How comfortable are you ?

Being naked in front of strangers, that is ... Or friends, or your mother ( & father : for guys) for that matter.

Not out in the open , for no apparent reason of course.

As far as I can remember, since I was thirteen and swimming lessons was mandatory in our Convent School, my friends have always been shy to change in front of each other. As our school does not have a swimming pool, I remember having to trudge across the road to Ave Maria Convent , where they have a pool for our double period of swimming lessons. It was either the first two periods of the day or the last two periods of the day.

As each period is a mere forty minutes ( if i remember correctly) it just gives us a mere an hour and ten minutes to walk to the pool, change, dive in for whatever stroke we were supposed to learn, and walk back in time for the next period or if it was the last two period, to rush back to collect our school bags and our rides home.

And as the changing room has only two cubicle showers (which has no door), all of us were forced to change out in the open. ( Voyeur heaven = a bunch of Convent schoolgirls stripping out of their pinafores and into bathing suits).

I still remember the really shy ones will come to school with their swim suits underneath their pinafores. Which can be really uncomfortable as back then we did not have the light weight , almost as good as second skin kind of swim suits. Imagine stewing under your uniform for at least four bloody hours( if you have the misfortune of having the last two preiods of the day for swimming).... Not good for circulation at all.

The ones who chose comfort will bring their swim suits to school. However, when it is time to change, they will pull out huge blankets and sarongs which they will drape around them.

After draping the said towel and sarongs around, they will proceed to take out their outer pinafore, cotton blouse, bra and knickers ( whilst trying to keep the towel and sarongs around them with their teeth, clanched between chin and shoulder, chin and collarbone) and THEN pulling on their lycra swim suit- All this WITHOUT showing a hint of boobs, ass or pussy.

I swear, this is no easy task. And all this in 5 minutes ( time you are given to change and jump into the pool) with our Physical Education teacher Ms Yap hollering at you to "Make it snappy".
You have to be really flexible or a contortionist to be able to achieve this mean feat.

Me, I would just strip down to my birthday suit and pull on my suit. Of course, there were a couple of other girls who would also do that. And we were always the first out of he changing room.

Fast forward to today and I see the same thing at the gym. Most ladies will slink into the toilet cubicle to change. And, I would get funny stares as I strip down and change right there in the middle of the changing room, in front of the locker. And after they shower, they will change in the shower stalls but I would walk from the shower stall, dry off in front of my locker and change there cos I don't fancy changing in a wet shower stall.

And, if you are buck naked, I realize that the will avoid looking at you, even when they are talking to you, though they see you at the gym everyday.

Why ? Is is because they are not comfortable with their own bodies ? Is it because we are Asians and it is not very Asian to be naked in front of others ? Is it rude to flaunt your two spotlights and your bush to others, albeit in the confines of a ladies locker room? Is it because we are just uptight and have hangups about our bodies ?

I have my fair share of hangups about my body but I am comfortable being naked in front of my daughter, my mom, in any ladies locker room and in front of all my girl friends( useful for sales time as you can share dressing rooms).

So, how comfortable are you ?

If you are not, that's why there will always be changing rooms. With doors.