The Bashful Locker Room Male

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1346090

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I don't make a habit of scoping out guys in the locker room, but I do enjoy seeing what others have hanging between their legs. I was in the locker room today at the fitness center at work and was amazed at the machinations guys went through to avoid being seen. I don't want to be the creepy older guy, but this was ridiculous.

Is there anyone who can provide me with a point of view as to this heightened that does not involve fear?
 

ericbear

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Western society has long has an issue where nakedness is seen as shameful. I guess this has biblical roots, where shame of nakedness and sinfulness become intertwined. This has, to some extent, become so ingrained in society that naked is seen as shameful even by many non-believers. I have to admit that I was once very conscious of this, to the point where a sleeveless shirt seemed indecent. A quick look at my photos will show that I have been completely cured of such feelings. (Blame Palm Springs and San Francisco.) So I walk to and from the showers with the towel over my shoulders, then lay it out on the floor and stand on it while dressing, rather than trying to use it as some sort of tent in which to dress invisibly.
 
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Western society has long has an issue where nakedness is seen as shameful. I guess this has biblical roots, where shame of nakedness and sinfulness become intertwined. This has, to some extent, become so ingrained in society that naked is seen as shameful even by many non-believers. I have to admit that I was once very conscious of this, to the point where a sleeveless shirt seemed indecent. A quick look at my photos will show that I have been completely cured of such feelings. (Blame Palm Springs and San Francisco.) So I walk to and from the showers with the towel over my shoulders, then lay it out on the floor and stand on it while dressing, rather than trying to use it as some sort of tent in which to dress invisibly.

Clearly you've gotten over your issues with nakedness. Quite a set of pictures.

I grew up in a similarly uptight home. It was only in my first year of college, when I started going to the gym with my cousin and some friends, that I became comfortable. There was nothing sexual going on -- though I did appreciate the view -- but we would hang out after workout in the hot tub and the sauna. Even if we weren't hanging out after the workout, the gang shower was open to the locker and we'd shower, throw the towel on the floor, and get dressed. This was norm.

These same guys were also homophobic - the details are not important.

Fast forward to the past couple years. Culture has changed significantly and there is much more acceptance of diversity and sexuality, particularly by those in their 20's. (Or perhaps homophobia is just more closeted ... that's a different discussion.) But those same gents are wearing shorts into the shower, tightly wrapping towels, using two towels - one to dry and one as a sarong; pulling on clothes before removing the towel. What could there be in that other than fear and shame?
 

littleguy2

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Clearly you've gotten over your issues with nakedness. Quite a set of pictures.

I grew up in a similarly uptight home. It was only in my first year of college, when I started going to the gym with my cousin and some friends, that I became comfortable. There was nothing sexual going on -- though I did appreciate the view -- but we would hang out after workout in the hot tub and the sauna. Even if we weren't hanging out after the workout, the gang shower was open to the locker and we'd shower, throw the towel on the floor, and get dressed. This was norm.

These same guys were also homophobic - the details are not important.

Fast forward to the past couple years. Culture has changed significantly and there is much more acceptance of diversity and sexuality, particularly by those in their 20's. (Or perhaps homophobia is just more closeted ... that's a different discussion.) But those same gents are wearing shorts into the shower, tightly wrapping towels, using two towels - one to dry and one as a sarong; pulling on clothes before removing the towel. What could there be in that other than fear and shame?
Sounds like you are at my gym. I don’t walk around naked but I remove the towel dry and get dressed. I open the shower naked and dry myself. We are all guys so I don’t get all the effort to stay hidden. Having seen a few guys who try to keep it hidden there is no theme. Some are average some small some shaved some hairy. All normal males.
 

nicnic

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These guys might not be ashamed of their bodies. Rather, it might be the social programming of fear. If you show somebody your dick, you're a pervert who's likely to get called out and punished. Of course, that's not so much true in the locker room, but some guys carry the burden of that perception with them everywhere.

When I see a towel dancer or urinal hugger, I let it hang and demonstrate confidence in the situation. Many guys follow protocol when they see others naked and confident.
 

littleguy2

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These guys might not be ashamed of their bodies. Rather, it might be the social programming of fear. If you show somebody your dick, you're a pervert who's likely to get called out and punished. Of course, that's not so much true in the locker room, but some guys carry the burden of that perception with them everywhere.

When I see a towel dancer or urinal hugger, I let it hang and demonstrate confidence in the situation. Many guys follow protocol when they see others naked and confident.
I agree. Being a smaller endowed guy I don’t hide it and hope other small guys will realize not to be ashamed of what you can’t control
 
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The overly modest guys have a problem. They are fighting an uphill battle in order to maintain an illogical status. Nudity in a gym shower / locker environment is the most practical and natural state.

During the Roman era, the entry gym, and gym activities were done in the nude. If you have a chance to read a biography on St Paul, he frequented gyms, used athletic competition as tools for discussion and never criticized collective male nudity.

The towel dance will end when there is enough of the gym population making fun of it because of the neurosis it demonstrates
 

Saint Raphael

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I have been a regular at a gym on a university campus for the past 3 years and I’m happy to report that, at least at this school, young guys aren’t afraid to get naked in the locker room. It was only last summer that they set up dividers in the showers, which had been communal since the gym was built in the late 70s. I’ve seen some both the largest and smallest dicks in my life in that shower, and you have the full gamut of everything: cut, uncut, shaved, natural, girthy, slender, huge balls, etc. I’ve seen 5’5 guys packing more meet than 6’5 basketball players. I’ve seen an African American guy who was at least 7.5” limp. I’ve seen a Jamaican guy with the shiniest, pink glans that contrasted beautifully against his black skin when he pulled back his foreskin. I’ve seen a guy who’s friends’ bodies looked like they were sculpted by the gods and had nice shaved tools between their legs, while you could only make out his very small glans poking out from a massive mound of black pubic hair.

I think a lot of different factors are at play, with the setting and clientele being two prominent factors. At 30, I am one of the older patrons at the time I go (every morning between 7-9 am, though there are a few much older guys here and there). During this time of morning, we’re a small crowd (about 25 guys) and we all know/of each other as regulars. For myself included, I think it’s helpful to see that the guys you see in the locker room are also the same ones putting in work on the gym floor. I’ll be the first to admit that I also enjoy checking out other guys’ bodies, but we can all tell when someone is just a shower/locker room hawk who comes in for the sole purpose of checking out other guys and maybe looking for action: You never saw them actually working out. I also avoid changing around these types.

There have been plenty of guys who would be extremely modest in the locker room, and then after a week or so of noticing me moving about naked, changing sans towel, and sitting in the sauna in the buff, they would start to follow suit. I’ve even seen guys come to the sauna in their briefs then once they saw me there naked, they would go back to their lockers, take them off, and come and sit completely naked with me. But also I’ve noticed that in general, the college age guys are more modest around their friends. You see the towel dance more frequently, but when they are alone, they do things naturally.

It’s unfortunate but I think the reality is that a lot of young guys do have the perception that some older guys in the locker room are “pervy”, so they are more modest around them. Of course there are also younger guys who are pervy as well (at my gym, I can readily identify two who, as I pointed out above, you never see on the gym floor, are out of shape, and do the sauna-shower-sauna-shower circuit for literally over an hour).

Also, it’s important to remember that my generation was raised by the generation before us and the values they imparted. So the real question about where this prudish and fear of nudity became more prominent needs to be directed to the late baby boomers and early gen X-ers who raised us, not millennials and gen Z-ers. ;)
 
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All interesting perspectives. Thanks for the feedback. I don't parade around but certainly won't be adopting the towel dance. When it's time to dry off and great dressed I'm afraid I'll be standing completely nude for a bit.

Then again, I've been at the YMCA around the retired guys. Not the highlight of my day.
 
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622675

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All interesting perspectives. Thanks for the feedback. I don't parade around but certainly won't be adopting the towel dance. When it's time to dry off and great dressed I'm afraid I'll be standing completely nude for a bit.

Then again, I've been at the YMCA around the retired guys. Not the highlight of my day.

Interesting to note the word "gymnasium" means "school for naked exercise"
 

Jason

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This phenomenon seems (from posts on this board, not just in this thread) to be mostly and American phenomenon. In the UK there seems to be more acceptance of being naked. Most private gyms have open locker rooms. Gang showers are now rare but they still exist. The UK has a lot of naturist beaches.

This said the trend seems to be towards what the OP has called bashfulness. The towel dance is probably becoming more common. Those gyms that have gang showers are tending to get rid of them. In the UK our local authority run swimming pools and gyms (called "leisure centres") almost all have showers which are for both sexes so you shower in your swim kit (ugh!) and have cubicles for changing in a uni-sex changing village. It's not hygienic (nowhere can keep cubicles clean) and just isn't nice.

We need a change of attitude.
 

cock30

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This phenomenon seems (from posts on this board, not just in this thread) to be mostly and American phenomenon. In the UK there seems to be more acceptance of being naked. Most private gyms have open locker rooms. Gang showers are now rare but they still exist. The UK has a lot of naturist beaches.

This said the trend seems to be towards what the OP has called bashfulness. The towel dance is probably becoming more common. Those gyms that have gang showers are tending to get rid of them. In the UK our local authority run swimming pools and gyms (called "leisure centres") almost all have showers which are for both sexes so you shower in your swim kit (ugh!) and have cubicles for changing in a uni-sex changing village. It's not hygienic (nowhere can keep cubicles clean) and just isn't nice.

We need a change of attitude.
 

AlamoSucker

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I am always amazed at the towel dance at the gym. But why I really finding interesting is I host "Men's Parties" every week where at least 20 guys will show up to have man on man adult fun. When the guys get here, they enter and then are provided a box for their clothing and a towel to wear. Half wear the towel around their waist and half throw it over their shoulders. But even in this setting, where nakedness is clearly accepted and expected (and they came with the express purpose of getting naked and having sex), some of the guys will still put the towel over their undies before removing them (even though 15 minutes later they are having full on sex in front of other guys watching)!