Naked Swimming At School

I hope to give a full and detailed story of how boys were treated in swimming lessons and gym during the early 1980s.Reading some of the stories from across the pond has brought it all back to me,and at least I now know that I probably was not the only young teenage boy suffering in silence and cringing on a weekly basis just for being the shy and sensitive type,for which it seemed no allowances were ever made.I will post further very soon.

Early 80s?
That's awfully recent. On the other side of the pond, here, I can't find any accounts of boys nude swim classes past the mid 70s at the very latest.
I had the misfortune to have been subjected to this for five years, 62-67. I've read accounts by men who deem it to have been nothing of any significance, and some who even enjoyed it; I hated every second of it, the embarrassment, humiliation, the over whelming sense of vulnerability, the unfairness that the girls weren't subjected to it.
Oh, I know there are worse things in life, but this was so unnecessary, so nasty, so unfair, that it's bothered me (obsess is too strong a word) for more than 40 years.
I'd like to hear your experience.

It's good to hear from someone from the UK and Europe about this subject, because we've only been hearing it from the USA side so far.

I have an idea. This forum should be posted by Guys only. And, no ladies permitted. ha ha.

As awful as I think the treatment of boys in games and swimming in school was up to the 1980s,it may still surprise you to hear that I actually have no problem with naked swimming in principal.But it has to be a FREE choice of any boy to do so.What right does anybody have to force nudity and the exposure of teenage boys at any level!That goes for showers too.The reasons for naked swimming at my school were that you couldn't wimp out with the excuse that you had forgotten your kit.Having said that,many lads still didn't bring a towel and ended up borrowing from friends or getting dressed damp.Our classes used to involve about 35 boys at times,and I would readily abmit that maybe 10 of them loved it,but they were the minority.I recall at the end of one lesson coming out the pool and getting a loud bawling out for some minor reason by my games teacher.I just cannot begin to explain how utterly small and pathetic it made me feel to be shouted at while naked in front of my fully clothed adult teacher,as a boy of 14,while he was looking me up and down.During a lesson lasting about 70 minutes the boys would not be in the pool for the whole time and for periods would be rquired to stand at the edge in line watching others in the pool doing various swim tasks.I always remember wondering where to put my hands!To cover or not.When we lined up at the start of swimming periods at the side of the pool,as our names got ticked off the register,I was struck by how many of my classmates would put their arms behind their backs,maybe somewhat defiantly?We had a female school matron who had seemingly unrestricted access to the pool whether boys or girls were swimming.She appeared on numerous occasions,and I clearly recall her saying to us boys one day that there wasn't a lad who had been to the school in th 12 years she had worked there who she hadn't known in his entirity.We all knew what that meant!About 3 times a year we would have the matron check the soles of our bare feet prior to our lesson,when we would kneel in a line along a bench.Not one of us liked it.Oh,and guess what,we were ready to swim at the time,so naked.Now why did we have to be naked to have our feet looked at exactly??On a number of occasions rumours circulated that we would be getting our penises checked out by her too.It stayed a rumour,thankfully.The simple fact is that there were a lot of us boys who never got used to this behaviour by our school teachers and staff.Boys could be stripped,poked about,looked at etc as if we had no care about it.But girls,well it was a world of difference.No naked swimming,nice swimwear of their choice,voluntary showering,and nice gym kits too.They could have trainers in the gym,boys were compulsory bare feet,and bare chested.Many gym lessons were mixed,so it mattered.The boys were the "meat" to be checked over.Lots of boys don't like taking their shirts off and going barechested,but were given no choice.Why?This was an English school up to 1986.Will post again and would love feedback.Thanks for reading!

Hi Britguy. Did any of the girls or female teachers ever see you while you were swimming or showering?
Was this compulsary nude swimming for all the boys at your school? How old were they?
Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Hi Bob,yes there were no get out clauses for shy boys at my school in the early to mid 1980s here in England.Every boy had compulsory swimming lessons and they were naked at all times,with no excuses accepted.I can also say that even to this day in 2008,compulsory showers for boys are common after PE lessons at schools throughout the UK,albeit less so than 20 years ago.I have heard it said that making boys be naked in swimming was a way of keeping discipline,but I am not sure I really understand how and why this should be the case.Someone enlighten me?I recall the bolder boys at my swimming lessons larking about while naked and sometimes enjoying making others feel very insecure,although this was still a rare thing.Boys and girls never shared lessons or the pool together,but I recall a few times when the following girls class would arrive early,or the boys would finish late,and we had the horror of getting out the pool to our towels with girls lined up near the edge.I always felt you looked a fool if you put your hand over your penis so tried to brazen it out.And there they were nicely covered in a costume!That bugged a lot of us big time.The lads were between ages 12 to 16,myself included.At 12 I was one of the first to enter puberty so I stood out like a sore thumb for a few months which was added torture.At the time I never even let my own mother see me changing like that,and here I was at school being made to act as if I had no inhibitions at all.Most of my close friends felt exactly the same.When it comes to the showers,that is another long and winding story for my next posting.

haha...im sorry but ithink its kinda funny, but then again i know its also a serious matter.

Very interesting, Britguy. What was the girls' reaction when they saw you come out of the pool? Were they surprised, embarassed or delighted? We didn't have a swimpool at my school so I don't know what it would be like to be forced to swim naked at that age.
I've also heard that at some schools they even had mixed swimming, with girls wearing suits and boys naked together. Is this true?

Well I was so embarrassed about having to swim naked at my new school at age 12 that I never told even my mother.Trouble was,a number of the girls lived in my street and got to see me in that naked crawl out the pool.A few days later in front of both our mothers she said she had seen me naked with my willy out,leaving my mother thinking we had been up to kids "show me yours" kind of games!The reaction from her on finding out I was made to be naked at swimming lesson was not what I expected.She laughed,and asked me if my teacher joined us nude.He didn't,ever.This was in 1981.I always envied the few lads who could just get on with it,being naked and not fussed.But for me personally,all I could think of was "shit I am naked at school!" Then there was the fear that the girls would be ready and waiting for theyr lesson before we got out the pool to our towels.Sometimes we didn't even have towel to grab,meaning a short walk down a corridor to the boys locker room.Naked,filing along as quick as we could manage.There was a very real chance of encountering a female teacher during this short way back to the safety of our change area and our clothes.Of course it had to happen,and did a few times,and felt horrible.We were actually told to stop running and walk slowly by one vile bitch one morning.I am sure she delighted in the humiliation of barking instucyion at a dozen bare naked 14 year olds.We weren't running,just brisk.See how the very minute details of these things stay with you over 20 years later.I would really like to hear from teaching staff who took naked swimming for boys,either in the UK,USA or anywhere else for that matter.As I mentioned in earlier posting,it was the FORCED way it was done that bugs me.Not to mention the double standard of girls being given choices,and swim wear.And I still haven't got around to the showers aspect!

Hi britguy. You know, it's amazing how moms typically gave that type of careless reaction. It's truly NOT what anyone would expect from his mother. My mom was Exactly the same way. And, there are many similar stories, from other men.

Britguy wrote:

!The reaction from her on finding out I was made to be naked at swimming lesson was not what I expected.She laughed,and asked me if my teacher joined us nude. aspect!

I agree with you Britguy, it would have been embarassing for a 12 or 14 year old boy to have to walk naked through a line of girls and female teachers. They even had observation windows in most of these school swimpools, so anyone could watch really, even though they weren't supposed to. I bet the girls enjoyed looking at your willies when you walked pass them. Did they tease you about it later, or were they too embarassed?

Britguy:
My experience was about the same as yours, just on the other side of the pond, and farther back in time, near the pleioscene epoch.
I'm certain we both realize there are worse things that can happen to you, and if you live long enough, they will. I don't think about this every second of every day, but still, even across 40 freaking years, bring up the subject, and the hairs at the back of my neck bristle with righteous anger. I'm still hacked off about this, about the stupidity of it, the unfairness of it (that really galled me at the time, that the girls were such delicate flowers they got a pass on this)the lack of any coherent reason.
Which brings me to this question--were you ever given a justification for this? I wasn't. You said you'd like to ask them (your teachers) why they were doing this; I'm less prone to be that polite. I want to jump in my tardis, zap back to 1967 and bust a few skulls. Except that the old farts are probably dead by now.
Anyway, give forth with your thoughts on the matter. What do you think they were doing with this, and remember it was universal, world wide. Although it seems to have faded out later on your side of the pond.

Fascinated by why anakailey has posted here that she finds it funny.Would like to hear her reason for that?I have no idea what age you are,but I bet you would be laughing away as you were forced to strip naked against your will in front of happily clothed adults conducting swim lessons.Personally I would maintain that surely it is easier for girls anyway.At least their genitals aren't as clearly obvious as boys,with the fear of an unwanted arousal during the lesson that would be impossible to cover!Just put the boot on the other foot and imagine nude girls crawling out the pool as a bunch of trunked up lads gaze as they leave the pool,and then have to encounter male teachers as they file down thew corridor to change.It would seem outrageous,yet boys like me did just that,and stuff being shy or introvert,no allowances,just told to do it on pressure of punishment.And to Bob,my form tutor,a female,was also the PE and swim teacher for girls,and on about 4 occasions took the boys for their swim class.The first time she took us,we were already naked in the pool when she came in to say our male teacher had a meeting and she was deputising for him.I recall the huge shock I felt with butterflies in my stomach,and I know that most of the boys felt the same.The fact that she was my form tutor made it worse still.The option of trunks was not possible as none of us had brought any,having never been allowed to wear them.If the girls had been subjected to the same ways then maybe it would have felt a bit less of an ordeal,who knows.But it ain't funny,unless you are a bold,extrovert show off with a good self image.

So your form teacher must have seen all the boys' willies. How many boys were there at the pool during her lessons ? Did the boys act normal ?
Also did she punish you in class or at the pool ? Was physical punishment allowed at your school ?

I have read with interest several of these posts. I was a teacher's assistant in the mid 70's at a high school in the mid west. As an assistant, I would help out where asked. Several times I helped out in the pool for both the girls and boys gym class. It was always strictly forbidden for the girls and boys to be together. The boys were naked and the girls were not in class. At first I was very intimidated by being there but after a while I really enjoyed it. I think I am the minority of women. Frequently I would come home and pleasure myself thinking about what I had seen. It was not just seeing many naked guys at once, it felt good to be in that role. A few times, it was my role to make sure the guys where moving along when the class was over which required that I go into the locker room. Several times there were slackers who moved slowly and were just getting done in the shower when all the rest had been done. A few times one of the boys had an erection. I think they wanted me to see. I would stare "there" that a few of them seemed to enjoy.

I also remember several instances where girls in the girls lockerroom sneaked out of the door and peered around a corner at the end of a corridor to catch looks.

Sylvia, you posted the same story under two topics. You really get around!

and apparently so do you!

Hello Sylvia. It's good to carry on a conversation in two diferent places. Actually they're the same topic since they are on the same subject.
This is interesting bcause no one has described being in this situation before. I skinnydipped a few times in front of girls at that age, but not at school. And in your case the boys had to accept it whether they liked it or not.
How did it feel, for you and the boys, especially when they had to line up totally naked in front of you? Did you wear a swimsuit? Also how many boys were there usually in each class?
Do you remember anything unusual or funny that happened during these classes?
Sorry for bothering you with my questions, but this is an unusual situation.

Well the boys were not in a line as it was more informal than that. Yes they had to accept it. Some kind of turned away or covered their private parts. I do not remember anything totally unusual while in the pool area. But when I went into the locker room to make sure things were not too out of hand, I did see some interesting things. One boy had a very odd erection, it went straight up in the air. There were probably 25 kids in each class.