Boys Locker Room: Changing

Hi. I'm just starting my High School's second semester, and i'm a freshman. I have gym for the first time this year. I'm really, really uncomfortable with changing for gym class. Fortunately, I have gym last period, which means I can either wear my gym clothes, or pull my pants over my gym shorts. But i've been hiding while I change, and I don't want to hide when I change in the locker room for the rest of my life.

I wear boxers, but they're bigger than a bunch of the other guys[no, I don't intentionally watch other boys change]. SO, there's my first point. I hate my boxers, and I really don't want to ask my mom for anymore, because I have plenty. Basically, it's all just big black cotton, patternless boxers. And there are showers and a stall, but alot of guys hang around the showers, so I can't change there, and people actually use the stall to go to the bathroom in my school.

In middle school, I was always good at hiding while changing. But now it's high school, and it's unavoidable. I'm really uncomfortable with changing, and people watching me, or making comments about me.

What should I do?

i had the same problem when i was a freshman but the true is that no one says anything to you as long as you just keep quiet and dont talk to no one
thats how i did it

Well, why are you uncomfortable? I personally don't understand it. I don't like changing in front of other men, but I am ex-military, where we didn't have a choice. At first it was akward, but after a while, I just didn't care. I just focused on getting changed. If someone mentioned something to me about my body clothes while I was changing, I would say \"dude... do you mind?\" and continue getting changed.

It sounds like a problem that stems from fear, Angelus. And you know what we say about fear 'round here.

I went to a small Catholic school for 6, 7 and 8th grade so when I went to a large public high school I was terrified. In those days (1974) hazing was allowed and for the first few weeks of school freshmen had to wear fish tags and were bullied by the older students. Short of murder or an incident that involved a visit to the hospital emergency room the teachers looked away. This was in Southeast Texas as well and it's a tough place to be even today.

I was fat, horrible at sports and had to face PE the first day of school.

Hiding was not an option and the class was of mixed grades so there were big mean seniors in there too. I walked down the rows and near the end row there was only one guy there who had been in my English class the previous period and he was changing and calm as if he was merely retying his shoe.

I decided to adopt that tactic and neither rushed or took my time but pretended like I thought nothing of it. In the middle of this he says, \"I hate English class\" and I was so surprised to be spoken to I said \"Why?\". He was so unconcerned about the fact that we were both naked we might as well have been talking during lunch. \"That teacher talks like a dictionary\" he said. I heard myself laughing and before I had a chance to worry I said, \"Yeah really she does.\" By then we were dressed for PE which was a jock and shorts only - even if it was cold outside - and after that it never worried me again.

I can tell you this. All the others are either:

As afraid as you are.

Don't mind it at all.

Gay and REALLY worrying about being caught looking or worse having a reaction that would give them away.

And for any gay readers in the same situation with this fear don't worry about it either. It's not going to happen. In later years I found out that several guys I'd had PE with were gay and we never knew it then.

I promise that it's not going to be anywhere near as frightening as you think it's going to be.

After a week or so I thought so little of it that we'd talk about something funny that had happened in class or if anyone remembered what was for lunch that day.

Now if you want to talk about the problem of being able to pee standing at a urinal with others around that's a different story for a different day. Do NOT under any circumstances pee in the shower even though it goes straight down the drain anyway.

Ah, Br.John, you've captured it! I have to change with a large group of freshman, and sme sophmores, but yeah, it's that fear that you said you had. Everyone says the same thing, and with you, I know it's the truth, because you always tell me the truth. So I guess i'll do it fast and calmly, then high-tail it out of there. But i'm sure it won't be as bad as I think. There are only a few bullies in there, and they all change together in the little locker cube on the other side of the room. And I usually get there short bit before the larger group, or atleast before they all walk past my locker. So i'll get there as fast as I can, and change, and then just leave. I think if i'm casual, no one will suspect my fear. Thanks everybody!

I remember reading this in the Houston Chronicle a little while back and found it on their site. To put things in perspective imagine if you had to go through what this guy did. Houston is only 88 miles from Beaumont where I live and we get this newspaper here.
[url]
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/main/5846928.html[/url]

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I'm sure this is a common problem.I to had this problem.The best thing to do is get over it.Force you self to just change in front of other guys but do it quickly.Keep on doing this every day and soon you'll see that your no longer forcing your self and your just doing. Dont forget to be easy on your self.Its your first year after all.

wow br john, thats kinda weird

At the end of the day - were all the same - all of our 'parts' have the same function so whats there to hide - you are a product of millions of years of successful evolution - and as a walking human - each of us is a 1 in a million survivor. Your biology lessons will (if they havent already) teach you this.

The key to getting over it is to face it as a matter of inevitability - you cant get away from doing this - so may as well take a deep breath and get on with it - but do so in a sensible mature manner.

Im not saying strut about like peacock - but the way school and the world at large is - if your seen to be 'hiding' or embarrassed etc in the locker room - the other guys are going to spot you a mile off - and anyone 'different' is usually the target.

Just go with it - go in the rooms and do what you gotta do - as said - trust us on this - 99% of the others are going to be in the exact same turmoil as you - and anyone who denies it is a liar.

After a few times of this - youll probably be wondering what the fuss was about.

MTFBWY - A

Wait.... Are you ashamed of your boxers or the fact that you have to change?

Hey, brother. Don't sweat the small stuff. This is just one of those things that you've got to deal with in life. And it's probably going to be one of the easiest for you to get through. Just wait until you get out of school. You're probably going to laugh about your concerns and shame, if you even bother to think about it ever again, which is highly unlikely.

Like Br. John mentioned, when I was a kid, the required uniform for gym class was a jock strap, (Picture tighty-whities, minus the backside.) and those extremely short shorts that you see people jogging in if you have ever seen a movie from the early eighties.

But also, back in my day, in my school, after gym class was the bane of my existence. The hated, the dreaded, the humiliating mandatory, and I do repeat, MANDATORY shower at it's conclusion.

Try to picture yourself along with your NUDE gym classmates all trying to go through a horseshoe shaped shower stall with about 10 shower heads on either side, raining down lukewarm water from either side, assembly-line style.

At the beginning was something like the congestion of the battle of Thermopolae, with all of us trying to hide our junk from everyone else, and get through it as fast as posible. At the end was the coach, passing out towels saying, \"Awwwww, come on ladies, you don't have anything that I haven't seen and laughed at a million times before!\" And if, at the end, your hair wasn't saturated, you got to go back to the beginning. It probably took less than a minute to go through, but my memory tells me that it took hours to strip off, go through it, and then seek the comfort and refuge of the clothes that mommy bought me.

The shameful who refused were failed and sent to the office.

When I entered H.S. it was the same thing, different coach.

I got through it.

Then I joined the Army. I can't say that the showers in Ft. Benning were more accommodating to the shameful, but I was prepared for it.

It seems that the laws have changed since my school days. Lucky for you! But don't be ashamed of yourself. You are you. You always will be you. And that's all you'll ever be. The same goes for all of the rest of us.

You can't let this get you down. If you show that it doesn't bother you, it will set an example for others to follow. And before you know it, it will just be something that just doesn't matter. That is, unless you have a tail or something.

And I'm totally not gonna say anything about the naked swim thing that John posted.