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Unisex changing rooms

(59 Posts)
HeavenLeigh Mon 26-Sep-22 12:11:57

Would you feel comfortable trying on clothes in a unisex changing room, while I’m quite a confident person and happy in my own skin, I wouldn’t be happy using one, I like to look at myself in all angles to see if things fit and the thought of a man coming in and stripping off few feet from me is a big no no. What do you all think !

Grannybags Mon 26-Sep-22 21:54:01

Not for me either

I pity anyone that would have to witness me in my underwear!!

Gala Tue 27-Sep-22 08:36:26

I haven't seen a communal changing room in decades. Do they still exist? Surely not. Every clothing store that I have used have had separate cubicles with locking doors. Can't see the problem.

Jaxjacky Tue 27-Sep-22 08:43:52

I’ve ordered online for probably seven years Mollygo I just don’t like shopping.
HeavenLeigh is this something that exists now, or is it being proposed?

Lucca Tue 27-Sep-22 09:01:51

Blossoming

I wouldn’t use any communal changing room. I’m very slow and have to sit down and it’s not easy at the best of times.

I don’t think they are communal. Individual cubicles BUT only a curtain so,not acceptable. But why ???

icanhandthemback Tue 27-Sep-22 13:13:19

They have unisex changing rooms at the local swimming pool does not bother me, but if it was just a curtain, that’s not on, it needs a solid partition.

Katie59, that's what I was trying to say in my earlier post but somehow it got scrambled. We have used bigger cubicles for family changing for years with no bother. I am only concerned that if cubicles have curtains, somebody can open them pretty easily so I'd want a proper door. Other than that, provided you can't be seen changing by male or female, I can't see a problem. ]

Blossoming Tue 27-Sep-22 14:33:06

Lucca my various impairments mean I need a lot of space to get in and out of clothes and I wriggle myself into various strange positions. That’s why I want privacy.

Ali08 Wed 28-Sep-22 13:57:02

I'm actually very pleased that they dumped the group changing rooms from the 80s and went back to single cubicles!
If I want to change in front of a man, I have my own at home to change in front of. I really do not want, nor approve of, mixed changing rooms!!!

Allsorts Wed 28-Sep-22 13:58:21

No way, I would find another shop. Daft idea like mixed wards.

Rosie51 Wed 28-Sep-22 14:22:37

Many shops operate these mixed sex cubicle changing rooms. Floor to ceiling walls with a lockable door is one thing (still not something I like), but thin partition boards that do not reach floor and ceiling with a drawback curtain for a 'door' is quite another. There have been plenty of instances shown of men filming or photographing the woman in the next cubicle by careful positioning of a mobile phone in the gap. Primark are well aware of this danger but have up until now decided women and girls aren't important enough to protect.
Just one example, and how telling is the sentencing here that men rule, even when it's a woman magistrate. Disgusting child porn images found and still a suspended sentence!
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11039617/Met-Police-officer-36-caught-secretly-photographing-woman-Primark-changing-room.html

icanhandthemback Wed 28-Sep-22 14:33:03

I'm not sure why there is so much talk about "changing in front of a man." This isn't what is happening at all. You will still have your own cubicle but the cubicle beside you might have a man in rather than a woman.
Rosie51's link shows a need for shops to ensure that women can't be video'd and to ensure women are safe. I can see no reason why the cubicle partitioning can't go from floor to ceiling.

Rosie51 Wed 28-Sep-22 14:44:55

This form of changing room, with a curtain for a 'door' is much cheaper to set up, and was not a problem when changing rooms were single sex. To now rebuild with solid walls and lockable doors costs money and puts the area out of use during construction. Companies don't want to spend money where they can avoid it, but making their existing facilities mixed sex overcame other problems that they didn't want to address.

Joy241 Wed 28-Sep-22 15:59:28

Rosie51

This form of changing room, with a curtain for a 'door' is much cheaper to set up, and was not a problem when changing rooms were single sex. To now rebuild with solid walls and lockable doors costs money and puts the area out of use during construction. Companies don't want to spend money where they can avoid it, but making their existing facilities mixed sex overcame other problems that they didn't want to address.

I wonder if it will gradually change when they realise they are losing customers?

Margiknot Wed 28-Sep-22 16:27:20

I've used individual changing cubicles (with locking doors) that have a few men's cubicles on one arm off a central entrance and rather more on the other arm for women and children. Each cubicle has a solid locking door, a seat, and a mirror. There are mirrors also outside some cubicles. I don't have a problem with this type of changing facility, and don't see why men and women can't have individual privacy. My local TkMaxx have this system - with a larger central room which is I presume, for anyone needing the larger room.
When using single sex cubicles, with an external mirror, often other women have asked my advice or offered theirs- which may not happen so much in a mixed zone- as I assume people would be less likely to wander out to the external mirrors.
Am I missing something?

Margiknot Wed 28-Sep-22 16:30:20

Just seen Rosie's post. So I was missing something!

HeavenLeigh Wed 28-Sep-22 16:32:12

Jaxjaky a young girl had posted of her experience in primark Cambridge as two men walked in on her she was very upset naturally

HeavenLeigh Wed 28-Sep-22 16:36:27

It’s all over the internet, I hope this isn’t the way the shops are intending to go as I for one will carry on ordering online, although I do love to shop but certainly wouldn’t be using one myself

lovebeigecardigans1955 Thu 29-Sep-22 12:45:29

It's looks as though Primark are back-tracking on this policy as the bad publicity on social media has knocked some common sense into the decision makers. Why should it take a distressed young woman to do this?

Galaxy Thu 29-Sep-22 13:19:55

Generally stores that operate this policy backtrack very quickly because for such companies sexual assault cases usually propel you to alter your position on the issue.

Fleurpepper Thu 29-Sep-22 13:22:31

Tried trousers in Decathlon yesterday, Unisex changing rooms with door. What is the problem?

But it is in the middle of store, so with staff and other clients all around.

Rosie51 Thu 29-Sep-22 13:27:48

This latest episode was far from the first in a Primark shop, but it has generated lots more publicity. That's why they're suddenly so concerned. The incident that I linked to where the man was filming under the partition happened in March and didn't shake them up enough to see the dangers.

Rosie51 Thu 29-Sep-22 13:30:47

Fleurpepper

Tried trousers in Decathlon yesterday, Unisex changing rooms with door. What is the problem?

But it is in the middle of store, so with staff and other clients all around.

You've answered your own question.

A door, not a curtain. Presumably floor to ceiling partition, so no gaps for filming underneath or above? Middle of the store with staff and other customers around, increased safety.

Fleurpepper Thu 29-Sep-22 13:33:28

Gap at top and bottom- but as said, in middle of shop, so in full view of other clients and staff.

Rosie51 Thu 29-Sep-22 13:34:46

So still potential for a cell phone to take photos or film of a woman or child in a state of undress?

Rosie51 Thu 29-Sep-22 13:36:18

Posted too soon. One recent case was when a woman spotted the phone propped against a shoe facing up into her cubicle. She raised the alarm and the guy was caught.

Philippa111 Thu 29-Sep-22 13:36:54

Never!

Also I like a cubicle to myself to examine all angles but to be honest I can't really be bothered with the stripping off to get things tried on in shops...especially all the winter layers so I tend to buy a couple of sizes of things online and send back what I don't want.

I wonder if young people like it and feel ok with it?