Just wondering | Unwanted School PE Nudity 5/5

Views: 4392 Created: 2018.05.24

First post

I am writing this from a UK Schools' perspective in the 1960s (but I am sure it probably applies to schools at the time in the USA, France, Germany or indeed anywhere in Europe or the ROTW).

In common with many, I am sure, there was a lot of 'naturally occurring nudity' in those days and boyish camaraderie ( as well as risky - in terms of being punished with CP if caught - stupidity / horseplay etc). We had PE / Games twice per week with mandatory showers. I was in the school Cross Country team....so that included additional training / competitions etc....all of which also involved having to strip naked to shower. We also had swimming lessons (ditto - although we wore speedos for the actual lesson time).

Everyone of that age / era will recall a lot of nudity whilst changing / showering etc. You got used to it, up to a point. Of course, there were always 'poseurs' who flaunted their naked bodies. Others just got on with it, without being shy. Some boys were modest, others were prudish. We all knew the unwritten rules and (historical)....boys simply dared not behave in any way which might see them accused of being 'gay' or 'queer'. We checked each other out discreetly. All part of boyhood adolescence.

There were occasions when nudity caused humiliation and embarrassment though. I will relate an incident in my next post/comment to show what I mean. Maybe it will evoke similar memories from others.

Jimmybobo

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Jimmybobo

It's interesting to hear everyone's stories and see how times have changed. I attended middle / high school in the late 90s / early 2000s and showers after gym were a thing of the past. The open showers were visible at the end of the locker room, but remained dry. We changed into gym clothes, but that was the extent. I heard rumors that some of the sports teams showered after games, but was never part of that.

Prior to a few years ago, the only communal showers I experienced was during summer swim lessons, I think around age 11 or 12. We were all in for a shock when we showed up with swim shorts and a towel and walked into a fully open locker room. Everyone changed quick and hoped that was over. The path to the pool passed through the open showers, where we rinsed off before swimming. After lessons, we were told to remove our trunks and wash off, before walking back to our lockers nude. We realized there was no way to hide anything. The lessons had a range of ages, probably around 7 to 12, so some parents were present, helping their younger kids. This added to the embarrassment, having other parents seeing my developing body also.

According to my neighbor girls who were there also, the girls locker room was basically the same process. They were close to me in age, so a bit embarrassed when wandering the locker room nice.