the Bible Belt don’t appreciate seeing their fellow females displaying the full glory of God’s creation, if you get my drift.”
And a shot of the whole scene…
related: “Do Not Leave Bathing Suit in the House” (and other pool rules)
extra credit: The horrors of locker-room nudity [Salon.com]
183 responses so far ↓
#1
zenvelo
“…just walk naked to the front desk to get a towel…”
Sep 15, 2011 at 12:29 am rating: 182
#2
CozaT
Presumably one has to ask for the towel at the front desk before they’re nude.
Sep 15, 2011 at 12:34 am rating: 14
#3
NIP mom
OH the HORROR!!!! I wonder what they would think about a mom breastfeeding in public??? even MORE horror with the whipping out of the boobs!!!
Sep 15, 2011 at 12:34 am rating: 48
#4
julia
Hells to the ya, am I am gonna tear it up with a comment! Oh for the love of gawd! These peeps need to read “Our Bodies, Ourselves ” ( the earlier the edition, the better), as well as ” The Joy of Sex”! Well, maybe not, if they be thus, prudent. But on the reals, WT and F?
Sep 15, 2011 at 12:37 am rating: 22
#5
tracy
This makes me sad.
Sep 15, 2011 at 12:44 am rating: 44
#6
Eyebleach
I agree with the signs. Nobody needs to see anyone they don’t know naked for more than two seconds. Old hippies at my gym are the worst offenders.
Sep 15, 2011 at 12:47 am rating: 33
#7
pik
just because the room was specifically created for changing clothes and showering does *not* mean you are welcome to actually take off your clothes! duh.
Sep 15, 2011 at 12:49 am rating: 147
#8
JetJackson
It’s not uncomfortable for me to see naked women in the ladies change room. Although it’s probably uncomfortable for them.
Sep 15, 2011 at 12:51 am rating: 33
#9
A Fox
I am so disgusted by this attitude. If you don’t want to see naked people, then shower at home and stay out of the public locker room. Ugh.
Sep 15, 2011 at 12:53 am rating: 124
#10
MrCreepy
Does this not include respecting my desire to remain nude for a bit? If you dislike it, look elsewhere. As to the modesty thing, well, just because I’m comfortable with myself doesn’t make me immodest. Walking around in public nude would do that. Which I am also not opposed to.
of course, all this is moot because if I were in their bathroom and naked, we would have greater issues, and I would have some authorities asking me to use a towel, too.
Sep 15, 2011 at 12:56 am rating: 28
#11
pony girl
I’m confused.
The only way to get to the pool is through the women’s locker room?
Isn’t that a bit awkward? Having men walk through the women’s locker room like that? Is that even legal? Is there a youtube channel?
Sep 15, 2011 at 1:02 am rating: 42
#12
PANs_Labyrinth
You should put up a note saying: “Just because you’re uptight does not mean that others share the same viewpoint. Let us ALL RESPECT each other”
Sep 15, 2011 at 1:08 am rating: 91
#13
Nudecyclist
Youd think that people who worship god with such fervor would understand that our bodies are supposedly “made in his image” and are quite beautiful to behold, in all shapes, colors and sizes. Being NUDE in public does not portray anything crude or sexual, if someone was in the locker room naked with their partner while pushing the boundries of PDA THEN they have a right to get pissed off. However, by telling your children that nudity is to be feared and guarded against you are basically teaching them to be ashamed of the beautiful body that you helped create. There is no reason for people to be this close minded, ignorant and selfish. There are no rules in my gyms locker room regarding nudity and if somebody has a problem with it they had better talk to me in person, because leaving notes on the wall would just leave me ample oppurtunity to write “you are a narrow minded, childish imbecile” with a Sharpie all over them
.
Sep 15, 2011 at 1:13 am rating: 91
#14
Earl Hamsher
I would normally wear a towel but I would have to go naked just to spite the biddies.
Sep 15, 2011 at 1:20 am rating: 49
#15
Briana
I don’t see where it says the poster is religious on any of the notes. I actually understand not liking to see naked people flopping all over the dressing room. I go into the corner and get dressed as quickly as possible. And interestingly enough the worst “naked” offenders are Asian women. Must be part of the culture.
Sep 15, 2011 at 1:39 am rating: 10
#16
Megan
I live in the Middle East, and nudity is forbidden in the gym change rooms. It is a very conservative culture so here, I can understand it. I am very surprised to see similar attitudes in America.
Sep 15, 2011 at 1:45 am rating: 19
#17
Nudecyclist
Briana… No, the notes do not specify the religious affiliation of the writer but the intro written by the website quoting the submitter is biased towards believing that it was a overly zealous bible thumper who posted the notes. I have personally not noticed a single culture that I can idetify as being the “worst offenders” of public nudity. I guess I dont really give enough of shit to notice. Its their body and they may display it as they please considering its not against the laws here. If you have a problem with nudity you should probably avoid areas that are designated for that kind of activity, instead of expecting the majority of others who are comfortable with it to recognize your prudish outlook from the way you glare at them and mumble passively under your breath about how rude they are.
Sep 15, 2011 at 2:04 am rating: 29
#18
Suzi
Sorry, I spent too much of high school trying to juggle a towel so it both covered my bits and and could be used to dry my feet, and I feel less self-respect when hopping on one foot scrabbling wildly at the all-too-small bit of cloth than I do when some tweener gives me a dirty look for fouling her view with my post-baby boobs. I’ve grown up. Try it.
Team Actually-Wanting-To-Wash!
Sep 15, 2011 at 2:22 am rating: 65
#19
leni
Hmm… I live in Europe I agree with PANs_Labyrinth – … WTF is wrong with ppl who are afraid of naked bodies in A LOCKER ROOM??
If you are modest – wear a towel yourself.
I wouldnt like to see naked people in PUBLIC, but in a locker room – if you don’t like it, look away!
Sep 15, 2011 at 2:28 am rating: 46
#20
DS
Sometimes the junk needs to air dry to keep the junk funk away.
Sep 15, 2011 at 3:01 am rating: 24
#21
humorless
“If you are looking that closely at my naked body, please let me know if any of my moles change shape.”
Sep 15, 2011 at 3:04 am rating: 113
#22
Graham
The notices are in the women’s locker room. Does this mean it’s not a problem for the men. As we all know men have the bodies of a god and have no problem posing naked. Of course some of the godlike bodies are a little saggy or have some upholstery but underneath it is still a vision of adonis.
Sep 15, 2011 at 3:23 am rating: 16
#23
Sof
Have you ever seen a gym locker room full of naked old ladies? If you had, you would have sided with the note writer.
Dangly, wrinkly bits EVERYWHERE. *shudder*
Sep 15, 2011 at 4:09 am rating: 7
#24
Grant
Given that the signs are above the hand-dryers, I suspect some ladies have taken to sending a zephyr to stir the grass in the lady garden, if you get my drift.
I’ve certainly seen gents in the changing rooms in the UK holding their junk up in the jet stream. It’s so hard to get a blow job nowadays.
Sep 15, 2011 at 4:12 am rating: 35
#25
Greendragon
I guess the naked cycle ride would make the notewriter implode.
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/866062-nude-cyclists-take-to-streets-of-london-for-world-naked-bike-ride
Sep 15, 2011 at 4:14 am rating: 2
#26
Smedrick
I thought broads were cool with seeing each other naked. Men, on the other hand, not so much. The female body is aesthetically perfect, while the male body is mostly just built for function.
Sep 15, 2011 at 5:52 am rating: 9
#27
Jenny
So repressed.
Sep 15, 2011 at 5:53 am rating: 13
#28
Juniper
I can understand that someone else might be a bit more shy or modest or even have a self-acknowledged issue with their own body. That’s fine if they need to cover themselves up. But that ‘respect’ idea – that would mean respecting that not everyone else shares their views or their hangups.
Sep 15, 2011 at 6:00 am rating: 17
#29
catherine
I’m more with the live and let live crowd, but when I was at the gym one time getting dressed, I was sitting on the bench and this ancient old lady bent down right in front of me to pick up her flip flops sans towel. Her lady bits were 2 feet in front of me. I could almost see he uterus ffs! Look away? How? it happened so fast I didn’t even have time to move.
Sep 15, 2011 at 7:53 am rating: 11
#30
DLo
I’d be mortified. Not because someone was naked. Because my kids would undoubtedly say something like, “Mama, look, her butt has the same dimples that yours has! Why are her boobs so droopy?” And they’d be loud.
Sep 15, 2011 at 7:59 am rating: 44
#31
Splint Chesthair
I’ve got no problem with nakedness. I enjoy it quote often. I’ve been on clothing optional beaches and other such establishments.
However, there does seem to be an overlap group of “people who are fine with being naked” and “people with absolutely no regard for personal space” that gives naked people a bad name. If we’re clothed and your butt brushes up against me as you’re standing right next to me because you absolutely have to have that conversation right then and there in the lockerroom, that’s not a big deal. When we’re both naked, it’s a bit more invasive. I can understand that and I can imagine people who are a little more modest feel it’s much more of an invasion.
Sep 15, 2011 at 8:13 am rating: 17
#32
El Jefe
Apparently most of you have not been to east Texas, no one wants to see the women out there nude.
Sep 15, 2011 at 8:16 am rating: 8
#33
Bill
More “protect the children” BS.
Students and children more modest than others? Since when? I am yet to meet a child who has more problems with nudity than an adult.
That said, I do know of the 20-minute air dry in the locker room phenomenon. But jeesh, just look away. Or make a snarky comment about the person’s build. “Wow, I didn’t think they came that small.”
Sep 15, 2011 at 8:25 am rating: 14
#34
sass
Speaking as one of the locker room users, I’m offended by the parade of gawking children (up to the age of six — in some cases older) staring at me as I try to go about my business. Nobody ever seems too concerned about my privacy.
Sep 15, 2011 at 8:40 am rating: 31
#35
Deb
I cannot believe that none of those signs have been enhanced by the handwritten equivalent of “Too bad.” It’s a locker room. Non-sexualized nudity does not harm children. Seeing all types of people does not harm children. Anxiety about bodies and their badness does warp children. No, I did not grow up on a commune. Get over it, or find another pool.
Sep 15, 2011 at 8:46 am rating: 41
#36
Cognitive Dissenter
I was traumatized once in a locker room at a public swimming pool. I was sitting on a bench tying my shoes and happened to look up, right as the 70-ish old lady was bending over, her ass at my eye level. Massive anal warts, er cysts, something.
::shudder::
I mean ya, peace, love, and rock ‘n roll. Whatever. But fer the love of God! Some things should not be displayed in public.
Sep 15, 2011 at 8:52 am rating: 10
#37
Lizzie
Hmm… I can kinda see both sides of this. If I had children and were bringing them there, I would probably appreciate people tying to limit the nudity. On the other hand, if I had kids and this situation really bothered me, I would probably just take them somewhere else for swimming lessons. It IS a junior college… not the YMCA. I could see accomidating to small children if it were a family oriented establishment. However it does sound like they have a bad design if you have to go through the locker room. Then again, wouldn’t you need to change there anyway? You’d still run into the same issues with a father/daughter, mother/son situation.
Sep 15, 2011 at 8:57 am rating: 2
#38
lilmrsmchenry
Gees, if you are so worried about your precious little angel seeing some dangly bits, ask to go through the lifeguards office. Or if your child is the opposite of your gender but to old to go through your locker room ask if there is a staff person that can escort them through their locker room. Now was that so difficult?
Sep 15, 2011 at 9:01 am rating: 11
#39
John
If you all knew the people of Tyler, this would make absolute sense to you. The biggest news in Tyler right now is that they successfully kept a Hooter’s-like restaurant (Double D Ranch) from opening because they claimed it was a sexually-oriented business. It is also the main city in a dry county.
Sep 15, 2011 at 9:06 am rating: 8
#40
Bob
By the way, where is my uncle Earl ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGwjXujl5zM&feature=related
,
Sep 15, 2011 at 9:29 am rating: 0
#41
Daniel
“Mom, Tom Cruise won’t come out of the closet!” ….
Sep 15, 2011 at 9:37 am rating: 1
#42
Sam
As a guy, nothing makes me more uncomfortable then some guy I hardly know sitting with his dingle out and talking to me in a locker room. Note, these guys are usually double my age. Seriously, I’m not saying that you can’t be naked in a locker room but just make the effort to transition into clothes.
Sep 15, 2011 at 11:52 am rating: 10
#43
unsatisfied
are there really people who stand naked by the hand dryers to dry themselves?
I want to party with these people.
Sep 15, 2011 at 12:07 pm rating: 28
#44
ISpy
I was a member of a neighborhood pool/gym, but once I started teaching at the school in that neighborhood, I had to quit. Like it or not, at some point I would be naked and the last thing I need is a kid I teach (or used to teach) see me in my altogethers. “Mommy! I saw Mrs. CK naked today.” Not good.
Sep 15, 2011 at 12:32 pm rating: 14
#45
RP
It’s a shame it’s not feasible to make people sized air dryers if people really like using them to dry off. (I’m assuming it’d be too expensive in energy bills.)
Sep 15, 2011 at 1:10 pm rating: 5
#46
deveoh
soo funny
Sep 15, 2011 at 1:19 pm rating: 1
#47
PANs_Labyrinth
Using PANs login…
I’m at a complete loss as to why people of any age are going to swim without showering first in the locker room. Children should not be exempt from this. Not showering before going to a public pool or sauna is just nasty.
Sep 15, 2011 at 2:03 pm rating: 8
#48
AB
I wouldn’t characterize all people that don’t enjoy public nudity as prudish. I just don’t want to see your naked ass.
That said, I don’t go to a locker room with the expectation that people will cover their chub. I change at home.
Sep 15, 2011 at 3:46 pm rating: 7
#49
Le Lac
I remember running the gauntlet of naked old ladies as we were marched through the shower room to the pool. Isn’t it supposed to be a rite of passage for young girls?
Sep 15, 2011 at 6:13 pm rating: 34
#50
havingfitz
I really don’t understand the insane fear people have that their children just might see a…gasp…breast. The entire PURPOSE of breasts is feeds babies. Or in other words…silly parents! Tits are for kids!
Sep 15, 2011 at 6:31 pm rating: 25
#51
Anne-Marie
Hmmm I wonder if it’s some weird kind of locker room? Growing up, all the pools I visited had separate locker/change/shower rooms for men and women. But now I live in the Netherlands, and the locker room is a big room you go through to get to the men’s/women’s change room. Then you continue through the locker room to the shower area before going to the pool. So *if* the PA note is about people walking around in their birthday suits in an area clearly not intended for nudity, then probably the locker/change/shower area is badly organized. Otherwise, if I’m in a room designated for changing, as modest as I am, I have to accept that I may be the main attraction!!
Sep 15, 2011 at 7:34 pm rating: 1
#52
Angie
Our Y has a men’s locker room, a women’s locker room, and a “family locker room” which is for either gender, but people are asked to change in the little changing cubbies which have a curtain to pull. It’s a good compromise.
Sep 15, 2011 at 7:38 pm rating: 6
#53
pony girl
*whispering*
I see naked people.
Sep 15, 2011 at 10:27 pm rating: 21
#54
Pit Pat
These prudes should have been around the time I nearly passed out in the showers in college (I didn’t cool down after swimming and jumped into a hot shower). The (also naked) woman next to me saw me struggling and asked if I needed help and then ran to get an (also naked) nurse. They had me lay down (naked and wet) on a bench while they and a few other (naked) women stood around me and checked my pulse and breathing and stuff. It. Was. MORTIFYING.
Hey guys, see what you’re missing in the women’s locker room? It really *is* like porn!
Sep 15, 2011 at 11:50 pm rating: 32
#55
nudeyrudey
I’m a nudist, I really don’t get prudes. I wish my parents taught me that it’s ok to have the body you’ve got. It didn’t help that my mother had major body issues and had passed them down to my sister and I. It’s only recently I have been able to shrug them off thanks to becoming a nudist.
Sep 16, 2011 at 5:21 am rating: 5
#56
Canthz_B
How freaky are the front desk staff? One would think the free towels would be in the locker room, but perhaps there’s a greater need for them at the front desk.
Sep 16, 2011 at 6:25 am rating: 5
#57
*snerk*
I am reminded of Sam the Eagle, who was mortified to realize that underneath our clothes (or feathers, in his case), we are all NAKED!
Sep 16, 2011 at 9:11 am rating: 8
#58
deprogrammed
We are all naked underneath. I think the notes refer to those who use this as an opportunity for exhibitionism, not simply showering and changing. Let’s not get so “now” and “get over it” that you believe it makes sense for your 3-year old child to walk through a room full of naked people. There’s liberal, and then there’s stupid.
It’s hard to make a point about pedophiles outside staring at fully clothed kids, but walk your kids through a room full of naked women. This is a case of forcing your standards on others who aren’t quite as free with the flesh.
And seriously, most of the time the ones who are flashing and flouncing really shouldn’t. Don’t get upset if someone takes a picture and posts it. Oh, that’s wrong? You don’t mind if people look, so what difference does it make? Triple standards. And nobody wins.
Sep 16, 2011 at 12:12 pm rating: 3
#59
JoAnn Maese
The problem with this ‘respect each other’ attitude is that it usually means ‘do it my way’. How respectful is demaning a cover up to the woman who have no problem with a naked body?
Sep 16, 2011 at 12:31 pm rating: 18
#60
Sarah
Some people need to just stay home. Locker rooms are for changing — nakedness is going to happen.
Sep 16, 2011 at 12:50 pm rating: 11
#61
C
Meh. I don’t hide under a towel in the corner to change in the locker room. I just…change like a regular person. This means stuff is briefly uncovered. If that’s a huge problem, get over it.
I admit I’d be a little weirded out to see lots of women just hanging around naked in the locker room, not walking to/from the showers or changing or anything, just chilling. But I realize it’s just because I’m not used to it. It wouldn’t offend me or anything. I’d just take care of my own business and deal.
I do think going to the sauna fully clothed is ridiculous though. My college gym had saunas in the locker rooms and girls would sauna in their full gym outfits. They looked at me like I was a perv for just wearing a towel in the sauna. I was like, you are going to overheat and die.
Sep 16, 2011 at 1:11 pm rating: 12
#62
fireupthegrill
I hate it when people just hang around in the nude. The locker room is a public space, not your home. I do not want to see other women blow-drying their vaginal parts (I’ve seen this WAY too many times to count), bending over with legs open wide, STRADDLING THE BENCHES (I saw this today) all while nude.
I shower, I dry off, I put clothes on. Being comfortable in your own skin is great-I love my body. I’m in excellent shape. Do I hang around the locker room nude like it’s my living room? No. And believe me, the clothes are rarely on when I’m at home.
I guess the point I’m making here is that this isn’t a problem when you are changing. I expect to see women in the nude when I go to the gym. Fine.
What I don’t like seeing is any of the above behaviors displayed while those women are in the nude.
Sep 16, 2011 at 5:18 pm rating: 9
#63
Augie
Well. I have been to many a locker room, and there is one never-changing constant — you are going to see various states of undress. Being sort of a prude myself, I change quickly, in a corner, and I try very hard not to look at the nakedness that surrounds me. But I don’t think I have a right to ask people not to be naked in a locker room.
Sep 17, 2011 at 9:04 am rating: 10
#64
Nidonemo
Best response would be to walk through there naked, singing “R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Find out what it means to me!”
Sep 19, 2011 at 3:19 pm rating: 3
#65
Thurs
Oh God, the HORROR. Our children seeing normal bodies in a non-sexualized state in a CHANGING room. What is the world coming to?!
Sep 19, 2011 at 10:41 pm rating: 10
#66
anonymous
STEPHEN ROOT IS A KLINGON!
Sep 20, 2011 at 6:38 pm rating: 0
#67
RH
I’ve been in a lot of locker rooms, and learned something quickly about ones that serve a more varied age range than a school locker room.
Namely, the probability of somebody being naked in the locker room has a tendency to vary directly with how much you do NOT want to see them naked!
Therefore: the person who will make you want brain bleach will be the one who wanders about naked, while the person who could be a professional nude model will be the one who is most careful about the towel.
This rule seems to hold true for both genders, and applies as well, though less reliably, to choice of swimwear.
Sep 20, 2011 at 10:11 pm rating: 1
#68
honus
@pony girl
Actually Texas did not get rid of those anti-sodomy laws. They state has been told they are unconstitutional but they refuse to remove them from the books.
Sep 21, 2011 at 5:59 pm rating: 1
#69
MMMMMeeeee!!
And we do have drive thru liquor stores in tx. I live in tx and we have one called the eskimo hut where you can get a giant mixed frozen drink in a stryofoam cup with a straw. But they put a plastic bag around it and staple it together to keep you from trying to drink it on the way home. As if that would really work for someone who is determined to drink and drive. But what can you do? People should stop freaking out about nudity…its natural. We are born nude. God made us they way were are…naked!
Sep 21, 2011 at 11:04 pm rating: 0
#70
honus
They can’t actually enforce them but they do like to use them to intimidate people every once in a while.
Mostly it is just because the lawmakers are twits.
See, e.g. http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/04/lawrence-texas-homosexual-conduct-statute
Sep 23, 2011 at 3:57 am rating: 0
#71
Tina
I can’t believe these notes! It’s a womens locker room!! How can you not expect some nudity??
The uptight puritans who wrote these notes need a reality cheque!
Sep 28, 2011 at 9:36 am rating: 1
#72
Tina
I can’t believe these notes! It’s a womens locker room!! How can you not expect some nudity??
The uptight puritans who wrote these notes need a reality check!
(typo at the end of last message sorry!)
Sep 28, 2011 at 9:42 am rating: 1
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