Locker Nekkidness

on August 11, 2011
in All Posts, Oh, Controversy!

Question:  Do you get nekkid in the locker room?

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I used to feel really awkward about stripping down to the ol’ birthday suit in the locker room.  I felt like all the ladies around me were looking at my nekkidness and judging me.  Then, about five years ago, I got tired of doing the change-under-a-towel routine and forced myself to just change in front of other women.

 

And you know what?  I think it’s been good for my body confidence!  It made me realize that sometimes, being naked is just about being naked.  Not about looking good or even feeling confident.  It’s just a body.  Everyone has one, after all!  Plus, I’m pretty sure that no one is ever staring at my naked butt.  After all, I don’t look at anyone else’s!

 

I am not, however, a fan of the ladies who will blow dry their hair without nothing on.  I understand it’s hot and all, but I do not want to turn a corner and be blindsided by jiggling teets first thing in the morning.   So I guess I’m in favor of discreet stripping.  Heh.

 

On that note, I clearly made it to the pool – and the locker room! – this morning.

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Actually, I did a nice double workout – I ran 2.5 miles and swam 500 meters.  A little over 35 minutes of work all together.  Sweet and short.

 

I thought I’d have a wonderful breakfast recipe to share with you, but no dice.  Polenta does not make a very good pancake base.

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Down the drain!

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Instead, I had PB toast with agave nectar and grilled banana.  A breakfast that I can always rely on to be awesome!

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So – do you strut around or keep it under wraps in the locker room?

{ 193 comments }

 

  • Sara @ OurDogBuffy August 11, 2011, 11:04 am

    I love your nekkidness philosophy.

  • Katie @ cooklaughmove August 11, 2011, 11:06 am

    I strip to my bra and panties, shower and in the shower area, put on my clean bra and panties. But I do go nekkid sometimes if just changing or whatever. I usually dry my hair in my pants/skirt/shorts and a cami. Then put the rest of my clothes on.

    There is a middle age woman who gets nekkid and lotions up in her bra and panties. She has stretch marks, scars, etc (aka a NORMAL BODY). I once stuck a note in her coat pocket, telling her I appreciate her confidence!

  • Claire @ ThinkingClairely August 11, 2011, 11:08 am

    I totally agree! I discreetly (and quickly) change in the locker room, but am not ashamed to flash a boob or cheek here and there. However, I would never be one of those women that stroll around completely nekkid, weighing themselves, putting on makeup, chatting with others, etc. It’s awkward!

  • Rachel August 11, 2011, 11:10 am

    i’m too lazy to try & keep covered up. nekkid is so much easier & honestly…freeing! but i must say, belonging to the local YMCA where the age demographic is…older, you see lots of different nekkid bodies! that can be a little jarring at 9am!

    • alison August 11, 2011, 11:26 am

      I used to belong to a YMCA where a lot of older ladies took water aerobics. You definitely saw a lot of different body types in that locker room. One lady would bend over, full moon, apply lotion, etc…without a single are. You’re right, it is a little jarring. Ha!

      • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 11:39 am

        The YMCA male locker rooms are apparently a hoot, according to the husband.

    • Marlow August 11, 2011, 6:45 pm

      I am loving this post! I too am a member at my local YMCA, and the diversity in age takes the naked-ness to a WHOLE new level!! While I’m totally fine to change, I don’t like to stand around and chat or put on my makeup in the nude. There is one lady who will straight FAN HER PRIVATE AREA with the hair dryer, when she is NUDE drying her hair. I have to admit that I stared at her- mouth agape- but she didn’t notice.

  • Penny August 11, 2011, 11:10 am

    My gym locker room is a very nice setup with showers and several bathroom stalls. I change in the bathroom stalls. I’m a chicken. 🙂 but I’m always surprised at the variety of body shapes (and ages) stripping down in front of everybody. I always think “wow….. Good for you!” however, I would not like some woman to just be walking around in the buff just cause she can. Ew. I mean, there are children in that locker room. I agree with being discreet.

  • Beth @ Beth's Journey August 11, 2011, 11:12 am

    I am usually way too self conscious to get fully naked in the locker room. I try to hide under my towel as best I can! =)

  • Cassie @ Back to Her Roots August 11, 2011, 11:14 am

    Have you ever had fried mush? I think it is pretty much the same thing as the polenta in a tube. Slice into discs, dust with a little flour and then pan fry in a bit of butter. Serve with more buttah and syrup. YUM.

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 11:39 am

      I think my pancakes ended up being fried mush.

  • Rachel August 11, 2011, 11:15 am

    I definitely get completely nude in the locker room if necessary, but I do not wander around naked for prolonged periods of time. Ever.

  • Liz August 11, 2011, 11:17 am

    I agree with Rachel in comment #4 – I’m too lazy to try to cover up. I wouldn’t blow dry my hair or weigh myself etc, but I just strip down, and change, quick and efficient.

    In college we had an open shower room with no stalls, just shower heads. So I saw a lot of naked. I also saw two things I hope to never see again – (1) A woman shaving her bikini line (do it at home!) and (2) someone peeing in the shower. In a group shower. With other people in it. Umm…probably one of the grossest things ever.

    • Katie - Life Discombobulated August 11, 2011, 11:22 am

      GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Paj August 11, 2011, 11:37 am

      This is slightly off topic but Liz’s story just reminded me that when I was in college a girl in our dorm used to shave her legs in a stall and rinse her razor in the toilet! It was so nasty!!

      • Katherine August 11, 2011, 8:11 pm

        OMG that is seriously disturbing!

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 11:40 am

      Peeing in the group shower is not acceptable.

      Nor is cleaning a razor in the toilet!! WTF.

    • Louise August 11, 2011, 2:04 pm

      I guess I could add, that in Denmark all shower rooms are open with no stalls (at least I have never seen anyone with stalls). And I have also never seen anybody try to change under their towel. But it also seems like everybody is checking each other out 🙂

  • Casey August 11, 2011, 11:19 am

    I played volleyball for two years in college. A shower was an absolute must after an away game. Usually the locker room had the big open showers, so I got pretty comfortable about being naked in front of my fellow naked teammates. I haven’t been to a locker room since then, so not sure how I would feel about it now!

    • HilaryJo August 11, 2011, 11:38 am

      I ran cross country and it was the same way, at first I was like “NO WAYYYYYYYY” but by senior year, no problem. (it was always funny to go to big meets where all the teams showered afterwards, we were usually the ONLY team who would walk around the lockerroom with all the the other teams naked…got some funny looks) Now my hubby laughs at me all the time because as soon as I get home I start throwing my clothes off in annoyance…sorry…

  • Alyssa N August 11, 2011, 11:19 am

    I used to never get fully down to nothing, but I realized that in there it doesn’t matter. It feels more like a judge-free zone to me. And I figure if a 30 or 40 something lady with kids can do it, I can do it in my 23 year old body. But I agree there should be some limit to it. You could at least put some clothes on to blow dry your hair though!

  • Freya August 11, 2011, 11:19 am

    Oh I like to cover up! I feel very awkward around totally starkers women – if they’re being discreet (like you say) then fine, but the ones who just stand about chatting, boobs and butt and all, I find a bit odd! A woman once came over to me at the pool totally naked, and was like ‘oh I think I live near you..you that girl who runs?’ – it was so weird!

  • LindseyAnn August 11, 2011, 11:19 am

    I never go full naked. Quick slip off and on of the bottoms, quick slip off and on of the top, and away I go.
    I have no problems though with people who are good with going full naked, but agree that naked blowdrying/grooming is too much for me.

    Too bad about the polenta. 🙁 Do you think it was the polenta itself that didn’t hold, or something you added to it?

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 11:40 am

      I think it was the added cinnamon. Fail!

  • Jess August 11, 2011, 11:20 am

    I do just strip down in the locker room–my locker’s in the very back row in a corner. No one can see me just walking through the locker room; they’d have to have a locker in my row. I’m a bit self-conscious, but getting over it. 🙂 I definitely only walk about (to the shower, bathroom, dryer, etc) covered up, though.

  • Katie - Life Discombobulated August 11, 2011, 11:21 am

    “I do not want to turn a corner and be blindsided by jiggling teets first thing in the morning” HAHAHAHAHAHA I nearly lost it!!!
    I typically strip down, but do it as discreetly as possible. Like, I turn to face the locker if I’m going to change panties and/or bra, but once those parts are covered, I feel pretty comfortable taking my time getting dressed.

  • Ash @ Good Taste Healthy Me August 11, 2011, 11:22 am

    I totally just strip right down. I don’t linger or whatnot but I just change and that’s that. I don’t want to wait for a changing room or hide under a towel. Too much effort! haha.

  • alison August 11, 2011, 11:23 am

    I don’t strut nekkid, but I don’t have a problem changing in the locker room. There is one girl at my gym who struts her stuff; I applaud her moxie, but I don’t feel comfortable walking the the shower without a towel wrapped around me. I’m so with you on the nekkid blow drying. Not cool. Not cool.

  • Karen @ Run Shop Travel August 11, 2011, 11:24 am

    I used to go into bathroom stalls to change but now I am a change under my towel kind of girl. I usually blow dried my hair with most of my clothes on – but would save my shirt for last. I always wear tank tops under shirts though so that was always at least on!

    I actually just got rid of my gym membership so now I work out at home (where I can be naked all I want getting ready) or at the work gym…where I change in the bathroom stall – obviously!

  • Sarah for Real August 11, 2011, 11:25 am

    I don’t “strut” but I don’t hide much either. I wear a towel when walking to/from the shower but don’t go into the private changing areas to get dressed (anymore). I just get dressed quickly!

    The worst is when women decide it’s the best idea to dry their hair UPSIDE DOWN in their birthday suit. I don’t care if it IS your birthday, I don’t want to see that. Especially when there are mirrors involved.

    • Summer August 11, 2011, 12:10 pm

      Agreed! I had a mid-change naked woman next to me bend over to get something out of her bag, and I saw much more than I ever intended.

      • Sarah for Real August 11, 2011, 12:32 pm

        My gym is full of old cranky people that whine about everything so the management makes a new sign every time someone complains. I’d love to see a “Please, no bending over while naked” sign!

  • Paula @ Eat: Watch: Run August 11, 2011, 11:25 am

    I cover EVERYTHING. I am way too self-conscious. I could do a bra and underwear and be fine. But kuddos to everyone who can get down to the bday suit with no problem! Maybe one day I will get there. But by that time, I will be wrinkly and everyone will be appauled.

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat August 11, 2011, 11:26 am

    I wouldn’t waltz around the locker room completely nekkid – not because I’m uncomfortable with my body or anything, but just because I teach at my gym and I don’t really want my participants seeing ALL of me (nor do I think they really want to!) But I don’t insist on being in a private change room either- I’ll usually turn towards a locker or wall or something. Like you said, blowdrying my hair completely starkers isn’t for me!

  • Paige @ Running Around Normal August 11, 2011, 11:27 am

    I guess I tend to change at home instead of at the gym. I think the last time I did was well over a year ago when I had to be super on time for work, so I showered and changed at the gym and headed out. And even then, I changed in the little individual shower “rooms.” But I really don’t care about naked people in the locker room – especially if they’re not just walking around hanging out nude! 🙂

  • Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday August 11, 2011, 11:28 am

    I at least put a bra own to blow dry my hair.

    I don’t walk around the change room naked but whiel I’m changing I won’t go to great lengths to cover up. No one cares that much.

  • Amy August 11, 2011, 11:29 am

    Polenta is just cornmeal, right? Try this for pancakes:

    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/blueberry-cornmeal-pancakes/detail.aspx

    My great-grandmother used to make “fried mush” which was basically polenta (only they didn’t call it that in Iowa in the early 1900s), sliced, fried in melted butter in a pan, and topped with maple syrup. She also made fried Spam, though, so it might suck.

    You’ll save a fortune if you make your own polenta out of cornmeal instead of buying the premade stuff. Just follow the package directions (or use this recipe – http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/cornmeal-mush/detail.aspx), then form it into a loaf and refrigerate it overnight. Boom. Polenta.

    Take your vitamins, though, so you don’t get pellagra.

    Obviously I’m too much of a foodie to get naked anywhere other than in the dark. 🙂 I change my clothes at home. I rarely see the locker room at the gym. (To be honest, with 3 kids, I rarely see the gym).

  • Liz @ An Interesting Year August 11, 2011, 11:31 am

    I support your strategy of discreet stripping 🙂 I don’t drive myself crazy changing under a towel but I also don’t understand the people who stand around naked blow-drying. I think there’s a fine line between “We’re in a locker room, so nakedness is going to happen when you’re changing” and gratuitous standing around naked…

  • Erin August 11, 2011, 11:31 am

    I have no problems changing in the locker rooms either at the gym or in the locker room at work if I go running at lunch. At first I thought seeing coworkers naked would be weird, but it’s not. I don’t think about them naked when I see them clothed!

  • RhodeyGirl August 11, 2011, 11:32 am

    I have no problem changing my top half without being covered up, but I change my bottom half with a towel. no one but my husband needs to see my white bum!

    As a gym goer you might be interested in this article… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/08/germiest-places-at-the-gym_n_920649.html#s324142&title=Water_Fountains

    Make sure you wear shower sandals!

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 11:42 am

      EWWWWWWWWW

    • Meghan August 11, 2011, 2:06 pm

      I was going to post something about the women at my gym who sit around on the benches completely naked…and then I read that article. I’m fairly certain I won’t be sitting down in the locker room ever again, clothed or not!

  • Amanda- The Nutritionist Reviews August 11, 2011, 11:34 am

    I’m too shy to get naked in front of others. I think I will become more confident with myself as I age a bit. At 21, I am still care too much what others think.

  • Jess@atasteofconfidence August 11, 2011, 11:35 am

    I was a swimmer growing up and we were really open about getting changed (no hair drying or walking around but general I’m going to drop my towel now). We all have the same parts:)

  • Lindsey August 11, 2011, 11:36 am

    I usually don’t use locker rooms so I am not quite comfortable in them yet!
    Yummy sandwich, I like agave with Greek yogurt and peaches for a breaky sandwich too!

  • Jenny August 11, 2011, 11:36 am

    Well, I don’t swim at the gym (yet), so I generally only have to change my top and bra, which I have no qualms about doing. Every once in a while, I have to change my bottoms because I wore a thong or something, and then I’ll just do it as quickly as possible.

    Side note – my boyfriend’s whole family are members of my gym, so I’m probably more nervous than most about changing. It’s weird – I’d rather a complete stranger see my nekkidness than my boyfriend’s aunt/cousin/sister.

  • Victoria (District Chocoholic) August 11, 2011, 11:36 am

    I don’t have time for the towel-dance. I’ve got ass-kicking to do. Naked it is.

  • Meagan August 11, 2011, 11:36 am

    I don’t mind nakedness. I was in theater for a long time and quick costume changes quickly cured me of unnecessary modesty, so the gym is no big deal. Like you said, it’s just a body and everyone has one. However…is it weird that I’m a one-piece kind of girl though? 🙂

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 11:43 am

      One pieces are hot right now!

  • Charlie August 11, 2011, 11:36 am

    I don’t walk around naked but I don’t hide myself when I am changing and I take my shower in the shower area (there’s also a couple private showers).
    But I go to the showers with my towel on ;).

  • allison @ thesundayflog August 11, 2011, 11:40 am

    i pretty much keep it under wraps or just turn around, unless im struggling to get my super tight speedo over my sweaty butt during a brick. but my modesty is really only bc some of my co-workers go to the same gym as me and that = WEIRD at the office hahaha

  • Gina @ Running to the Kitchen August 11, 2011, 11:41 am

    I totally agree with you. It’s one thing to get naked while changing, it’s a whole other thing to be strutting around the locker room in all your nakedness. Strip, put your clothes on and THEN do your thing!

  • Lindsay J August 11, 2011, 11:42 am

    It’s funny; before I had kids (thus when my body was a bit prettier) I was always too nervous to be nude in the locker room. Now with my post two-babies-body I am much more confident and don’t take issue with undressing in the locker room. An interesting side note: I used to work at a gym and we had a very regular gym-goer that used to walk around the ladies locker room with just a towel around her waist. The first time I saw this it was very startling, not because I saw breasts, but because she had none. She had had breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy. She was an incredibly strong, healthy, and confident woman.

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 11:43 am

      I like that kind of nekkidness 🙂 Awesome.

  • Marian August 11, 2011, 11:44 am

    HAHAHA “Jiggling teets” love it. I’ve totally gotten over any fears of nakedness. I like to think of it as a sign of growing up. I definitely get nakie in the locker room – it’s kind of liberating! – but I agree that there’s also a sense of decency to be expected and respected. Get naked, put some undies on, THEN dry your hair 🙂

  • Caitlin @ The Caitie Experiment August 11, 2011, 11:44 am

    I’ve definitely gained enough body confidence in the past few years that I’m ok with the quick-change nudity concept! That being said, though, it depends on the day and who else is in the locker room with me — my gym is across the street from my workplace, and I once had the total, utter misfortune of happening upon a co-worker (technically a superior, I guess) just… hanging out, doing her hair/makeup, chatting away with her friends, stark naked as the day she was born. It’s been a full year and I still can’t make eye contact with her in meetings.

    • linda August 18, 2011, 8:26 pm

      This same thing happened to me……it was a supervisor…..and i was so darn embarrassed……..and she was talking and walking sans close…buck-naked….. You know what made it even worse……sheis like 40s and was shaved totally clean below….i can’t look at her in teh eyes when we talk business now….i can still she her “area” looking like a 12 yr olds….

      I hope your supervsior wasnt sporting the 12 yr old look too

  • Hannah Hawley August 11, 2011, 11:45 am

    I totally strip down, walk to the shower with towel in hand (its only 10 feet from the locker room) and lotion up. I do put clothes on, at least bra and underwear if not more before blowing my hair dry. It is a locker room that is shared with the gym and the pool. I grew up with it being 100% ok to be naked, that there were safe places to do so, and the locker room was one of them. That, and after teaching water aerobics and getting in the shower with all the ladies from the low impact class, and they all strip naked and even wash each others backs (bad shoulders, bad backs, bad arms, and couldn’t reach their own) you get comfortable quick.

  • Kelsey August 11, 2011, 11:45 am

    Question: What is the fascination with spelling naked “nekkid”? Is this an alternate spelling that is acceptable or is it just being silly or what? Sincerely asking here, I just don’t understand it!

    With being a competitive swimmer for 14 years, you get used to changing in front of a ton of people. That said, no one ever really stripped butt naked and changed in the locker room (except the Coast Guard girls who have to shower together anyway, haha). So now it is second nature for me to just change efficiently under a towel anyway, so that’s what I do! I’m still not used to seeing naked old ladies in the locker room!

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 11:52 am

      🙂 I say naked nekkid. So I spell it like that on the blog, too!

      • Stace August 12, 2011, 3:59 pm

        My mom always called it Negid growing up so thats how I think and spell it in my head. Kinda like nekkid with a g… anyway i really thought it was called Negid not naked for half my life.

        • Caitlin August 12, 2011, 4:02 pm

          Aw, that’s cute.

  • June August 11, 2011, 11:48 am

    nekkid all the way!!!!

  • Hillary August 11, 2011, 11:51 am

    I used to be really, really uncomfortable stripping in front of people, but I did eventually get over it. That’s not to say that I’m just strolling around naked (I’m also a “quick stripper”), but I did realize—as you did—that my body is just a body. Plain and simple!

  • Leah @ Why Deprive? August 11, 2011, 11:57 am

    I’ve never had to get naked in a locker room, but Im pretty sure I wouldnt be comfortable with it. Im just a modest kind of person, so I dont like the idea of being naked in front of strangers. Im also uncomfortable with other people being naked in front of me. I’ve noticed the people who seem to be most comfortable with it are moms (which makes sense, I mean, after giving birth, stripping down in front of a few women is NOTHING). I remember being in elementary school and seeing my friends mom walk by in the pool change room butt naked. That was awkward.

  • Aine @ Something to Chew Over August 11, 2011, 12:00 pm

    I do the under a towel shuffle!

  • katie @ KatieDid August 11, 2011, 12:03 pm

    I remember thinking it was gross when I was younger at the gym, but now being a little older I wouldn’t even notice or think twice about it if I saw someone changing. I’m not really about to go do it, but I don’t think I mind either…

  • Summer August 11, 2011, 12:05 pm

    I work out at the YMCA, and I do NOT get absolutely bare in the locker room. I’m a quick changer, and I never get all the way down to my skin. Grossest: I’ve seen girls walking around the bathroom shower areas—completely nudie—WITH NO SHOES ON. The only thing worse than that was the time I saw a naked older woman sit down on one of the stools in the locker room to brush her hair—sans pants. Or underwear.

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 12:32 pm

      EWWWWWWWWWWW you cant sit on stuff nekkid!

  • Amanda August 11, 2011, 12:06 pm

    I agree with your philosophy. I’ve tried to become more comfortable in locker rooms but it can be hard not to worry that people are judging you, staring at you, etc.

    And people do the strangest things in locker rooms! There is a lady at one gym around me who dries her hair with a towel wrapped around her…but then she takes the hair dryer and sticks it between her legs to dry her ‘down there’ area! I was mortified the first day I saw it–that is a public hair dryer!! Let’s just say I stopped going to that gym. And I try to steer clear of locker rooms in general now, just to be safe 🙂

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 12:33 pm

      Hahah drying the lady bits is a bit much.

  • Kristina @ spabettie August 11, 2011, 12:08 pm

    NEKKID !! 😀 but not nude. (just sounds so 70’s key party!) 😉

    I was JUST doing an eye roll this morning at someone applying eyeliner or something while nekkid. come on. really?

    growing up playing sports through school + college, I don’t think I was ever shy about getting naked in front of others, but I don’t linger.

    this is a post I’ll have to come visit again later – the comments are fun to read! 😀

  • Mary @ Bites and Bliss August 11, 2011, 12:09 pm

    Luckily, our locker room has really large changing rooms so I don’t really have to worry about it..but back at my old gym, if I ever got naked it was when hardly anybody else was in the gym, with a towel right next to me, and at lightning speed!

  • Sam August 11, 2011, 12:10 pm

    I just started going to the gym recently and would always go straight for the change rooms. Well yesterday they were all taken and i wanted to get outta there so I just changed. There wasnt even anyone around but it felt like a big deal 😛 I find that mostly older women are more confident and able to be naked!!

  • Amber from Girl with the Red Hair August 11, 2011, 12:10 pm

    This might sound weird but since my mom always walked around naked (OK not ALWAYS, but you know what I mean…)I feel like I grew up in a house that was very “open” about nakedness. I played hockey for 6 years from when I was 12 – 18 and I used to be one of the only girls that would get completely naked when changing and have no issue with it! Now-a-days I have ZERO issue getting naked in the gym changing room or showering naked in the open showers there. I don’t, however, blow dry my hair naked but sometimes I do it with just my underwear on 🙂

  • Allie Q (Fit Geek) August 11, 2011, 12:12 pm

    I’ll get naked but will put a towel on if I’m walking to the shower. Judging by the number of old butts I try to avoid looking at in the locker room, it seems the older folks get the less they care about being naked.

  • Amber K August 11, 2011, 12:16 pm

    I never even step foot into the locker room unless I need to use the bathroom. I walk straight into the gym and start working out and then I walk straight back out and shower at home. There is no need for me to be in there!

    Although when winter comes it gets a bit harder to arrive already ready to go. But I usually just wear a coat and pants over my workout gear. I go into the locker room, pull off my top layers and then I’m good to go. Not that I’m necessarily opposed to being naked, I just don’t have the need.

  • Liz August 11, 2011, 12:20 pm

    You know how little kids always want to be naked? I have a theory that this desire returns in older adulthood. There are a number of older ladies at my gym who seem to want to spend AS MUCH TIME naked as humanly possible in the locker room before getting dressed. They do everything naked, blow dry, put on makeup, talk to their friends; I, for one, think it’s kinda creepy. I don’t mind changing in front of other women, but I say do what you gotta do and get your clothes back on!

    • Vikki August 11, 2011, 12:36 pm

      LOL…And this is why I don’t do gym locker rooms. I think the old lady factor is exacerbated by menopause. My mother who used to always be cold has these amazingly awful hot flashes. If she could be naked during those things, I think she would be.

  • Kiah August 11, 2011, 12:22 pm

    I can relate to the discreet towel change maneuver (-: And although I find the massive amounts of nekkidness jarring, I find myself looking at the 65+ year old woman and thinking, “cool. I hope I’m that confident (not-self-conscious, careless, etc.) when I’m her age. Which begs the question: why can’t I be that way NOW, before gravity sets in?! Ah, to be young.
    Thanks for sharing!

  • Claire @ Live and Love to Eat August 11, 2011, 12:24 pm

    I know it’s easy to say that no ones looking and only cares about their own business, but it still makes me uncomfortable!

  • Callie @ Callieflower Kitchen August 11, 2011, 12:25 pm

    I’m all for just changing as-is in locker rooms. I’m not co-ordinated enough to try and shimmy around under a towel, and the whole point of a changing room is to change, so I just go for it 🙂

  • Amanda (modernation) August 11, 2011, 12:26 pm

    Polenta for breakfast – here’s what you do: Just slice it into half-inch rings and then crisp it up in the pan with a little butter. Powdered sugar, syrup, mouth! Growing up in an Italian family, we always did this with leftover polenta. One of my favorite breakfasts!

    As for being naked in the locker room – do what you gotta do and then cover back up. I don’t really think it is appropriate to walk around for half and hour naked. Do that at home!

  • Deirdre August 11, 2011, 12:26 pm

    I think of myself as being fairly confident, but I have to admit that I struggle with getting naked in the locker room because I feel like my body is still a work in progress. But I suck it up because I try to remember that a lot of the women there are works in progresses. That’s why we are working out: to be healthier and to get in better shape.

    I have a bigger problem with how close the lockers are and how crowded the locker room gets. When I’m naked I don’t want to bump into someone. AWKWARD!

  • Kathleen August 11, 2011, 12:27 pm

    I’m not quite “there” yet with my personal body confidence, but I’ll have a breakthrough one of these days. 🙂 For now I’ll get down to my undies, but not the full monty, you know? I go to a gym that has a lot of older members, so you definitely see a lot of different body types there. I love when older women are confident enough to reveal their bodies, imperfections and all.

  • Aja August 11, 2011, 12:29 pm

    I haven’t been in a locker room in a long time but even when I was in school and stuff I never did. I mostly faced my locker too. You know, the whole “if I can’t see them, they can’t see me” mentality.

    All your pool pictures make me want to swim.

  • Khushboo August 11, 2011, 12:33 pm

    I cover up but if the towel slips, no biggie!

  • Rosa - Fitness, Food, Fulfilled August 11, 2011, 12:40 pm

    I used to be so self conscious to change in front of others, I think because in high school the other kids were very judgemental and I was the heaviest of them all. Now I don’t think about it and I’m sure everyone else is so focused on their own body issues that they’re not going to look at me.

    Grilled bananas are awesome! I love a good Elvis style peanut butter, banana, and honey (sans bacon) grilled sandwich. Yummy x2!

  • Anne Weber-Falk August 11, 2011, 12:42 pm

    I work in a fitness facility and I see a LOT of nekkidness, both young and old. I am fine changing with the other women and seeing them change around me. I don’t like the whole blow drying naked thing either. I don’t get it at all. I also feel a bit weirded out by women that are meticulous about moisturizing every single centimeter of their body. Don’t know why but I am.

  • Rachael August 11, 2011, 12:42 pm

    jiggling teets!! I’m dying

  • Anna August 11, 2011, 12:42 pm

    I used to be self-conscious about changing too but after starting to swim for doing tris I realized I had to get over that! I don’t like to be ‘naked’ for that long but I totally see what your saying about gaining a little self confidence in just doing your thing and not being embarrassed about neeekkidness! Great to see you are still hitting up the pool!

  • Charise August 11, 2011, 12:43 pm

    I do a change the bottom, then change the top kind of thing so I’m only half-nekkid at a time, but I don’t worry about not being clothed in the locker room. I am totally with you on the women who stand in front of the mirror for 10-15 min blow drying hair, putting on makeup, completely naked. Really? I’m glad they love their bodies and all, but is that necessary? Put on some undies or a towel at least!

  • Wendi @ A Southern Yogi August 11, 2011, 12:43 pm

    the comment about the ladies drying their hair made me laugh out loud. I have seen that.

  • Amanda August 11, 2011, 12:46 pm

    Naked! I lived in a sorority for a while and I was shy about changing at first, but since we’re all friends I got so used to just stripping in front of people that I would a-l-m-o-s-t forget that I shouldn’t do that in front of my boyfriend’s friends! Also, I had a dream that I met you last night, isn’t that strange?

    • Carolina John August 11, 2011, 1:54 pm

      I have no hangups at all about being naked in the locker room. At my gym I may be the only naked guy there but I kind of like letting the big dick swing. Other people tend to move out of my way if I’m walking back from the showers.

      Old men are the worst. I’ve actually seen them spread ’em and blow dry their balls – in the locker room. It disturbed me emotionally for a while.

      • Carolina John August 11, 2011, 1:57 pm

        Sorry, that was not supposed to be a reply but an actual comment on the post. Didn’t mean to pass on such a disturbing story to you, Amanada.

        I actually did get to meet Caitlin in person last weekend and she is awesome to just hang out with. I was totally star-struck.

        • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 2:30 pm

          Aw John, that is so nice! I was so happy to meet you, too!

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 2:26 pm

      Yay! I would love to meet you in real life 😉

  • Rebecca August 11, 2011, 12:47 pm

    Not much of a gym-goer or anything (yet), but if I happen to go to the Y or a public pool or something, I’m either really quick about changing, or find a stall. Depends on the locker room, I guess…
    If I go to a lake to swim, I have my suit on under my clothes most of the time. The bathrooms at the lakes around here aren’t very conducive to changing, so we usually just dry off as much as possible and throw our clothes back on over our suits before we leave.

    When I was in school and we had to take gym classes, just changing right at my locker was no big deal, usually because I was just changing my shirt and pants and it didn’t take long—and we’re all girls, right? Changing into/out of my swimsuit a lot of the time I’d go into a stall…
    But after swimming in Gym, if I’d shower, I’d do it in my swimsuit. Most of us did, come to think of it… and I still do sometimes. Well, used to.
    I’ve been kind of lucky when it comes to college and showering: I’ve been living at home so I can close the bathroom door and not be bothered! And I’ll be living in an apartment on-campus now, so I’ll share a bathroom with just two other people instead a whole floor. 🙂

  • Julie (A Case of the Runs) August 11, 2011, 12:50 pm

    I don’t mind as long as it’s just long enough to change and not lingering… =/ I’ve always been taught to be modest, even though I grew up in a house of girls.

  • meg c August 11, 2011, 12:51 pm

    It’s probably not a good idea to take photos in the locker room. It’s forbidden at all the gyms I’ve been to, and for good reason. Even if you’re only taking a pic of yourself, I think it would make people pretty uncomfortable.

  • meg c August 11, 2011, 12:51 pm

    It’s probably not a good idea to take photos in the locker room. It’s forbidden at all the gyms I’ve been to, and for good reason. Even if you’re only taking a pic of yourself, I think it would make people pretty uncomfortable.

    • Julie (A Case of the Runs) August 11, 2011, 12:59 pm

      It’s a policy at my gym, so if I ever do snap, I make sure nobody else is there.

      • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 2:27 pm

        There was no one else there.

  • Taylor @ Crumbs Don't Count August 11, 2011, 12:55 pm

    Haha! Too funny! I have definitely turned corners and gotten more than I bargained for.

  • Courtney August 11, 2011, 12:56 pm

    I’m like the Honey Badger in the locker room! I don’t get ready naked but I dont hide myself. I grew up a swimmer and learned that attitude early!

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 2:27 pm

      Best comment ever.

      • Courtney August 11, 2011, 2:40 pm

        Haha I’m honored!

  • Katie @ Peace Love and Oats August 11, 2011, 12:59 pm

    Haha I change in the bathroom stalls! The only naked women in my gym’s locker room are all the older ladies who have no qualms about strutting their stuff!

  • Army Amy* August 11, 2011, 1:03 pm

    Count me among the shy! I keep my goodies covered. I totally admire people who have the balls (haha) to strip down in the locker room. Right now, I’m working up the courage to jog in just a bra. If I can do that, I think I could probably strip in the locker room.*

  • Becky August 11, 2011, 1:07 pm

    My college roommate ran into her professor in the locker room while they were both either completely or partially (can’t remember which) naked. She said it was one of the more awkward encounters she’s ever had with a professor, but it definitely cracked me up. Also, this reminded me of the “Moon Landing” episode of Modern Family, which was totally hilarious too.

    • Christine August 12, 2011, 11:32 am

      I teach at a university and work out at the campus gym – fear of my students seeing too much of me is exactly why I change in the bathroom stall!

    • Christine August 12, 2011, 11:32 am

      I teach at a university and work out at the campus gym – fear of my students seeing too much of me is exactly why I change in the bathroom stall!

  • D August 11, 2011, 1:08 pm

    There is a huge difference between being naked at some point in the changing/showering process, and purposely delaying putting your clothes on. It’s not realistic to expect everyone to shimmy their clothes on over and under their towels, but I cannot stand people sitting around putting lotion on while naked, or dying their hair, or whatever. It was WAY worse at the ymca than the gym I go to now, but it’s still uncomfortable. And it’s not about finding nakedness weird, I just don’t see the NEED for people to stand around for 15 min in the nude! At the Y, groups of 4-5 ladies would sit/stand around chatting while totally naked, and it’s just ridiculous because there’s no need for it! It’s just doing it for the sake of it. Do people really get THAT hot while blowdrying their hair that they simply cannot bear to put on a bra and panties?

  • Ashley August 11, 2011, 1:09 pm

    My gym has little change stalls between each bank of lockers, so I use that. Or go in a bathroom stall. I just can’t do it.

  • Kiran @ KiranTarun.com August 11, 2011, 1:11 pm

    I love your whole sense of humor and blunt truth! So outspoken!!! Love that about you.

    I like to keep in under wraps, excuse me 😀

  • Krista August 11, 2011, 1:13 pm

    I bet polenta in “dry” form…uncooked, I guess, would make a wonderful pancake base!

    I’m not big on swimming, but when I am in a locker room I am OK with stripping down, drying of and getting dressed. I’m trying to convince Sarah (who swims 9 out of 12 mths) that it’s OK for her do do this as, well.

  • Morgan @ Endorphaholic August 11, 2011, 1:20 pm

    I definitely strip, change and get on with my workout or getting-ready routing. It’s my body, and I’m certainly not ashamed of it- so why hide it?!

  • Lee August 11, 2011, 1:21 pm

    I normally do the full naked thing…but if I know someone in the locker room, I get modest and use a towel.

  • Katie August 11, 2011, 1:23 pm

    I went to Japan a few months ago, and the onsens (public bathhouses) were a cultural eye-opener. They’re separated by gender, but you basically strip down and hang out in a huge room full of hot tubs with a bunch of strangers. No one seemed modest or self-conscious in the slightest. I think we have an unhealthy attitude towards nudity in the US. It’s so associated with sex, that the vast majority of the naked bodies we see are airbrushed, silicone-enhanced models. I think this leads to us having unrealistic expectations of our bodies and, because nudity is such a taboo here, we are very uncomfortable with our own bodies. I support nekkid changing in dressing rooms. It’s a little thing, but I think it helps make us comfortable in our own skin.

    • Orla August 11, 2011, 2:16 pm

      I think you have an excellent point. I know that here (Ireland) there is still an old fashioned held opinion that you hide what you have and no one should see it – there is also an opinion among people of a certain age that if you are one for “flaunting” yourself, you are a bit of a scarlet woman – which is completely mad. I am all for nekkid ness, or varying levels of undress. It can only be good for us.

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 2:28 pm

      I love this comment! Such a good point.

  • Sara August 11, 2011, 1:26 pm

    I love your blog posts that bring out occassional commenters, like me! This line cracked me up, “I do not want to turn a corner and be blindsided by jiggling teets first thing in the morning.” Ha! Amen, sister. I’m fine with being naked briefly while changing in a locker room, but I’m not one linger.

  • Dani August 11, 2011, 1:27 pm

    I have no problem stripping down and getting nekkid (we’re all women, after all) but I wrap up in a towel walking to and from the shower, and then get dressed quickly. Thennn, comes hair and makeup!

  • Mona August 11, 2011, 1:29 pm

    I don’t mind other women doing the full naked thing, but I’m quite shy about it. I change under the towel and try to avoid changing when the locker is full (luckily I go to the gym very early so it’s not too busy).

  • Kelly August 11, 2011, 1:38 pm

    I don’t strip naked in the lockeroom. I know that no one else is lookg at me because I am not looking at anyone else but still. I will go as far as bra and panties and that’s about it. At my old gym there was this lady who would strip naked and then stretch after her workout. We’re talking full on stretching with NO clothes. That was hard to not stare at. I guess some people are just suuuuuper confident.

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 2:29 pm

      I just choked on my tea.

    • Ashley August 11, 2011, 3:30 pm

      Your story reminds of the time I was relaxing in the hot tub after a swim at the Y and a woman got in butt naked and proceeded to stretch, legs propped on the side of the tub and everything. Locker room nakedness doesn’t typically bother me (even the upside down blow drying), but it was all I could do not to jump out and run away immediately. Hot tubs aren’t the place I would want my hoohah exposed with no barrier – gross!

  • Leanne (Bride to Mrs.) August 11, 2011, 1:38 pm

    I completely agree with you on your nekkid philosophy. I once had a naked woman try to strike up a friendly conversation and I found it very awkward that she was talking, talking, talking and just standing there in her birthday suit in front of me. Getting changed is one thing, but walking around free as a bird is another!

  • Sonia (the Mexigarian) August 11, 2011, 1:40 pm

    Clothes and me are not friends. I only wear clothes because it’s the law (is it really?) lol. I was one of those kids that ran around butt naked at home and am one of those adults that strips down as soon as I get home. I’ve been naked in locker rooms enough that it doesn’t bother me at all. I just try not to get to close or bend over in someones face while being so.

  • Heidi August 11, 2011, 1:57 pm

    There w

  • Heidi August 11, 2011, 2:03 pm

    Let’s try this again-my phone is malfunctioning! There was a woman at my old gym who used to sit nekkid on a bench in the locker room and eat a sandwich after working out-complete with nom, nom, nom sounds! I used to change one row over, burying my face in my towel so she wouldn’t hear me giggling. Totally true! I couldn’t make that up! Who does that?! 🙂

    • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 2:29 pm

      HAHAHAHHAH i would’ve died.

  • Orla August 11, 2011, 2:12 pm

    I used to be one for the nekidness in the locker room! I was a member of a really small private gym. It was tiny- there was one treadmill but the owner and trainer was amazing & we spent most of the classes outside. There were times for Ladies, times for Gents and then there were 3 mornings a week when it was mixed.We also swopped the locker rooms based on what morning it was. Can we see where this is going? I was just of of the shower one morning post workout and was “air-drying” and one of the men got his days mixed up. Needless to say, I don’t go nekid any more. And funny enough I just couldn’t afford the membership the following year!!! We laughed about it and I don’t think he saw that much.

  • Maryea {Happy Healthy Mama} August 11, 2011, 2:13 pm

    I am fine with a quick change, but don’t walk around naked.

  • Ashley August 11, 2011, 2:22 pm

    I don’t know why, but I am 100% confident being naked on top but the idea of other women seeing my vajayjay is a little too much for me, so I put my underwear on under a towel and then ditch the towel.

    When I was growing up, we had a family friend who lived in Japan and she said the women there did everything in the locker room naked. When she took her young son to the bathroom one day, he saw one naked lady and said “mom, she has tootsie rolls on her chest”. haha. If I ever see a flash of nipples, this is what I think of!

  • Kara August 11, 2011, 2:25 pm

    I am totally guilty of drying my hair while just in my underwear (but no bra). Otherwise, I’d sweat and defeat the whole purpose. I don’t belong to a gym anymore, so don’t worry, I’m not terrorizing anyone with my itty bitties anymore 🙂

  • Kathryn @ Flopoodle August 11, 2011, 2:30 pm

    I use the gym that we have at my office, so I tend to change in the one changing designated bathroom stall because I don’t want my coworkers seeing me in my skivvies…or nekkid!

  • Ashley August 11, 2011, 2:33 pm

    I’m definitely a strutter. I try not to walk around and I turn away just because I don’t want to make anyone else uncomfortable, but I have no qualms with being naked in front of other people. I’m not a naked hair dryer though. That’s just too much haha.

  • Meredith August 11, 2011, 2:53 pm

    I definitely have no qualms about being naked in the locker room – I don’t actually belong to a gym, but I work at a yoga studio and the staff changing room is TINY. But we all have just gotten accustomed to being naked in very close proximity to other women :).

  • Bonnie August 11, 2011, 3:17 pm

    It’s funny you mention this. While I’m an under-the-towel changer, I always thought that if I ever have teenage girls, I’d want them to come to the gym with me every now and then to see that bodies come in allllllll shapes and sizes and almost none of them look like magazine models.

  • Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun August 11, 2011, 3:18 pm

    I literally busted out laughing when I read the statement on “teets shaking at you”. LOL You’re awesome to go there!

    And I don’t have to get changed in the locker room anymore really, but I don’t have qualms about it. i figure most people are probably more concerned on their own nekkidness.

  • Chelsea August 11, 2011, 3:24 pm

    I’m fine with changing and being naked in the locker room. Walking around naked though? Not cool.

  • Corrie Anne August 11, 2011, 3:31 pm

    I agree with your naked philosophy. I haven’t reallly gone to a gym where this is a thing, but I’m moving/changing gyms soon. So we shall see! 🙂

  • Cindy August 11, 2011, 3:34 pm

    I was totally against it until I worked out at an all female gym, and then I just didn’t care since everyone stripped down to get into the hot tub. And I will pretty much do anything to get into a nice hot jacuzzi tub after a workout!

  • Jess August 11, 2011, 3:35 pm

    My pools have private cubicles that you can change in. I always change there, mainly because it is near a school I have taught in, and it would be my worst fear to bump into a parent (or worse, a student!!) when I am nekkid in the changing room!

  • Kath August 11, 2011, 3:43 pm

    I used to be OK with showing a little skin in the locker room – but then I became sorta famous and I never know who might be a blog reader – now I’m super shy!!!!

  • Amanda August 11, 2011, 3:45 pm

    I certainly wouldn’t do it in my home town. I might die from embarrassment to think that I could randomly run into a stranger; or even worse, a coworker or parent of one of my students in the grocery store or Starbucks after having recently done the nekkid thing! That being said, I do change freely when I’m on vacation! I’ll never see those people again, so at that point, I don’t care who sees me!

  • Rika August 11, 2011, 3:47 pm

    I always make sure I have my undergarments on! I’m not okay seeing “those” body parts.. they make me squirmish (ie: gaggy).

  • Katherine August 11, 2011, 3:49 pm

    I’m pretty ok with others being naked in the locker room, but I am a chicken mainly because a lot of my coworkers go to the same gym. It would be seriously awkward for me to be caught naked by someone I have a professional relationship with!

    • Katherine August 11, 2011, 3:51 pm

      I also wanted to add- I went topless one time while on vacation in South Beach with my fiance, and I have to say that it was quite liberating!

      • Caitlin August 11, 2011, 4:27 pm

        Grew up in Miami, went topless in South Beach and Europe. 🙂 Americans are so prude at the beach in comparison!

  • Courtney Leigh August 11, 2011, 3:50 pm

    Dude. Yes. Yes, yes, yes. I’m totally all about the just relax and change. No fuss, no muss. And as another YMCA member I’ve seen plenty of older ladies and parts of older ladies, that I wished I hadn’t, but hey, not a big deal in the long run. What really gets me are the ladies who change in the bathroom stalls. There are TWO in the locker room and sometimes after a workout, I really need to go but I have to wait 15 minutes because someone is changing clothes in there. I find the lack of confidence doubly annoying for getting in the way of my bodily functions.

  • Ali @ Ali Runs August 11, 2011, 4:07 pm

    When I was little my mom took me to the YMCA and in the locker room there were so many naked ladies (older, naked ladies) and it was the first time I had ever seen anyone naked aside from my mom. It was so weird and I was a little scarred. I still don’t do the whole naked thing in the gym because of it. Yikes!

  • Gloria August 11, 2011, 4:20 pm

    I’m so glad others have seen the nakey hair drying. I especially love when the only pair of shoes they have are high heels, so their makeup is caked on, hair blowing in the wind, buck naked, wearing sexy heels. It’s like an add in Playboy!

    I usually have no problem undressing in the locker room. Most of the time my friends and I meet in the locker room after a workout, and if I’m the only one who needs to change clothes, I feel kind of awkward stripping down while they’re standing right in front of me having a conversation, so I just run to a bathroom stall and change real fast. No big deal 🙂

  • Christie @ Running Through Peanut Butter August 11, 2011, 4:33 pm

    I agree with you completely. I used to be very uncomfortable about changing infront of others, but now I think of it as “just a body”. I still try to change quickly facing the lockers though..

  • Stacy Smith August 11, 2011, 4:33 pm

    I definitely dont walk around buck naked, going from one thing to another in the locker room and am not a fan of those who do. But, I don’t hide under a towel either. Like you, I am not looking at others, so why would they be looking at me?!

  • Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin August 11, 2011, 5:22 pm

    I actually rarely change at the gym because I like to go home to shower. But if I do have to change at the gym, I tend to do the sports bra over the regular bra switcheroo so that I’m never totally naked. It’s something I’m still uncomfortable with myself. 😛 But I have no problem with other women getting naked – we’ve all seen it before!

  • zoe @ myfoodintranslation August 11, 2011, 5:30 pm

    I haven’t been in a locker room for ages, but nakedness was never an issue for me. Heck, I don’t even have a problem getting naked at the beach, so a locker room seems quite private in comparison.
    And I don’t think it has anything to do with modesty. I’m a modest person, and that doesn’t make me consider my body an offensive sight for others. There are so many disturbing things that we see on a daily basis that the fact that somebody might be uncomfortable for having to “bear” the sight of my naked body is simply laughable.

  • Emily August 11, 2011, 5:38 pm

    Try cornmeal pancakes!

  • Alaina August 11, 2011, 6:13 pm

    I used to be conscious about getting naked in the locker room, but yeah, we all look the same in there! Nothing new. 🙂

  • Kristin @ STUFT Mama August 11, 2011, 6:18 pm

    I’ve experimented with that same polenta and it did NOT go well either. And I still cover up a little in the locker room. WHo the heck knows why? ha!

  • Kate Z. August 11, 2011, 6:22 pm

    Yup, polenta’s great for pancakes but you need dry polenta!

  • Molly @ RDexposed August 11, 2011, 6:25 pm

    After living on an all girls dorm floor, my modesty is out the window.

    • Ellie August 11, 2011, 7:39 pm

      I lived on an all girls dorm floor too (but the rest of the dorm was boys) and when it was really hot I would walk to and from the bathroom in my bra. One of my feminist dorm-mates complimented me on taking a step towards gender equality by going shirtless in the heat as boys in the dorm would do. All right!

  • Martha August 11, 2011, 7:02 pm

    “Teets”? Come on, if you’re going to say it, go big or go home and say tits! (Unless you were referring to the old English “teats”, in which I stand corrected).

    • Caitlin August 12, 2011, 10:28 am

      oh i meant teats. LOL

  • Amanda August 11, 2011, 7:16 pm

    I usually hide, lol. Gotta love the women that strut around nude in the locker room….

  • Ellie August 11, 2011, 7:36 pm

    I’m a proponent of nudity in the locker room. Where else do you get to be naked with other people in a normal way? It’s fun! I’m a bit of an exhibitionist at heart but I don’t walk around naked extensively, just change, because I know some people get weirded out by it and I’d feel self conscious. (I walk around naked at home with my boyfriend plenty though!

  • Gillian August 11, 2011, 7:49 pm

    I love your blog! Just wanted to give you a heads up, there is a contest going on right now to have your own drill end up on the NTC app. Maybe you could enter with some awesome drill you know! Here’s the link:

    http://www.facebook.com/nikewomen?sk=app_258042467557596

    -Gillian

  • CJ @ http://healthy-happy-whole.com/ August 11, 2011, 7:56 pm

    I am definitely a towel changer. I should probably start workng on the self confidence. Thank you for sharing about the polenta pancake that wasnt haha this sounds so silly but tonight I made a salmon dish for my husband and I and it just didnt taste right. I dunno if it as bad fish or what but it was so not good and I threw it all away. I had guilt about wasting food but I was also bummed because i am normally a very good cook! im glad to know other good cooks have some wasted attempts as well!

  • Shayla @ The Good Life August 11, 2011, 8:03 pm

    Hahaha I love this post…especially when you said you don’t want to be blindsided by jiggling teets…that is the most awesome sentence ever…I’m still chuckling 🙂

    I like your philosophy and I used to be the same…I was very timid about undressing in my gym locker room. But then one day I just said to hell with it and if others are looking whatever, like you said, it’s just a body!

  • Amy @ ahealthyandhappyheart August 11, 2011, 8:11 pm

    I keep it under wraps! I have never been one to strut my “stuff”!

  • Stephanie August 11, 2011, 8:19 pm

    I’ll change, although I do try to be discreet about it. One time I was changing and so was the parent of one of my students…when we made buck naked eye contact and each realized who the other one was? aaaawkward!

  • Betsy August 11, 2011, 9:19 pm

    I don’t mind locker room nakedness. The only time it bothered me was when I went into the sauna at my YMCA and a naked woman was doing yoga in there. Very, very strange.

  • Annabananabomb August 11, 2011, 9:34 pm

    Locker room nekkidness at gym = ok. Locker room nekkidness in work change rooms = not ok. I don’t want to have a meeting with you later after seeing your boobs, I wont be able to concentrate on what you are saying. Be discreet, seriously people, it’s work!

  • Samantha August 11, 2011, 9:46 pm

    I’m in the middle on this one. I don’t mind if other people are nekkid, and half the time I don’t think twice about changing without the towel. But other times I do change under the towel because I’m just too self-conscious that day. I never even used to be comfortable in just a sports bra around other people though, so I’ve come a long way. It’s all about progress!

  • Maddy August 12, 2011, 12:00 am

    I don’t normally change in locker rooms, but one time I saw an extremely old wrinkly woman sitting in the sauna, completely naked with her legs wide open. That moment has scarred me for life.

  • erin August 12, 2011, 12:19 am

    N – to the O – way.

    Backup.

    My current gym is at the university where I teach, so there’s no way I’m parading my nekkid butt around the change rooms! My poor students (many of whom are also members of the gym) should not ever have to see me nude!

    At my old gym I cared less, though. I don’t walk around or chat to anyone or blow dry my hair in the nude (I mean, really, would it be so hard to put undies & a bra on?), but I would get changed and get on with it. The thing I hated most was that the showers had no doors, and without fail there would always be a woman showering in the one shower that faces onto the ENTIRE changing area, completely nude, -despite- the fact that every single other much more discreet shower was free! WHY??

    Current gym has doors on the showers (being a student gym and all!). The thing that annoys me most about this changeroom is that there is a bench right outside… and guys sit on it and perve in… GROSS! I have complained about that to the management, but in the mean time have to strategically place myself to avoid pervy boy eyes.

  • Jen August 12, 2011, 1:07 am

    AHHAHAHAHA…”jiggling teets first thing in the morning” – I might just die of laughter! Also, I agree with you. 🙂

  • heidi August 12, 2011, 6:02 am

    This in an interesting discussion for a Scandinavian reader. I think that being naked is in general a smaller issue for us here in northern Europe. We have a strong sauna culture (in my country almost everyone has their own sauna or a common sauna in their building) and we are used to going to sauna together. It is a way to relax and not think about body issues.

    Caitlin, thank you for your awesome and inspiring blog and Operation Beautiful!

    • Caitlin August 12, 2011, 10:31 am

      Thank you Heidi 🙂

  • Linda @ Lemons August 12, 2011, 8:19 am

    I avoid the whole thing by not belonging to a gym. I can deal with my body with clothes on – naked is a whole other thing. I don’t even walk around my room naked when no one else is home.

  • Danielle August 14, 2011, 11:44 am

    I was reading my new Clean Eating Magazine at breakfast this morning and was surprised to see that they actually have a recipe for polenta pancakes! They used left over polenta that were squares rather than making it into a traditional pancake batter but I bet you could just cut rounds from the tube. It looks really good! It’s the August/September 2011 issue on p. 21 if you wanted to check it out or I can email you the recipe, if you’d like 🙂

    • Caitlin August 14, 2011, 11:53 am

      Oh I would love the recipe 🙂 You could snap a pic and email it to me? caitlinjboyle@gmail.com

  • Katherina @ Zephyr Runs August 14, 2011, 11:46 pm

    When I lived in Charlotte I went to the Harris Y and old ladies were *always* naked 😛 I never got naked but I was also a teenager so I was kind of self conscious. I’d be down for stripping down just out of convenience, but I don’t shower at the gym so I never have to!

  • Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) August 16, 2011, 1:11 pm

    I keep it under wraps … but as a teacher, I could easily run into students/parents/ in the locker room and that would be weird.

  • Errign September 2, 2011, 11:36 am

    How did I miss the epicness of you blogging about jiggling teets? bahahaha.

  • Lisa October 13, 2011, 7:07 pm

    I get naked in the locker room but I don’t walk around naked like some women do (I’m not THAT secure)! I’ve never been that uptight about nakedness so it doesn’t bother me. 🙂

  • Ashley May 14, 2015, 11:45 pm

    I don’t strut around naked. But I also have no problem with locker room nudity.

    I was on the girls basketball team in middle school, and on the girls swim team in high school. Group showers were a daily occurrence. If you had basketball practice before school, you showered after. If you had swim practice, you showered both before and after. No one ever showered in a swimsuit. Anyone who showered in their swimsuit probably would have been teased? We weren’t required to shower in gym class, but most of us did anyway.

    I’m grateful to have been exposed to showering and changing in locker rooms at a young age. I really think that it helped me (And probably many other girls) have a better body image. I’m the middle of three daughters. My older sister and I were on teams and group showered in school. My younger sister was never on teams or group showered at school. When the three of us go swimming together at the YWCA, my older sister and I shower in the nude after a swim. However, our younger sister always wears her swimsuit in the showers. She has told us on many occasions that she envies our comfort level with locker room nudity.

    It makes me feel good when I see women or teen girls who are comfortable in their own skin. I think it’s great when I see high school girls that don’t feel the need to wear their swimsuit in the open showers at the Y. Which is probably about half of the teen girls at the Y.

    When you think about it, we all have the same parts, and no-one stares at anyone else that’s nude in the locker room. It seems kind of silly for us women to feel a need to hide our bodies from one another. I think being overly conservative in the locker room is setting a bad example for young girls. It kind of teaches them that the female body is shameful.

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