Mixed shower room / locker room

[ManlyBanisters]

Gilette made a comment about mixed sex saunas, no nudity in a 'kids in the locker room' thread and it reminded me of something.

When I was 19 and travelling about on my own I spent a little time in Eastern Europe. A good few of the hostels I stayed in had only 1 set of showers per floor and no floors were gender segregated. The rooms were, but not the floors - so if you wanted a shower at 'prime time' you were going to be showering with members of the opposite sex. I was fine with this, so were most people - everyone just got on with their normal hygene routine. The only group of people who had a problem were North American men - all the girls (European, Japanese, Nth.American, Aussie) went right on ahead, all the Aussie, Japanese and European guys - no probs. But if there were girls already in the showers the nth.Am guys would not go in, at all. If girls came in while they were showering they would leave, like little brown and pink streaks of lightening - sometimes still soapy. Were they being polite? embarassed? worried about getting aroused? [all the hostelers would have been 17-26, btw]
So this here site seems to be an international bunch, I thought I run a poll with this, see if there really is a trend - comments and opinions would be great.

Edit: I'm not just looking for info from straight people, I have no idea if the people I showered with were gay, str8, bi or other - are lesbians happy to shower with men, are gay men happy to shower with women?

 

[WildHoney]

Aussie woman here , with no problems showering with anyone haha

I would enjoy that senario and am sure my Aussie hubby would too!

I have found in our travels, that American men seem to be the most uptight about sexuailty, that said, I have not dated them, merely chatted to them and spent time with them.

x
Honey

 

[ManlyBanisters]

Yeah - I must admit I got a kick out of it, more so the first few times - but I never had the guts to proposition any of the cute guys or girls on the other sides of those soapy asses..

 

[Aplus]

I don't have much of a problem with nudity normally, but don't think I could do it. Just honestly not sure I could be in a room/shower with naked women and not get aroused, and surely couldn't trust myself not too. I got an invitation to a nude beach years ago, and basically turned it down for the same reason. I suspect my view would tend to also be more of a North America one. I do think that kind of thing is taught against in the US. By doing so, I suspect we ended up making it more than it really should be, since nudity is actually about as natural as it gets. I could be wrong though, and maybe others aren't as uncomfortable about it as I am.

 

[sdg475]

I don't think it would bother me too much, however i think erections would have to be expected by all...because i'm sure they'd be very common.

 

[WildHoney]

I personally would think the occasional erection in a situation like that is normal. As long as the guy is not being inappropriate with it ( ie touching) or leery pervy whilst aroused , I would not find it offensive.

x
honey

 

[41103]

i would love to be in a shower/locker room along with WildHoney ...
but my only concers is that i think i would be hard all the time

 

[WildHoney]

I would actually be trying to get that reaction I love to see men bar up in awkward situations.

x

Honey

 

[41103]

lool you are a naughty one Honey

 

[SpeedoGuy]

. But if there were girls already in the showers the nth.Am guys would not go in, at all.

Its not necessarily shyness or gawkiness as much it is an instinctive gut reaction to accidentally finding oneself in a women's locker room, a punishable offense in every state I can think of. An American guy found nude in a women's locker room could be jailed, sued, stripped of his job and permanently branded as a deviant. A lifetime of experiences re-inforces this expectation so the nervousness is not easily overcome on a whim.

No wonder American guys seem hesitant to enter mixed sex changing rooms.

 

[Drago]

I would have absolutly NO problem with a co-ed shower/change/locker room. It wouldn't (presumably) be a sexualized atmosphere. I would prefer if the change room's toilet facilities were seperated by gender but if they weren't that'd be okay too.

 

[ganja4me]

It wouldn't bother me at all. I wouldn't even mind being a nudist so theres no way being in a room for 15 minutes where everyone is nude would bother me.

 

[AlteredEgo]

I would totally hang out naked with other people of mixed ages and genders. I'd work a garden, play volleyball, hold hands and sing, have supper, or learn to do carthweels all in the nude, with whoever wanted to participate. I never considered showering though. Frankly, I don't want to shower with other women without a curtain, let alone men. Just let me get clean in peace, please. I would be very uncomfortable, and a little unhappy. That said, I'd be willing to do it at least once.

I'm a woman in North America.

 

[snoozan]

I showered with other women all the time as a young adult. I still share fitting rooms and change with girlfriends in locker rooms or getting ready to go out. I wouldn't have a problem showering with them, either.

However, surgery three times, a child, and weight loss and gain and loss and gain etc. in the last 10 years have made me VERY VERY conscious of my body, and I don't think I could shower with strangers, men or women and still be comfortable. Especially if I have to shave my legs or pubes and do various acrobatics to get the razor in the right spot.

My 2 cents.

 

[Freddie53]

I would totally hang out naked with other people of mixed ages and genders. I'd work a garden, play volleyball, hold hands and sing, have supper, or learn to do carthweels all in the nude, with whoever wanted to participate. I never considered showering though. Frankly, I don't want to shower with other women without a curtain, let alone men. Just let me get clean in peace, please. I would be very uncomfortable, and a little unhappy. That said, I'd be willing to do it at least once.

I'm a woman in North America.

This post points out that nudity and privacy are not synonymous. For instance, I really don't like to take a dump in front of other people no matter how tall the "dividers" are. Everyone can smell and hear what is going on. I can see where a person would have no problem being buck naked on stage in front of a thousand people and yet want the shower to be done in private.

Given the choice between other guys seeing my dick when peeing and other guys hearing and smelling me take a poo, I would prefer to have them watch me pee. Though sometimes I don't like that because I have trouble starting to pee with someone watching.

 

[DC_DEEP]

I would have absolutely no problem with it. None at all.

<...>
Especially if I have to shave my legs or pubes and do various acrobatics to get the razor in the right spot.

My 2 cents.

That's a little odd, snoozie. I wouldn't think that shaving your legs, or especially your pubes, would be something you would do that often in a public locker-room type of situation, but more of a home-alone thing. Maybe I misunderstood the OP, but I was thinking more of a locker room at the gym or the pool. But as long as you aren't shaving your legs at the same time, I'll shower with you any day. I'll even lather up your back for you!

 

[AlteredEgo]

This post points out that nudity and privacy are not synonymous. For instance, I really don't like to take a dump in front of other people no matter how tall the "dividers" are. Everyone can smell and hear what is going on. I can see where a person would have no problem being buck naked on stage in front of a thousand people and yet want the shower to be done in private.

Given the choice between other guys seeing my dick when peeing and other guys hearing and smelling me take a poo, I would prefer to have them watch me pee. Though sometimes I don't like that because I have trouble starting to pee with someone watching.

Yes! Absolutely. Some things just seem to demand privacy. I don't know how men tolerate peeing at a public urinal. I don't mind people hearing what I'm doing, however I have to have my private stall. I doubt I could urinate in front of curious strangers myself.

 

[LeeEJ]

I haven't read the thread yet, but I wanted to post up while I'm thinking about it...

If girls came in while they (North American guys) were showering they would leave, like little brown and pink streaks of lightening - sometimes still soapy. Were they being polite? embarassed? worried about getting aroused?

The mentality that I know would be because they were being all three -- polite, embarrassed, and afraid of being aroused. In my case (despite my vote of "comfortable, would do it readily"), it would be in this order: 1. Polite; 2. Afraid of being aroused (which, to me, is part of politeness; it seems rude to show a boner to someone who might not want it); and 3. Embarrassed.

Around here in the U.S., we are routinely portrayed as enemies of women. Rapists, murderers, molesters, all of that stuff. We have a cable TV network that thrives on those kinds of stories, and it's a "women's channel".

Therefore, if a strange man -- or even a casual acquaintance -- tries to enter a bathroom that's already occupied by a woman, then "surely" he must have sex (or possibly even violent sexual abuse) on his mind.

At least that's how the stereotypes and prejudices say it is.

So, in deference to that kind of fear, we would rather just duck out and "be polite" to the woman.

[all the hostelers would have been 17-26, btw]

Oh my.... :biggrin1:

 

[LeeEJ]

Its not necessarily shyness or gawkiness as much it is an instinctive gut reaction to accidentally finding oneself in a women's locker room, a punishable offense in every state I can think of. An American guy found nude in a women's locker room could be jailed, sued, stripped of his job and permanently branded as a deviant. A lifetime of experiences re-inforces this expectation so the nervousness is not easily overcome on a whim.

No wonder American guys seem hesitant to enter mixed sex changing rooms.

Cool, glad to see (now that I've read the other posts so far) that I'm not the only one making this point.

 

[snoozan]

I would have absolutely no problem with it. None at all.That's a little odd, snoozie. I wouldn't think that shaving your legs, or especially your pubes, would be something you would do that often in a public locker-room type of situation, but more of a home-alone thing.

Whoops, okay, I will clarify. I think the OP was speaking of hostels in Europe, so that, pretty much, that was your only option for any sort of cleaning/hygeine. On further thought, in that situation, I'd probably shower that way rather than go without, but I would be terribly self-conscious. And you're right, maybe I'd save shaving the legs for basin in my room.

In the gym, I'm just glad my YMCA has separate stalls for showering. Changing in the open I don't mind so much, but I am so self-conscious of my body. If there were men in there, to be honest, I'd be terrified.

But as long as you aren't shaving your legs at the same time, I'll shower with you any day. I'll even lather up your back for you!

Okay, I'll take you up on that, but I still have about 3-6 months of getting in shape to do! :biggrin1: