I have always secretly wished I could work with the Post family and spread the magic of good manners throughout the world. Sadly, they have not yet needed me but I am hopeful that one day they will.
In the meanwhile, I wanted to share a fairly significant issue I have with bad manners. I, along with many others, face this issue on a regular basis. It concerns how woman, who on the outside seem nice, can turn into wild animals in the gym locker room. Because my experience is limited to the women's locker room, I can only speak of the women.
Today is Tuesday and I have been the gym twice this week. Both times I was disgusted with how some women were behaving.
The locker room at my gym is separated into 3 locker areas, a hair drying/prep area, showers/steam room & bathroom. The locker areas are my main concern. The other areas are subject to the messy and completely rude behavior that all bathrooms & showers are subject to.
A visual to help --> the lockers are upside down U-shaped - maybe 6 x 5 x 6. Top & bottom rows of lockers with a bench beneath on all 3 sides.
I have no expectation of privacy of course, but I would like to try to get out of my soaking wet jog bra and cycling shorts with at least a little dignity. And I can't do that when:
*someone is sitting down right next to me checking messages, tying shoes, fiddling with crap that needs to go into her bag - all the while facing me - 1 foot away from me. Get. Out. Of. My. Space.
*someone is standing next to me on the phone just shooting the breeze. Is anyone bleeding or on fire? No? Then hang the BLEEP up. Call them back in 4 minutes when you get into your car.
*someone is taking up six times the space allotted them. The lockers are nicely sized, so you can open them and move in and out of them fairly comfortably. But there's always someone who can't. She must spread her crap out all along the bench making it impossible for anyone else to function unless they ask her to move her stuff.
*someone is naked and seems not to be able to get dressed until she's done a million things. How about you just put on your foundation garments then start with the lotions and potions and whatnot, hmmmm?
I've learned to work around the person drying her hair wearing her pants and a towel - around her neck - and nothing else. Whatever. I walk around in bike shorts, you can dry your hair naked from the waist up. I've learned to find a locker away from the 5 wet & icky towels someone left just sitting on the bench (in front of 3 lockers). I've learned to ignore the debris left inside of some lockers and just move to another.
What I can't ignore is how gross these people are. And they're mean. What they don't realize is that: other people are subject to their nasty behavior, and, that someone has to clean up after them.
If you're tired of rude behavior I say to you - throw the book at them (Emily Post's Etiquette).
xo
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