Showers

[manofatlanta]

To add to the puritanical Americans thing (I'm in Atlanta), I grew up doing competitive swimming, so naturally all my friends and I grew up wearing Speedos. I have no problem with wearing them now, but the looks and comments can get outrageous. I'm not fat nor skinny, and I'm 56 years old, so no longer in my prime, but DAMN if I'm going to wear a baggy potato sack that stretches to mid calf for a bathing suit.

It brings to mind what it must have been like for women sunbathers at the beginning of the 20th century, it seems to be immoral to show the male form.

On my first day in Spain last summer, my female friend picked me up at the Barcelona airport. We went straight to the beach (just minutes away) and stripped off our clothes for a quick "Hello Europe" swim! Now that's the way to do it!

 

[nicecircjob]

I've seen young guys take their gym clothes to the bathroom stalls and change there. When they are finished with their workout, back to the bathroom stall to change into street clothes and go home. No way are they going to shower. How silly and hung up are some of this younger generation.

 

[cyrushkcurtis]

I've seen young guys take their gym clothes to the bathroom stalls and change there. When they are finished with their workout, back to the bathroom stall to change into street clothes and go home. No way are they going to shower. How silly and hung up are some of this younger generation.

I've seen this, too, and I agree with you.

 

[P99]

I was naked in the showers in London a month back when a guy walks in from the pool dripping wet with shorts down past his knees and a tee shirt with long sleeves on.

I asked him if he was training for life saving but he said it was because of his religion.

He then started to soap up - without taking anything off (quite difficult)

He explained that it was a sin for any part of his body to be exposed in public from his belly button to his knees. He was also there as it was a men only night - it was forbidden for him to swim with women.

I asked him about how soldiers in a war could keep clean and he said they got special dispensation. If there was a war on the could see each others belly buttons and not go straight to purgatory. Handy.

I think it would be fun to invent a religion with special rules - eg No eating salami on Saturday, all pubic hair must be dyed purple on the 2nd Tuesday of alternate months and see how many people signed up.....

A bit late, but there are some cults in India which are nudist in fact. They reject all materialism and therefore even clothes. They live in all male communities but can sometimes be seen in public. They are known as the sky clad ascetics or naked seers. They're largely from the Hindu tradition, whereas Islam is the opposite of it with regard to body tolerance, sadly.

I never understood why some religions postulate that "god" created man, but was then so ashamed so asked man to better cover up?