How did the "locker room" arguement even start?

[Eman'smom]

I asked dh because I don't have experience in male locker rooms

He said as a kid/teen whatever nobody ever dared even look at anyone else "down there" that they would be too embarrassed to be caught checking other guys out KWIM?

He said in adult locker room, nobody cares one way or another.


So if teenage boys are too worried they will be labeled gay, and adults could care less how did this even start?

[Frankly Speaking]

It's archaic in origin, going back 60 years and more.

When circumcision begain in the 1870's, most people would go from birth to near death without ever seeing a doctor except from necessity of an accidental injury that required stitches or casts. There wasn't a whole heck of a lot that doctor's could do for them at that time other than splint broken bones or stitch up gashes. Just as an illustration, when Abraham Lincoln was shot in the back of the head by John Wilkes Booth, The doctor who attended him actually stuck his bare finger in the bullet hole. This single action would have insured Lincoln's death if the bullet hadn't killed him any way but the finger in the hole would put fatal pressure on the brain not to mention the infection that would have probably resulted. However, that was state of the art medicine at the time.

Up until WWII, few people were birthed in hospitals and few got anything more than rudimentary healthcare their entire lives. The exception was people who were well to do and who lived in an urban environment, thus, those who were circumcised at birth were generally financially well off and urbane and those who were intact were generally from poorly educated families and agrarian from rural areas. In other words, those who were not circumcised were considered neer' do well hicks. This translated itself into locker room teasing since that was the only place anyone would know their genital status.

While the reason for this is long gone, the perception that there is teasing persists just like most of the other myths about circumcision.





Frank

[Minky]

I asked DH and he said that as a boy, he and his friends would do things like pull down their pants and compare size, shape, etc. "Uncut" guys were not allowed to play.

I think what happened in acutal locker rooms was less "Hey, what's wrong with your dick" than whispers afterwards that so-and-so is uncut, so and so has pubic hair, et cetera. I know that we girls heard rumours in junior high and high school about which guys were uncut, which guys had gotten their pubes, so on. I don't think the boys teased each other explicitly IN the locker room it was just the rumors afterwards.

[eightyferrettoes]

Originally Posted by Minky

I asked DH and he said that as a boy, he and his friends would do things like pull down their pants and compare size, shape, etc.

I think she meant "historically speaking", since not too long ago, almost nobody circed their kids.

[polarbear]

I have found that this argument is mostly used by men. I would imagine that if a study was done on the whole ‘locker room teasing’ concept, that the results may have nothing to do with the locker room.

I suspect that “I don’t want my son teased on the locker room” can actually be translated into “I don’t ever want to risk a woman having a negative reaction to my son’s unfamiliar penis, and not wanting to have sex with him.”

An entirely hypothetical concept, but one based on the constant (North American) barrage of women / media expressing the “ewww gross!” statements. What man would even risk such a catastrophic reaction for his son?

[Pandora114]

it would mean that his son would have to grow a set and say "Well guess what, if ya don't like the package you can't have what's inside, SEE YA!!!"

My husband did exactly that to a girl he dated. Once they got intamate she's like "Oh you have a hoodie, don't expect me to go down on it, but I want you to..." He's like "Umm no, go away" Didn't talk to her again.

[wackynaturelady]

On, but yet, off-topic: I had a reassuring thought about this. I had my 2nd son almost 3 weeks ago. He is intact, of course. I had my first son circ'd 13 years ago without thinking about it, (unfortunately). I have had little, I mean almost no, support for leaving this little guy intact. I actually had an arrogant pediatrician, (who I won't be taking him to), give me the locker room argument. I honestly heard it so much that it did start to get under my skin. Then I had an 'epiphany' of sorts. I have read and seen numerous reports from all types of media that the kids who are, hands down, least likely to experiment with drugs, alcohol, promiscuous sex, etc. are the kids who are less vulnerable to peer pressure, ie. not afraid to be themselves. I have always hoped my kids would turn out that way. Then I thought, "what kind of example would I set for my kids if I have cosmetic surgery done on their genitals at birth on the off chance that they may look different from other kids 14 years later. Would I force contacts and diet pills on them if they wore glasses or were overweight?" How can we expect our kids to be proud of themselves if that's the message we convey? It may sound silly since I circ'd ds #1, but I had no idea about it all then. This thinking worked for me, anyway, and I have allowed my son to remain the way he was created.

[njeb]

Bravo, SandyB! :

I love your argument.

[trmpetplaya]

Three cheers for SandyB!!! I hadn't thought about that, but that's a really good perspective

love and peace.

[DahliaRW]

Ironically, the only time I ever overheard the boys teasing each other (when I was in Jr High the visiting boys wrestling team used the girl's locker room and sometimes there was no one there to tell the girl's softball team to stay out for a few mins - ooooops!), it was about being circ'd! So, circing does NOT guarantee that your son will not be teased about his penis!

[wackynaturelady]

Originally Posted by njeb

Bravo, SandyB! :

I love your argument.

Originally Posted by trmpetplaya

Three cheers for SandyB!!! I hadn't thought about that, but that's a really good perspective

Thank you! It is so nice to have this board to have support.

[allisonrose]

I think the locker room argument for circumcision is silly. My hubby is intact and never heard any comments from other boys about his penis.
Why put an infant through an elective surgery and risk complications on the off chance that in 14 years some other boy might look at his penis and notice it has a little bit more skin?

[aja-belly]

the only teasing my hubby ever heard about foreskins was in junior high when a group of boys were harrassing a jewish boy about being circed. of course, they were all fully clothed, and the other boys were probably circed themselves and had no clue.