01-15-2015, 09:52 AM
A good part of my growing-up experience was at a medium-sized YMCA from the mid-50's to mid-60's (last century for you young folks). Spent most of my time in the pool and ended up as a lifeguard there for the last couple of years. "Institutional public nudity" was completely the norm there, not only in the locker rooms and shower, but in the pool also with the exception of family nights and occasional co-ed classes. All males in the pool, young and old, were all nude, all the time. In all my years there, admittedly young and naive as I suppose I was, I never experienced or even heard of issues with that policy, much less "incidents" and I did have interaction with management at the Y. Neither did I have any direct experience of kids or their parents having problems getting naked in order to go in the pool. In high school it was always group locker rooms and showers with dedicated gym clothes carried back and forth from home. Times have definitely changed. Seems kind of strange that in rather prudish 50's "institutional nudity" was not a problem but in this new age kids (perhaps more their parents?) seem to be very nervous about their bodies and non-personal, "institutional" nudity around others.
