Locker Room Etiquette

I started out working on this article to satisfy my own curiosity and
to provide information to other people who are blind who may want to
know how much nudity is acceptable in communal locker rooms. It's a
situation at which people who are blind are at a disadvantage in that
we can't just observe what others are doing and figure out the norm.
It's the same situation I find myself in when trying to determine if I
am under- or over-dressed at professional functions. Others can just
look around and see that most people are wearing suits or business
casual or very casual clothes, but unless there is someone to whom I
feel comfortable asking for this information directly, I just have to
guess. To be on the safe side I probably typically over-dress as it
is more acceptable to be dressed in a suit while others are in casual
clothes than the reverse.
In a locker room, though, undressing to change clothes is the whole
purpose for being there, and I think it helps to have some feedback
from others regarding what is generally considered acceptable. To
this end, I asked several women I know who have had some experience of
locker rooms around the country and in at least one instance in other
countries, and here's what I learned.
1. Most women who need to use communal locker rooms spend some time
adjusting to and getting comfortable with nudity, usually their own in
a public setting. In locker rooms you change clothes, often including
the step of taking a shower, and some nudity is expected. If no
private changing rooms are provided, then public nudity is
unavoidable. Everyone experiences it regardless of their personal
level of comfort with public nudity.
2. How much nudity is acceptable is driven by both culture and
personal preference or comfort.
A. Culture: Different parts of the country and different countries
vary in the culture of nudity. My friends tell me that the West Coast
of the USA is fairly open about nudity in locker rooms and that in
Japan, in hot mineral spring baths called Onzen, nudity is often the norm.
Other regions are more conservative and I suspect that this includes
my East Coast region. So in California while nudity exposed going to
and from the shower is mostly acceptable, here in DC, wrapping up with
a towel for this little trip is probably more the norm. Another
cultural consideration is the location of the gym such as one that is
provided for use of professionals working within a particular office
complex versus a public gym open to anyone. Co-workers who see each
other every day often to conduct business are less comfortable seeing
each other nude than might be the case for strangers who only meet in
the gym.
B. Personal preference or comfort: Within the scope of what is
generally acceptable for a particular gym or location, is the comfort
level of the individual with exposing her body in public. This is a
call that you make for yourself, and as long as you stay within the
norm for the gym you are using, no one else will have a problem with
whatever you choose.
3. More women than not, at least here in the USA, seem to prefer
maintaining some level of privacy. It is typical for women to change
clothes in stages so that at no time are they completely naked.
Another expression of this modesty is to turn your back to the others
using the same changing area so that only your back is exposed while
changing clothes. If even this level of exposure is uncomfortable,
then there is usually a toilet stall that can be made private in
women's locker rooms and you can sometimes use this for changing
clothes. However, be sure that there is another toilet stall open for
people to use and come out as soon as you are covered enough to manage
the public areas so that the toilet stall can be available for it's
intended purpose. Again the bottom line here is that some level of
nudity is expected in even the most conservative locker rooms and so
therefore you are well within the norm to expose your body to some
extent while changing clothes in the public places provided.
4. Usually by the time women get to the sinks to dry hair and put on
make-up, they are mostly dressed. It is pretty common to wait to put
on your top after putting on make-up and drying your hair, but
otherwise you probably want to be fully dressed. Remember that at
this point you are typically facing one or more large mirrors and so
whatever you are exposing is on display for anyone and everyone.
5. Women often help to increase the sense of privacy in a public
changing area by not looking directly at one another or by looking at
faces. Of course, being blind, I know that I'm not looking at
anything, but others often don't know this as it is not readily
apparent that I can't see. Even if they've noticed my cane, people
often think I can see a little. So I make an effort to be sure that
I'm not facing people directly. I usually tuck my chin down a bit as
though I need to look at what my hands are doing, or I stay slightly
turned away from the people around me even if I'm talking to them.
Even if they know I can't see, this is following the norm and puts
everyone at ease.
In summary, public changing areas make most women a little
uncomfortable and some very uncomfortable. Nevertheless, if we want
to take advantage of the awesome facilities provided in a public or
private gym, then communal locker rooms must be navigated. If you
can't see what's going on around you, know that none of the other
women there have any kind of magic remedies for covering nudity. At
some point, to some extent small or large, everyone is exposing parts
of their bodies as they remove one set of clothes and put on another.
It's okay to find your own level of comfort to do the same, and like
most things, it gets easier over time. I don't know if men have
similar issues or their own set of issues around nudity in communal
locker rooms, but if any men are reading this, feel free to comment on
your experiences. I don't intend to investigate men's locker rooms
any time in the near future!