Trying on skirts in clothes shops

[Since1982]

FloralSkirt wrote:
Your wrong again! Its not an isolated incident. Several stores have had to call the police because of perverts "tryin on" womens clothes. It was such a problem that they stated the No dudes tryin on stuff due to perverts right in the store. That way there will be no misunderstandings.

Floral Skirt, you seem to be really up on this problem, did you know someone who was arrested for moisturizing some "women's clothes" in a fitting room? Several stores you say, you've really been researching this have you? Interesting that one person would care so much about "several store's" problems with their fitting rooms. Well, to each his own on what he researches. If I'm researching anything in stores, it'll be the prices and how they compare with other store's prices. Certainly not the fitting rooms. I'm glad you've taken the time to bring all these fitting room problems to our attention. Thanks again! I'm sure we all appreciate your efforts in this.

[Bob]

Frankly, I think it's a little creepy to go try stuff on in a fitting room with women and girls running around. I suppose it all depends on how the fitting room is configured. In stores with men's fitting rooms, this is not a problem, although it does require walking clear to the other side of the store just to try something on.

The issue about pervs is real. I've seen plenty of on-line stories from these people describing their exploits in great detail. They seem to especially like to have a woman in the store help them out; I feel kind of sorry for those women. As a dancer, I'm sensitive to this stuff, because a lot of them love to "hit" the dancewear stores.

I don't understand the relevance of FloralSkirt's links on a ban on teaching gay subjects in school.

Another option is to just buy a few different sizes, try them all on at home, and return everything you don't like. Or just leave the store and don't bother buying something there. Either way, I'm not going to get too worked up over this one, there's no shortage of places to buy clothes in our society.

[RyeOfTheDead]

Frankly, I think it's a little creepy to go try stuff on in a fitting room with women and girls running around. I suppose it all depends on how the fitting room is configured. In stores with men's fitting rooms, this is not a problem, although it does require walking clear to the other side of the store just to try something on.

Thought I was done with this, but...

I guess I don't understand why it is creepy unless the people themselves are creepy. As stated earlier, I have been to many many stores, such as Old Navy and the Gap, and even newer Targets where they only have one set of fitting rooms for both sexes. And stores like Forever 21 which recently started selling men's clothes didn't build an all new dressing room area, they just keep using the same ones for everyone. These aren't mom and pop shops, these are major corporation who seem to have no concern about having men and women try on clothes in the same general space.

In just about every dressing room I've ever been to, each person is given their own little stall where they can go and privately try items on. And on 95% or more of these places, these stalls are always locked and you need a SA with a key to open them, even if you step out of them in order to check yourself out in the bigger mirrors outside or to show your outfit to a friend, you need someone to open the door for you again. In some instances these aren't locked doors but curtains, and usually open up right into the store or there's a fitting room attendant who stays nearby, so the chances of any hanky panky going on in them are pretty slim.

I recently tried on a skirt in a women's clothing store called "Charlotte Russe" that is in one of the local malls, and I used their fitting room. The layout was identical to the ones I have seen in the above mentioned stores, there were six stalls that could only be opened from the outside with a SA's key. The only difference between this fitting room and the ones at the Gap, were that only women's clothes were sold in the store.

Ok, there are rare cases where the rooms are more communal, such as I remember in high school going into a store in new york called Strawberry with some girls and they said the dressing rooms were open stalls plus the ceilings are sort of mirrored so you could pretty much see everyone else dressing while you were. Obviously in instances like this, if no fitting room was available to men I would not be upset by not being able to try something on. But this is the exception and not the rule.

[GerdG]

What are your experiences as far as trying on skirts in clothes shops goes? Do most clothes shops allow men to try on skirts?

Visit some shops, find yourself one or more skirts that you like and ask if it is OK that you try them on. 9 out of 10 will grant you permission, I'm sure and that applies for solely women's stores, too, especially when there are not too many customers.
And be convinced that you are hardly the first man there having asked to try on a skirt.

Except for the most conservative neighborhoods it is a non-issue trying, buying and wearing a skirt.

GerdG - who himself prefers kilts.

[FloralSkirt]

"I don't understand the relevance of FloralSkirt's links on a ban on teaching gay subjects in school."

Here is the point. Someone indicated that a policy like this would be similar to posting a sign stating "whites only." This would never be allowed for long, all kinds of lawsuits would ensue. The difference is that the "NO guys in womens dressing rooms " type signs can exist in a place that legalizes discrimination against gay people. Its the mindset of people, the politically climate. THATS WHY!

The store automatically assumes your a pervert, calls the manager, and escorts you out & bans you! You can call the police or media if you want, but its your word vs the store managers, and in the type of climate I outlined, your not going to get a fair shake. Thats the way it is.

[Since1982]

Floral Skirt said: The store automatically assumes your a pervert, calls the manager, and escorts you out & bans you! You can call the police or media if you want, but its your word vs the store managers, and in the type of climate I outlined, your not going to get a fair shake. Thats the way it is.

Wow, I'm definitely staying wayyy wayyy awayyy from Western Canada if that's the way stores treat their "would be" customers.
I think I'd just HAVE to make friends with an off duty cop, suggest he accompany me to a store and "see" first hand all this "automatic assuming" and "banning" for no obvious reason. Methinks that kind of activity by a store witnessed by a Policeperson or Constable would have a Atty or other legal representative filing suit for descrimination without a doubt. Personally, FS, I think you're overreacting.

[RyeOfTheDead]

Here is the point. Someone indicated that a policy like this would be similar to posting a sign stating "whites only." This would never be allowed for long, all kinds of lawsuits would ensue. The difference is that the "NO guys in womens dressing rooms " type signs can exist in a place that legalizes discrimination against gay people. Its the mindset of people, the politically climate. THATS WHY!

I think you missed his point entirely. It wasn't that he was saying "No Men" dressing rooms signs can't exists, he said it in comparison to the "whites only" signs that did exist en masse across the United States for a very long time. The point was that it *was* allowed for a long time. He was simply making a statement as to the intolerance inherent the "No men" signs. I think it was a bit of an exaggeration as well.

The store automatically assumes your a pervert, calls the manager, and escorts you out & bans you!

Wow, this is quite a leap from your statement before, when the manager had no problem with it and let you come in at off hours because of your own discomfort. Now they're automatically assuming we're perverts and escorting us out and banning us!? Has this ever actually happened to you? I want the name of the store and when it occurred, or I'm calling shenanigans on this point.

[FloralSkirt]

No this has not happened to me. It has nothing to do with the store manager letting me come in off hours. It has happened in stores (obviously not all of them!!!) in the past.

And men trying on womens clothes is not a would be customer. I was told it would result in nothing more than scaring away the real customers, women. The few dollar sales from such a man would not offset the loss of revenues from the real customers.

And I mentioned that the media or police will do nothing for you except frame the incident as your fault!

[nicothoe]

And to think that the campsite I was just at had unisex shower stalls as well as unisex privies. Makes the whole "shared dressing room" seem pale in comparison.

[Bob]

I guess I don't understand why it is creepy unless the people themselves are creepy.

Good point, Rye. For me, I think it would all depend on how the dressing rooms are arranged. If they're just stalls that open directly into the store, I'd have no problem. If you have to go down a hallway and then go into stalls off that hallway --- as in the case of single-sex dressing rooms in many larger stores --- then I think I'd feel a bit weirded out if there were women in that hallway as well. It's just my own personal sense of propriety and need for privacy, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with it. I guess word "creepy" was too strong a term.

FloralSkirt... your above posts violate our number one rule of respect. No one gets to say things like "You're Wrong again" at SkirtCafe. It also seems that you might just be trying to get your kicks off of saying outrageous things on our board. If that is so, please take your stuff elsewhere.

[RyeOfTheDead]

If you have to go down a hallway and then go into stalls off that hallway --- as in the case of single-sex dressing rooms in many larger stores --- then I think I'd feel a bit weirded out if there were women in that hallway as well.

And yet, this is how most unisex fitting areas I have seen are set up, such as the Gap or Old Navy, in fact it's even a mix of grownups and kids using them as well. One key factor to consider here though is that each of these places usually has a fitting room attendant on duty, so maybe that's why it feels fine to me.

I think it was the "Creepy" that set me off, but that's also following other terms in this thread such as men "crawling around" in dressing rooms.

[Since1982]

Rye, I think there's just one poster that's been making a mountain out of a molehill in this thread, and yesterday Bob told him a few things. Maybe he'll change, maybe he won't...All we can do is hope. Your friend, Skip

[RyeOfTheDead]

Um, Skip, thanks, but I was directly quoting and responding to Bob there, he brought up a valid point of discussion in regards to the layout of fitting rooms and I mentioned an alternate point of view on it.

Just because one person is a rabble rouser doesn't mean the rest of the thread isn't fair game for friendly, open discussion.

[FloralSkirt]

Ok, so I ventured forth & put this to a test. Apparently, I was wrong. I found many all female clothing stores that were A-Ok with me trying on skirts. No problems, no worries. I even found one skirt I liked & purchased it. So the "No men in the change rooms" was a very select few stores that seem to be adamant about that policy. Thats ok, I just avoid those.

[Sarongman]

I have to breathe a sigh of relief that the less than salubrious details are now behind us; I was sure this thread was due, at any moment, for a lock up. My try-ons have all been uneventful here, probably because I was already skirted at the time and, also, that this is a small town where one is on a nodding acquaintance with most of the populace, and known by the shop staff.