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Undressing in Gym Class

Undressing in Gym Class

If you’re anything like I was in middle school, you dread[ed] having to change in front of the other students during gym class. It wasn’t because I felt like other girls were “checking me out” or being judgement, most of the problem came from how uncomfortable I was with my body. For some girls, it may be something else, such as a religion or just being timid in general. All in all, the root of the problem is the lack of instruction on how the situation could be handled or avoided.

I ended up pretending to be sick quite a few times, just so I could go see the nurse while everyone was changing. I even missed the school’s Scoliosis Screening tests each year, because I didn’t want to have to take off my shirt in front of the other girls or adults. As it turns out, I have a mild case of Scoliosis and could have been treated for my pain a long time ago with proper physical therapy. Instead, I played hooky with an ear infection and spent years with unidentifiable pain.

It wasn’t until high school that I discovered a few solutions to my problem:

  • The other girls are more than likely not going to watch you change, in the same way that you probably don’t notice the other girls changing.

 

  • There are bathrooms available to change in in most locker rooms.

 

  • It is okay to be a different body size than the other girls, just as it is okay to have different marks on your body.

 

  • If you still do not feel confident changing in front of other people, then try putting your gym shirt over the one you are wearing without putting your arms through the holes. Remove your arms from the other shirt’s holes and proceed to put them through the gym shirt’s. Then slip the other shirt either over your head or over your waist until you have removed it.

 

  • If you need to change bras, follow the same routine as the shirt, just add an extra step.

 

  • You can also wear your gym shirts/bras/shorts underneath whatever you choose to wear to school. Just be sure to wash them nightly or twice a week.

 

  • If you have friends, try asking them to hold a towel for you to change behind, and offer the same courtesy.

I found this video with instructions on how to best change in a locker room for additional help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igbN_rPcwT0

sarah

Sarah is a UAB student and an intern for GirlSpring.

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