Normally, this wouldn't weird me out too much, but my gym happens to be in my office building, and is open to employees only. and it seems to be the more powerful the woman is in the working world, the more naked she's likely to be in the locker room. Which just leaves us underlings to giggle uncomfortably and avert our eyes...

I have the same situation, Swandive, at my office in CT. My male coworkers joke about the CFO and CEO. One of my male coworkers jokingly refers to being in the locker room with other people in our department as "our special naked time together."

Haha, it never really occurred to me how the guys react to naked time with colleagues... i work in an unbelievable female-dominated company, so they probably have a little more "me space" in the locker room. The funniest thing was that one day my boss commented on how awkward it was seeing the CEO changing in the locker room... the irony of the fact she changes with my entire department every day was totally lost on her.

I joined a new gym last week and I'm quickly getting used to this. I think I'd be ok with it in the locker room, but the jacuzzi? I swear there were like 10 naked ladies piled into the little steam room today.

I think it makes me more comfortable too though, because the naked bodies aren't necessarily the hot bodies.

I lived in Korea for a year and every time I went to the gym, all the women would be walking around totally nude, socializing and talking on the phone.

Meanwhile I was struggling to hide beneath my towel to change my shorts and scurry out of there.
I'm sure they thought of me as really bizarre

At my former gym - it was literally the naked house. One lady actually plucked her nipple hair in front of the mirror while I was putting on my makeup. I switched gyms for some other reasons but that has haunted me forever. There are things you just don't do in public!

oh ick! I had one at a gym I went to years ago. She would stand in front of the mirror starkers with her legs spread open and blow drying her hair - I think she was an exhibitionist or something - other women in the locker room were also naked but somehow not as disturbing as this particular one.

Stacie - your story is particularly gross! :p

Ah yes, change room nakedness. Like another poster, I was forced to become less concerned about my nakedness when I lived in a converted hostel in Germany for the summer. We worked a sweaty sticky job and at the end of our shifts, all the women would pile into the shower room together. At first it was really awkward for the little North American contingent, but the rest of the women seemed so nonchalant about it it was easy to start feeling like it was no big deal...and I got some shaving tips:o

In general I think the experience made me more comfortable with my body...cuz they seriously didn't care that I was plump and pasty white.

When I went to Greece a couple years ago I had a similar experience on the beach. No one was naked, but it certainly looked nothing like an American beach!! I felt a lot less self conscious in my suit there than I've ever felt stateside.