In the 50s, our school allowed you to be on a traveling basketball team starting in 6th grade. That was my first experience with a communal shower. I remember the older boys were so developed. I found it terrifying for about 2 minutes then I loved it. In 7th grade were went into Jr. High which meant you took Physical Education. Showers were required and again, a gang shower. I played basketball so I saw the showers as the cooling down place after practice. I remember I liked seeing the guys but also liked girls. Very conflicted.
Gang showers were common all through college and adult life until just a few years ago. Now the young guys often put on underwear under their towel, signs proclaim you must be covered at all times and kids no longer shower in school. They smell of sweat all day long. The only guys that seem comfortable with their bodies at the gym are guys over 60. Nudism seems to be confused with sexual acts. Its sad to see that people cant seem to see the two as distinctly different. Even my ex-wife who was around my nudity, thought it was somehow sexual. She was raised in a house where she was yelled at if she saw her dad in his underwear. I was raised in a much more liberal setting. Nudists learn to be comfortable in their own bodies and seem to relate well to others.
My first experience with communal open showers was when I was in the 5th grade of school. We were all required to shower after phys ed class. It was not a problem for me as I had been going to camp for years where once a week we all went to the lake with a bar of soap (Ivory because it would float if dropped) and no bathing suit for scrub.
We only had a tub at home in the 60's so my first communal shower experience was either PE at secondary school or swimming lessons at the local community pool. They were gang type showers with about 4 heads on each wall and the water was never that warm but the games master insisted that everyone took a shower and always stayed to make sure we all trooped through. Never remember any erections but i'm sure they happened despite the cool water.
In my opinion, it is only due to the generally prudish upbringing that most people (in the UK at least) experience that makes us even discuss this item. In many countries (not all of course), nudism is accepted without question or thought. Many years ago I lived and worked in South Korea and it was the norm to attend a communal bath. Admittedly, it was sex segregated but I made regular visits to the huge baths there where there could have been 500 or more people all naked bathing, having massages and skin scrubs. No-one took any notice of each others nakedness. It was just normal and natural and, in my view, that is how it should be. It amazes me that in the 21st century we have to search for places where we can be our natural, naked self without having to think about embarrassing or offending anybody.
My first time was way back when I was in secondary school, after swimming we would all enter the change rooms, strip off our speedos and walk to the shower area at other end of the room and just shower while chatting, lots of yelling and looking at each other, was comfortable and fun.
Later the school had a camp at Lake Eppaloch in Victoria, similarly they had a room full of showers that we would all enter at end of each day and clean up. This was the first time I can remember seeing one of the older students naked, he was tall very muscular and seemed to be covered in hair from head to foot as well as being very well endowed. It made a number of us younger kids feel inadequate as we were what we thought much smaller in that area, little to no pubes etc and we couldn't help staring at him and discussing later.
eventually we grew into our bodies so to speak and realised that all were different and it was great just being naked.
It is a shame that the communal showers are mostly gone, causing what seems most guys even in an all male environment are ashamed to be seen naked.
Luckily the pool I go to still has the common change room as well as a room next door ( open wall) that has showers on 3 walls with no partitions. Some guys still go in their swimming attire and then do the towel dance to change but a number of us just strip off, enjoy a shower while chatting and washing and then walk naked back to get changed.
It is good to be able to still enjoy this freedom, be naked and natural in a masculine environment, yes we notice what a guy has hanging, body hair etc but that is normal , relaxed on promotes comraderie.
I feel sorry for the younger guys that seem to be ashamed of their body,
I know what you are saying KCnaked guy.
As a kid seeing an "old" person (to a little kid 20 is old) naked in the shower if you weren't used to seeing dad or others naked was eye opening.
To a little kid, seeing a hairy naked guy in shower can make them stare, all that hairy body and down further what at the time may have seemed a gigantic penis from what we were used to .
It was a great time back then, no body shame, naked in those situations was natural, usual and expected.
Fit/unfit, tall/short, smooth/hairy, small/average or WOW penis it was all seen , accepted as part of manhood comradery.
At the rate it is going we will be back to the old neck to knee swimming costumes of yesteryear.
Mine was at 13 with my step dad and his cousin when we went swimming . We all got took our trunks off and got in the showers. This was the first time Id seen them naked and broke down barriers of being naked with others. From then on I got naked regular
At the rate it is going we will be back to the old neck to knee swimming costumes of yesteryear.
Already happening. For the past few years, my niece and her husband have rented an inflatable water feature for the kids attending their Labor Day (US) party. Usually 30 - 40 kids under 14yo and pretty evenly mixed between the boys and girls. I've noticed the girls are wearing 1 piece or 2 piece (bikini) suits. The boys are wearing trunks that come down to their ankles and a mixture of long and short sleeve rash guard T's. Only 2 boys did not wear the rash guards.
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