I want to get your opinion on this matter Ladies.

Today my hubby and I went out shopping. I found a department store that was having a fantastic sale--picked out a few things and went inside the fitting room in the Ladies section of a major department store.

The fitting room was the typical variety--the slotted door that offers some privacy but not total. The doors were maybe 6 feet high--open below the knee..you know the type.

So there I am all my clothes off except for my undergarments taking a dress from the hanger when I notice a man (very large, round one at that) outside my fitting room...I sort of gasped and then he started asking his wife (a few stalls down) how her jeans were fitting. Thats all he asked--stood there a few minutes more and then left.

I was livid. Am I old school? Is this acceptable nowadays? Should I have alerted security? How do you all feel?

Also wanted to mention--this happened last month too--at Macy's. I was seated outside the mens fitting room waiting for my hubby and a woman goes strolling past me and and into the mens fitting room talking to her hubby who is also inside.

What the **** is going on????

I didn't know that was strange to do? For instance, when my guy and I are shopping for jeans for him, I usually wait outside of his dressing room so I can see what the jeans look like, and run back to get more if he needs me to. Didn't know it was weird. I guess it depends on the store/fitting room for me...

If it was one where you can see the person's face, or if it was just a curtain instead of a door, that would definitely be way too weird....


ETA: Or if the doors themselves were too revealing!

I've never even considered going into the area- just sitting outside- that's what they usually have that chair there for. I have never seen anyone do this- I'd be pretty off-put if there was a man in the ladies dressing room too.
I'm sure he didn't even think about it at all though.

I have never gone into the men's fitting room area except when I was shopping with my boys when they were pre-teens and needed to toss another pair of jeans over the top at them. I certainly didn't linger--they would come out of the fitting room area to show me their jeans if they needed my opinion. I wouldn't like it at ALL if a man came into the women's area. I already feel a little insecure at being in there in my undies; I definitely don't need a man hanging around outside the door. The other thing I don't like is men (husbands) lingering around the lingerie area. I don't want to be pawing through the bras looking for my size with a man standing right there and I definitely don't want to take my bras into the fitting room if there is a man standing right outside the door!

I am so glad to know I am not completely off my rocker with this one ladies. Now, how to approach this if it happens again? Should I just alert the store or say something to the man or what?

I would probably say something to the store manager. The man will be long gone by the time you alert the manager but seriously, there shouldn't be any men in there. The nicer stores around have a few chairs for gentlemen to sit in right outside the fitting room area; seriously but I've noticed that cheaper places like Penney's don't have this. I'm not sure why that makes guys think they can march right on in, though!?

I would have put some clothes on, walked out and pretended I just saw him and screamed a little, like an exclamation scream. Then I would have said "Oh my, did you know you're in the ladies dressing room??? You can't be in here!" -- like you would say to a man who accidentally walked in the ladies restroom.

If I had already heard his voice, I would have poked my head out and said the same thing.

I was shopping for prom dresses once and not only was a guy in the dressing room, but he was actually in the stall with his girlfriend helping her try on. I was appalled.

I dont know - I guess I dont see a huge issue with it. Had he been in there alone wandering, without a wife or gf, just in there, then yeah, I'd have a problem with that.

I've been in the mens dressing room - my husband wont walk out of it to show me something. So I have to go IN there if I want to see it. Its not like I'm there trying to get a peek at guys or something.

I do not think that women should be in the mens nor the men in the ladies. I would have made some remark.

As in any public place you need to be very careful but I suspect the guy was just being himself.

I have learned there are a lot of people out there that are not the brightest light bulbs in the deck. And sometimes....normal....for them is way different than ours.

To be honest, it is real uncomfortable for me waiting outside the room for Angie.

As far as lingerie, sometimes Angie wants me to "help" pick it out....well, she used to, back in the day

This happened to me three times this summer as well. One was a twenty something man helping his girlfriend with bathing suits at Kohl's - he was going back and forth with new ones and very discretely standing in front of her room door, and they had picked the one right across from the entrance so it wasn't too bad. He kept his head down looking at his feet the entire time and never strayed from that door. The second was a teenager helping his girlfriend with a formal dress at Penney's - he was annoying because they were way in the back and he was in and out of her room, made eye contact with every woman in the dressing room that I could see, and commented on every person who came out in an outfit. Seemed friendly, not too creepy, I finally asked him to leave when I saw other people getting nervous. It was a busy day so lots of people in and out, I had to wait for a room so had lots of time to watch. The third was a my age man watching their three kids (in the main dressing area where the nice three way mirror is located making it inaccessible to people who actually wanted to use it) at Old Navy. He was fine, it was the eight year old boy whom I had trouble with - he and his two sisters were climbing under the walls into the different stalls, even with people in them, and the boy would poke his head under and announce personal details of you to the other people. I asked the dad to take them out when he stuck his head under my wall and told his sisters very loudly that I had on a 'cool pink thong'. Again, not creepy since that is what eight year olds do, but still inappropriate.

Now that I've rambled, I don't think men should be in there at all, nor should women go into the men's fitting rooms, even with someone.

it seems to me that nowadays there dont seem to be the boundaries there used to be... in some ways it's good, and in some ways its bad..

I don't think men should ever be in the women's dressing rooms. Although I have been in the men's dressing rooms with my husband. At Target, they have a small dressing room, 2 stalls? If no one is in there, I will go and sit in the stall with my husband. I guess men don't try on clothes there because I've yet to see another man go into the other stall.

If it was a large dressing room or one where men were at, I would just wait outside.