What's wrong with naked?

Seriously, take a minute and think about that question. Does anything immediately come to your mind? Because nothing came to mine.

After searching and stretching my imagination I come up with lame answers like 'it could be cold' or 'it could be embarrassing if other people are around'.

Ok, new question. Why is it embarrassing? Why SHOULD it be embarrassing?

The most obvious response is because it's not perfect. But neither is the rest of you, and are you embarrassed to go out in public and open your mouth and share your ideas, opinions, views, jokes, nonsense? Or maybe it is 'perfect'. So then what's your excuse for being ashamed of it? And who defines the 'perfect' body anyways?

Culture. This post is about culture, not about me becoming a raging nudist.

One of the things I'm really enjoying in Germany is the culture surrounding the human body. In truth, I didn't enjoy it at first, I found it awkward and uncomfortable and abnormal. But now I feel liberated and more comfortable with my body than before, even with my extra travel pounds attached.

Here, it's just not a big deal to be naked. I mean it's not like people sit around and watch a movie or discuss politics in the buff, that'd be ridiculous, but when there are situations where there's a room full of naked people, it's just normal, there's nothing weird about it at all. It's like, wearing a ski jacket at a ski hill...you don't even think twice about it.

When the hell are there situations where there are a room full of naked people?! I just read your mind didn't I. Let me tell you about my first public nudity experience. I actually got a 'Congratulations on your public nudity' from Janani, and I was so proud of myself.

I've played sports all my life, so changing in front of people has been easy for a very very long time, but even so I was never one to expose anything a bikini would hide. I was so shy about it. You always see a few old people naked in the showers at public pools, or sometimes people showering in the communal showers at the gym, but I would never ever even think about doing that. Here all you hockey guys can go 'what's the big deal there?'... I dunno, I just don't ever see it in Canada really.

At the gym I go to here there's a sauna in the change room. And you go in naked. The first time I went I felt incredibly self conscious as I was stripping off my gym clothes, I was incredibly hesitant, but decided to power through. Once inside I was only uncomfortable for about 20 more seconds. Believe me, it would have been even more awkward to be sitting there with any sorts of clothing on at all. Now I don't think twice about it, or about showering in the buff at the gym.

The only people we see naked or mostly naked on a regular basis in society are the people in magazines and on TV, and everybody knows they all have bodies that rank at least an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10. My experiences at the gym are a reality check, because everybody has a normal body. You've got your love handles, your fat asses, your jelly bellies, all that good stuff right out there on display, and it's like, oh ya...that's what normal people look like. I'm a normal person. Alles gut.

The next step is to visit the famous 'textile-free' baths here. It's basically a spa with lots of pools and hot tubs, but it's mandatory to be naked. This is the next step because it's mixed, men, women, naked, everywhere. I'm really not so sure I can do that, but then again a few months ago I never thought I'd be able to do what I do today at the gym.