culture of showering after class

Yep, not a nice situation No idea how men feel about it, but this sound like a new and very silly trend. If I had to decide, I'd just be the man and shower naked. And if anyone stares, they're weird, not you
I probably wouldn't like conforming to new norms that don't make sense, but if everyone does it this way, I can imagine it's not easy at all...

 

I'll shower with clothes on if I need to get something off the clothes

for example:
sea salt or river water/mud off a wetsuit if I've been kayaking
chlorine out of swimming trunks in the public male and female by the pool showering area
ingrained mud out of uniform at communal showers at barracks after a long obstacle course if staying at barracks

Otherwise I'll follow the cultural norm and use changing room showers naked if I need to shower, whether they are private cubicles or open showers.

I suspect in a large part the move to showering clothed is a generational response to modern technology (phones with cameras) and lack of enforcement of showering in schools (because teachers these days don't like to supervise in case they are accused of voyeurism).

 

Well, I agree to a point it also doesnt help that I'm the 'new guy', and not entirely sure if this is the way I want to make a first impression

I think showering with wetsuit / swimming gear is considered completly normal. You'd get weird looks if you didnt keep your trunks on in the swimingpool showers, but I've never been to a swimingpool with private cubicles in my country so go figure..

 

Oh, I see. Well, perhaps it's better to make some impression than none at all? I understand that it wouldn't be nice to be "the naked guy", but I don't know, is showering in underwear specific for that gym or is it the norm at most places there?

 

Doesn't bother me one bit, I don't like clothes and often roam around home with nothing but my boxers on. It is a little awkward in a public shower when I'm the only one fully nekkid though.

 

Depends what the cultural norm is, surely?

In the US it would be seen as a sign of mental derangement and criminal tendencies, in East Germany it would be considered a practical solution to lack of showers.

 

I reread what I wrote, and it doesn't say they'd "offered".

It was just a case of: There's one shower and they went and used to together.
They're all grown-ups and it was about getting clean again.
Going for what they had written, they weren't in much of a condition to "do" anything or look to close anyway.

Besides: When it's about getting clean I don't even think it *that weird, even though it would need some getting used to.

But it's a bit like sauna - you use that naked as well, even though both genders frequent it.

 

I think that depends upon where you are and where the sauna is situated. I've never seen or heard of a naked multi-gender sauna in a public leisure centre in the UK. I have however been on a course at a venue where there was a glass fronted naked sauna in the male changing rooms and a 'normal' swimming costumed male and female sauna by the pool.

 

Oh, really?
Wasn't aware of that.

Here it's the norm that both genders frequent the sauna together in public leisure centers (yeah, copied the word, because I didn't know the translation).

I even did that as a youth, because ages are (were?) mixed as well.

Haven't been in the sauna for ages; it makes the breathing difficult. And I might be a bit prudish as well It's about getting used to it.

That said, I read recently that here are saunas as well you can attend with clothes (bathing suit or the like) on as well - Never heard of that before either!

 

It's like that at every commercial gym I've been to,fat old men spend ages in the showers then just hang around the changing rooms naked afterwards.

I'd rather go to a gym without a shower in the changies if I had the choice.

 

The saunas I've been to (3 I think) were always mixed with no underwear or swimsuit, but when in sauna people use a blanket or a towel to cover. If you don't want to, I guess it's not obligatory . However, when you go out into a pool or shower, it is mixed and you go naked.

 

Pretty much anywhere where English is the first language mixed gender nudity is a no no. TBF I'd find it a little odd if someone was naked in a communal sauna here regardless of whether it was mixed.

 

Yeah, Brits are big prudes. I find the fear of nudity quite weird to be honest.

 

You mean like you wear some sort of clothing in the sauna or do you mean a towel and the like? Or do you count covering with a towel as naked? I don't thing I've ever seen/heard of a sauna where you go with something else on than a towel/blanket. Wearing swimsuit or underwear is generally forbidden as far as I know (here at least)... or at least people really don't do it...

 

You wear swimwear. Why would it be forbidden?

 

It's like that across most of Europe. No clothes allowed. I think the reason given is mostly hygiene. Also custom.

 

Really? Not sure. It is forbidden however. I searched with google and immediately found wellness centres with explicit rules about not wearing swimsuit. I'm not sure if it's because it's not good somehow because of the temperature, but so far I have yet to come across a place where it's not forbidden. Not sure about the reason, I never bothered asking as I was always entering with friends and wouldn't want to be the only prudish one And I don't really care, either

 

Well, us Brits are a filthy lot. Mostly we shower in our clothes because we've sewn ourselves into them to survive the perpetual gloom of our climate

 

So how about nudistic beaches, then? If you mention mixed gender nudity is a no no, does it mean there are no mixed nudistic beaches? Or women sunbathing topless? Or no naked night swimming? Haha

 

I don't think there are many nude beaches in the UK. I've never seen one. Never been on the lookout for one either, so I could be wrong.

You don't see women topless on UK beaches either. Very, very rarely anyway.

There's only about 2 weeks out of the year when you'd want to be naked here anyway