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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/mar/30/australian-surf-clubs-policy-banning-nudity-in-changerooms-bewilders-swimmers
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| Australian surf club’s ban on nudity in changerooms bewilders swimmers | |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| One member says she feels body shamed after receiving warning letter but official defends ‘family-friendly’ rules to protect children | One member says she feels body shamed after receiving warning letter but official defends ‘family-friendly’ rules to protect children |
| If you want to change out of swimmers after a dip at Terrigal beach, try to do so “modestly”. Slip up and you’ve breached the Australian surf life saving club’s no-nude policy. | If you want to change out of swimmers after a dip at Terrigal beach, try to do so “modestly”. Slip up and you’ve breached the Australian surf life saving club’s no-nude policy. |
| Ocean swimmer Nada Pantle was threatened with “disciplinary action” when she did. | Ocean swimmer Nada Pantle was threatened with “disciplinary action” when she did. |
| Pantle and Wendy Farley start their days with a morning swim, then shower in the Terrigal surf life saving club’s changerooms before heading to work. | Pantle and Wendy Farley start their days with a morning swim, then shower in the Terrigal surf life saving club’s changerooms before heading to work. |
| But an email notice from the club urging no more nudity in changerooms in December confused their routine. | But an email notice from the club urging no more nudity in changerooms in December confused their routine. |
| “I thought it was crazy,” Farley said. “Because how can you have a shower and dry yourself and change without being nude at some point?” | “I thought it was crazy,” Farley said. “Because how can you have a shower and dry yourself and change without being nude at some point?” |
| Then the club put up a new sign in the changeroom: “Shower in your swimming costume / change with a towel around you.” | Then the club put up a new sign in the changeroom: “Shower in your swimming costume / change with a towel around you.” |
| Pantle then received a letter in February from the club, warning she had breached their no nudity-in-changerooms policy. | Pantle then received a letter in February from the club, warning she had breached their no nudity-in-changerooms policy. |
| “The club is a family friendly environment and … nudity is not acceptable,” the letter read. “Should you continue to ignore the rules, you will be subject to disciplinary action, and/or … termination of your membership.” | |
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| Pantle was bewildered. | Pantle was bewildered. |
| “I almost feel like I’ve been body shamed,” she told the ABC. “They didn’t say what I did … but it sort of implied I’d done something almost sexual.” | “I almost feel like I’ve been body shamed,” she told the ABC. “They didn’t say what I did … but it sort of implied I’d done something almost sexual.” |
| The policy is written by Surf Life Saving Australia and requires adults to avoid being naked in changerooms when children are there, or could walk in. | The policy is written by Surf Life Saving Australia and requires adults to avoid being naked in changerooms when children are there, or could walk in. |
| The purpose is to protect young people, said Jon Harkness, the chief executive of Surf Life Saving Central Coast. | The purpose is to protect young people, said Jon Harkness, the chief executive of Surf Life Saving Central Coast. |
| Terrigal surf life saving club has 949 members, with over a third being under 16 years of age. | Terrigal surf life saving club has 949 members, with over a third being under 16 years of age. |
| “They all potentially use those shower facilities,” Harkness said. | “They all potentially use those shower facilities,” Harkness said. |
| The club instructs patrons to shower with swimmers on, and “use modesty when changing” by wrapping a towel around themselves. | The club instructs patrons to shower with swimmers on, and “use modesty when changing” by wrapping a towel around themselves. |
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| Farley said the rule implied “what you are doing is wrong, your nude bodies are wrong”. She said it was a “very bad message” to be sending young women. | Farley said the rule implied “what you are doing is wrong, your nude bodies are wrong”. She said it was a “very bad message” to be sending young women. |
| “Young women are so focused on hiding their bodies and feeling ashamed of their bodies,” she said. “They are conflating getting changed with sexually abhorrent behaviour.” | “Young women are so focused on hiding their bodies and feeling ashamed of their bodies,” she said. “They are conflating getting changed with sexually abhorrent behaviour.” |
| The policy has sparked plenty of debate online, with one Australian Reddit user describing it as “baffling”. | The policy has sparked plenty of debate online, with one Australian Reddit user describing it as “baffling”. |
| Another, from Europe, wrote: “We got mixed saunas. Any public shower (public pool, sports club, gym etc) is an open plan and you definitely see naked people while changing … A naked body is only indecent if you teach it to be indecent.” | Another, from Europe, wrote: “We got mixed saunas. Any public shower (public pool, sports club, gym etc) is an open plan and you definitely see naked people while changing … A naked body is only indecent if you teach it to be indecent.” |
| But Harkness defended the need for modesty. | But Harkness defended the need for modesty. |
| He said it was “unreasonable” to view the rule as sexualising or body shaming. | He said it was “unreasonable” to view the rule as sexualising or body shaming. |
| “Nobody inferred that,” he said. “We were purely asking they follow the rules to constantly be modest within changeroom facilities.” | “Nobody inferred that,” he said. “We were purely asking they follow the rules to constantly be modest within changeroom facilities.” |
| Harkness pointed to situations when young people had been exposed to nudity in the changeroom and felt “uncomfortable”. | Harkness pointed to situations when young people had been exposed to nudity in the changeroom and felt “uncomfortable”. |
| “The change rooms are getting a bit old now,” Harkness admitted. He said there were plans in place to have them upgraded with more private stalls, “but they’re not quite there yet”. | “The change rooms are getting a bit old now,” Harkness admitted. He said there were plans in place to have them upgraded with more private stalls, “but they’re not quite there yet”. |