Male Bonding2
For those who like to explore the concept and dynamics of male bonding. Men are socialized in different ways in different societies, and so many men would like to have close male friendships, yet after spending time establishing a career, primary relationship and live in general, find themselves without close male friends. Many of us want male friends with whom we can share openly without...
- created by AZdesertman
Cell phone policies in locker rooms
Return to DiscussionsI recently quit my membership at the YMCA for LA Fitness. The Y was mostly 60+ whereas the average age at LAF is likely half that. I was expecting there to be less nudity in the locker room, but am shocked that not only do millennials wear shorts in the sauna, but gym shoes, jackets and head phones too. Then I realized an important difference: the YMCA had a no cell phone policy to protect privacy, but LAF does not. Perhaps it's common courtesy not to take pictures of people (naked or otherwise), but there doesn't seem to be any intention to make the men's locker room a private zone. In that case, I imagine it makes as much sense to be naked there as any other public space, except that women aren't allowed. Maybe it's just common sense that younger people are modest: they're not particularly shy, but neither are they stupid.
I think cell phones have played a part in the disintegration of male nudity in locker rooms. They have taken away the privacy factor and instill a fear in some people that they may be photographed undressed, as many professional athletes have been and leaked out, however the big difference is they are professional athletes and in the public eye. They have created a threat to being nude in the locker room. Unless we get over our phobias this may not be reversed.
My gym has a no cell phone policy in the locker room but I have never seen it enforced by and employee. One night an older guy, who was nude, started yelling at a group of young guys who came up from the basketball courts, took of their shoes and socks and shirts and stepped into the whirlpool in their sweaty shorts and boxers with their cellphones out taking pics of each other. It was too much for my nude friend to endure and he exploded. The young guys were oblivious to wearing dirty clothes into the whirlpool, entering without showering and why anyone would freak about their taking pics in the locker room. So many things there that I dont remember anyone teaching me, but rather just good common sense considering other people.
woofsa is right!
In society today, there will never be a separation from technology in any public area. It's like taking off your wedding ring, people are married to their cell phones. Taking selfies and videos at any moment is what people do now. Even if there are rules, management will be slow to enforce them to avoid confrontation. That's just the way it is today!
At my Korean spa, there is a no cell phone sign for the wet area but not the locker room. Many are listening to them or reading in the locker room lounge area and there is nudity everywhere.
There can be no expectation of privacy anymore unless you are somewhere private!
I personally don't worry about it. The internet is full of nude pictures of people. I don't know why any random person in a locker room would want to take a picture of my naked ass! To do what with it! Brag to a friend that they took a picture of a naked guy in a gym locker room, wanna see? Doubt it! Ad it to the other billions of naked pictures on the internet? I don't think mine is going to make front page anywhere.
That seems even more weird (and unlikely) to me. I suppose I would feel a bit violated if it happened but I don't think it would really bother me all that much.
Yes, there are times in my life when I'm naked!
If someone I knew said to me they saw a naked picture of me in a locker room on the internet, my first thought would be that I hoped they got my good side!
So, listen to your music, read your Kindle or follow your Twitter, just don't ask me to pose for you and I'm fine!
I am a member of two gyms, Planet Fitness and Blink, and while I wouldn't ever use my cell phone in the locker room especially to take someone's picture I DO leave and enter the locker room with my phone activated because I use it to listen to music when I exercise. The device pretty much gets set on a bench for a minute while I change, then goes into my armband, and upon return, comes out of the arm band and goes into the locker. I'm always safe to make sure nobody thinks I'm using it for any nefarious reason. That being said, I wouldn't get mad at a guy sitting on the bench messing with his phone but I wouldn't want him snapping creeper shots. I guess at the end of the day if someone wants to get my pic they're going to see the same thing they'd see at White Tail Resort or on a nude beach so whatever.
Me being my own odd self never really considered that people might be bother by me carrying around my cell phone while I was at the gym, showers, steam room. I really think it is a generational thing. Most of the younger generation is pretty much being conditioned that you never want to be unplugged from the internet. The only thing I can think of to help people to become comfortable with their bodies in the nude would be to lead by example. Like I said, when I was in the locker room, I'd be walking to the showers butt naked, with my towel over my shoulder, and my phone in my hand. Texting away or listening to music. Maybe people would be annoyed that I had it with me, but I was still the one walking around naked, giving everyone the impression that all was well.
Great that Woofsa as at least one millennial is leading by example, with his cell phone as his only cover. I hope he's a trendsetter!
The YMCA locker rooms that I use have policies banning cell phones which are honored. They are small spaces, guys sort of police each other, nudity is fairly common. The university gyms that I use have policies banning cell phones that are never honored. I am old, not well known in any of these places and not too bothered by the prospect of someone sneaking a pic.
But I understand why the students are more cautious, maybe pranked or bullied by having a naked pic posted by someone who does know them. (hence the sad towel dances). Not everyone is a budding nudist "who couldn't care less.". It's easy to be cavalier about this as older people who had the chance to ease into public nudity over time, too bad our young ones aren't afforded the same luxury.
Nakedhiker, I was looking for a shower stall to enter in my locker room when looked through the open in one curtain and saw a twentyish man showering with his boxers on. The curtain is pulled and he was showering with his underwear on - its hard to understand their mindset. Ive often observed young men changing in the toilet stalls.
I quite honestly have no expectations of privacy and have found pictures of me on Tumblr from naked times spent in Florida. This is the digital age and it's best(in my opinion) just to live your life as honestly as possible and if naked pictures of you get out don't get to worried about it. If a clothed picture of you were made public who you worry about it?
We are naked in public and people will see us and people carry their phones with them everywhere. I personally don't carry mine into wet areas or when I nude but I can survive without 24/7 connectivity and it does tend to make you focus on the moment and the people that you're meeting.
The history of nudity in men's locker rooms.Throughout all of human history. men and boys were freely nude together -- whether bathing, working, or swimming. In fact, in many situations, male nudity was no cause for alarm even with the presence of women and girls. ...And I've seen guys in the steam room wearing shoes, socks, shorts, and shirts.
As a college history major, I found this with links an insightful overview. There are several ways to view the change: one is that the double standard of male vs. female nudity was equalized to female modesty; a second is that the digital age has turned (semi-) private into fully public space. A third perspective is from the right/left political pendulum, which is way right/populist at this time in much of the world. This will change as change is the only thing that's constant. Will millennials adapt to changing times, or will their grandkids find them odd for showering in their boxers? Only time will tell.