Avoiding Changing in Front of Others
Change in a private area. While there are alternate methods to help you change in front of others, you may be most comfortable if you can avoid it altogether. Most locker rooms have private bathroom stalls or some may even have curtained-off shower stalls where you can change. You may find that if you do this, others will follow suit. You're surely not the only one who would rather have a bit of privacy. It's also possible, though, that if everyone else changes out in the open, and if you're the only one who changes in private, you may draw unwanted attention to yourself, which could expose you to additional teasing. You may also be pantsed in the locker room because others may not like that you can change privately while they and everyone else are in their underwear. While you should keep this in mind, the most important thing is that you feel comfortable, so choose the method that works best for you.
Wear clothes that can double as gym clothes. If your school does not have a specific uniform that can only be worn in gym class, then you may be able to dress for gym at home on the days that you'll have P.E. class. For example, thick leggings are very popular right now for girls, paired with long T-shirts. You can wear your leggings to school with tall boots, and layer a couple of cute T-shirts over it. Once you go to gym, you'll only need to change into your athletic shoes and remove your top t-shirt. Guys and girls alike can usually get away with wearing long athletic shorts or pants to regular classes, paired with a T-shirt or sweatshirt.
Wear your gym clothes under your regular (“street”) clothes. If your school does have a specific uniform, or if you have to wear shorts and a T-shirt even in the winter, for example, you may be able to wear your gym clothes under your street clothes. For example, if your school's gym outfit is a white T-shirt with black shorts, you can wear tighter-fitting black shorts under your skirt or pants, and a plain white t-shirt with a sweater, cardigan, button-down, etc. over it. You can wear a tank top under your shirt so when you take off your shirt your tank top is still on. When you change back into your clothes, you still have the tank top on - no exposure!
Changing Quickly and Discreetly in Front of Others
Change your shirt. It's fairly easy to change your shirt quickly without exposing yourself for too long. To begin, sit down on a bench with your gym shirt on your lap (with the front of your shirt facing down and the neck of the shirt towards your knees). You can also perform this move while standing up in front of your locker, if you have one. Your open locker door can shield part of your body: Instead of placing your shirt on your lap, have it placed in the bottom of your locker ready to go for the following steps. Pull your arms out of your shirt. If your shirt is a pull-over style, remove your arms, but don't take the shirt all the way off. Keep your head in the neck opening of the shirt, with the shirt draped over your body. (If you are wearing a button-down style shirt, unbutton your shirt completely and take your arms out, but leave the shirt draped over your shoulders.) Place your hands up through bottom opening of your gym shirt and into the arms. Then raise your arms and lift your old shirt off as you slip the new one over your head. Your shirt should fall behind you as you raise your arms.
Change into your gym pants or shorts. If you want to draw as little attention to yourself as possible when changing out of your street pants, try this quick change hack. Begin by having your gym pants ready beside you on a bench (right-side out, with drawstrings loosened, etc.). Make sure that your shoes are off as well, before you get started. Loosen your regular clothes (unbutton, unzip, or unfasten your jeans, pants, or skirt) and begin to slide them down. Sit down once you've lowered them past your hips. This will minimize the amount of time you are standing up with your underwear exposed. Once you are sitting, slide your bottoms past your knees and down off your feet. While you are still bent over, reach over and grab your gym pants/shorts, and step into them. Pull your gym pants up to your knees while you remain sitting down, and then stand up to quickly slide them over your hips. You can also try pulling your gym pants up while sitting down instead of standing: push down with your legs while sitting so that your hips are raised off the bench, and pull up your gym pants.
Change your underwear. It's a good idea to change into fresh underwear after gym class. If you choose to do so, the procedure is basically the same as changing your pants (explained above.) Begin by having your underwear ready next to you. You don't want to be searching through your gym bag for your clean pair after you've removed your dirty pair. Loosen your gym pants, and then slide them down along with your underwear. Sit down once they are past your hips. Step out of your dirty clothes, grab your fresh underwear and step into them. Once your feet are both through the opening, slide them up quickly. You should be able to slide your underwear up and over your hips while sitting down without having to stand all the way up. It's probably best if you leave your shirt on while you do this—you'll feel less exposed. You can also drape a towel over your lap while you are changing your underwear.
Change your bra. If you need to wear a sports bra for gym class, you could just wear one to school and not change. However, this may not be comfortable all day, or it may not look right in your streets clothes. If that's the case, it's fairly easy to change in the locker room without drawing too much attention to yourself. Begin by removing your shirt and putting your sports bra on over your regular bra. Then reach under the sports bra to unhook your regular bra. Slide the right bra strap out over your shoulder and pull your arm out. Repeat on the left side, and then remove your regular bra by pulling it out from the front (reach under your sports bra and pull your regular bra out). Have your shirt ready to slip on quickly once you're done with this. It's probably a bit too hard to do this with a shirt on, though you could practice at home to see if it's possible.
Dealing with Embarrassment and Awkwardness
Be prepared for menstruation issues. If you have begun your period (or will start soon), you may have special worries about changing in the locker room. Your best strategy is to be prepared: make sure that you have your preferred type of period product on hand all the time in your gym bag or locker. If you are on your period, consider wearing dark underwear and/or pants and bottoms if you want to hide any potential leaks. If you're worried about wearing pads, especially in gym class where you are more active, you may want to become comfortable using tampons or a menstrual cup, which are much more discreet. Ask to see the school nurse if you feel cramps coming on or if you feel queasy. You can tell your teacher that you aren't feeling well (keep it somewhat vague if you want). Then tell the nurse, of course, about your situation. Remember that you're not the only one going through this, and most people are more than willing to help each other out when one of them runs out of supplies or begins their period unexpectedly. In fact, it's sometimes a way to bond!
Know that erections happen. The male locker room has its own issues. Many guys are worried about how their equipment stacks up, and are concerned that others will be comparing them. If you're a guy, you may also be worried about having an unexpected erection at an inopportune time. You can try to prevent this from happening from keeping your thoughts as non-sexual as possible while changing. For example, think about the upcoming basketball game instead of the date you have planned for later this evening. It may also help to wear tighter-fitting underwear, such as briefs or boxer-briefs, instead of loose boxers. If you do have an erection, this can make it less noticeable. It never hurts to drape your lap with a towel when you are changing out of or into your pants, as well.
Know your rights as trans person. If you are transgender, then you are most likely facing unique concerns. It's important that you know your rights and find advocates to support you. Among your most important rights is the right to feel safe, comfortable and non-threatened at school. In many states and school districts, this includes the right to change in the locker room where you are most comfortable changing (whether that is the room that matches the gender with which you identify or the one that correlates with the sex you were assigned at birth). Even if your state does not have specific legislation outlining rights for transgender people, you are protected by Title IX against gender discrimination. If you're unsure about where you can change, or if you are being bullied or harassed, it's very important that you seek help from a trusted adult: a parent, teacher, counselor, principal, etc. You shouldn't have to deal with bullies alone.
Try not to compare your body to others. It's really hard not to look around the locker room and notice the differences between your classmates and you. If you have body insecurities, it's especially difficult. Try to keep in mind that everyone else (or nearly everyone) also has their own body issues. While this won't automatically make you feel better about your own body, understanding this can help keep things in perspective. If you are struggling to come to terms with your own body or your anxiety about changing in front of others, do not hesitate to talk to someone, whether that is a parent, teacher or counselor. See also our helpful wiki on how to accept your body.
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