Locker rooms in the gym

[ronih]

If I had their body I would have never worn clothes..

Any thoughts?

 

[Dendood]

2 factors.

One, we are out of the closet. Gay men are everywhere and Str8 men know this. There was a time when the last thing one would think is another guy is "gay", because the social model of gay was so horrific and stereotyped anyone without a lisp, swish, or tentacles on their forehead was viewed as being straight. -Now, almost any guy next to you could be gay. So there's greater reason to 'hide the goods.'

Two,
In the minds of most straights, HIV -for the most part- still equals gay. All forms of physical consequences -or lack thereof- have an impact on social norms. Throughout history periods of sexual freedom have been followed by pandemics followed by a repressive backlash in social norms. On the flip side, advancements in contraceptives have completely changed social norms about the body. You would not believe the kinds of norms people put up with in America before the pill. It is like a time from another Universe compared to present day.

I wouldn't say its entirely "homophobic", because I don't think those guys are really thinking in terms of men AROUND them, but more of themselves. It is a desire on their part to NOT be an object of attraction. There is still a strong force in society for men to be 'neutral' and for women to be attractive. And we're talking a world view of heterosexuality here.... As the line goes in the movie Parting Glances, it's true: Straight people are so narcissistic that they believe 99% of everything is about them...

So we're in a strange flux. On the one hand, attitudes towards gay men is being more socially accepted. But the perception of straight men that the consequences of being an object of desire is leading to a more Victorian attitude of the male body. (Even with the explosion of male imagery, thanks to the internet.)

Something is being worked through in the psyche of the modern male. And there are forces at work that are at complete odds to each other. It's a divide, perhaps parallel to the political divide that is deeply splitting our society. We don't quite know how to be at the moment...


(I hope this doesn't read as bigoted by any str8 members on board... just commenting on attitudes natural to human beings.... Most everyone is narcissistic enough that they think 99% of what matters is all about them... gays included.)

 

[jeansGuyOZ]

There was a very similar thread on this topic some time ago I believe. Or perhaps I am thinking of a post on another board I visit.

Anyway, in that thread I think I said that attitudes are quite different in different countries. Here in Australia I see the towel-around-the-waist phenomenon a bit, but not very often. We don't call them locker rooms here, we call them changing rooms. They may or may not have lockers - sometimes the lockers are located elsewhere rather than in the changing room.

Most guys I see changing into and out of gear here don't try to hide their nakedness, but nor do they make a big display of it, they just take off one set of clothes and put on another.

 

[MaximumT]

There was a very similar thread on this topic some time ago I believe. Or perhaps I am thinking of a post on another board I visit.

Nope, there was a similiar thread here discussing this topic, although I can't seem to find it now... :thinking:

 

[redbones111]

Yes, I remember posting in that thread. I can't find it either, but I do remember it got heated (which might explain it's disappearance).

The general consensus was that some people are too self-conscious about themselves. I argued that people have the right not to be eye raped if they don't want to.

 

[topdog]

I'll add in that this varies by age groups, as well as geography. I came of age with nudity symbolizing a break from our parents generation and something that was natural and a sign of openness. I would join my friends at nude beaches, and then in the evening we would soak naked in the hot tub and talk about life.




So for me, nudity is not only "no big deal", it's also the natural state of all men. So it just doesn't occur to me that someone would mind that I was walking around naked in a changing room or shower.

But I understand that the current generation doesn't feel the same way. It seems that for many people nudity = sexuality. So, being naked with other people feels like a sexual invitation (or threat).

I don't want to make other people uncomfortable. So I compromise: I don't cover up while changing or showering, but a do put a towel on if I need to walk around the locker room.

 

[jeansGuyOZ]

I think at least part of the explanation is the public awareness - paranoia some might say - about sexual predators. Now they have always been with us, and I don't condone predatory behaviour for one instant, but there is a big difference between molesting a minor and making a sexual advance to someone of consenting age, encouraging them without forcing them.

I was about 20 when an older man - not all that much older probably - spotted me in the changing room at a public baths (NOT a gay venue, just a recreation centre) and enticed me into a cubicle. That was my first real sex with another man, in the sense of penetration and/or ejaculation. And oh my goodness, I wish I had been "enticed" by someone much earlier. All that time I wasted.

 

[tonka]

Give the strait boys their visual privacy, as Redbones says. They really seem to need it, and it's only fair.

At my gym, most of the hot strait boys avoid the locker room as much as possible. They get all sweaty and smelly, and then get into their nice cars and drive home.

And its's a nice gym. Nice lockers, nice showers, plenty of towels. I always shower and leave fresh, but these boys are spooked!

 

[bennyblanco]

even though they have great bods they are still shy for some reason or another. some people , no matter how hot they are, are just not comfortable with being completely nude in a public situation.

 

[trencherman]

Wait till they hit sixty when they will just let it all hang out or even worse. I just avert my gaze.

 

[salamander7]

i think benny has it right - its still a public place and it feels weird to get naked in a public place. plus alot of ppl are body shy. just because you think someone is hot doesnt necessarily mean they see themselves too.

personally i do the towel thing at the gym when i need to change to/from my swimmers to normal clothes - i just feel weird getting naked in public and im self conscious