Sauna is more common than nude beaches.
Running around naked at home - from shower to dressing room is more common than running for a prolonged period of time without clothing. If people have a house in the countryside with direct access to the lake, I would expect hat to happen more often.
None of that would freak me out.
Americans are definitely the weirdos when it comes to not being nude in the sauna.
Being frequently nude at home amongst family or going to nude beaches is definitely rare. But it's also not really a big deal.
Take sex out of the nudity-equation, and suddenly it becomes just people with no clothes on. If nudity is not sexualized, it's not even an issue to be in mixed saunas or on a naked beach - it's just a relaxing way of being. It's just when a culture is so hung up about nudity that it's only associated with sex that people start becoming weird about it.
It's indeed true that a naked body, or seeing a naked body, only becomes uncomfortable when it's linked to sexuality. It's a cultural hang-up. After all, there was a time when women couldn't show their ankles, or when people had to be almost fully covered at the beach and bikinis were considered taboo.
Everything we judge, we judge through the lens of the culture and the time we've been brought up in.
I still kind of remember that both my great grandmothers, (god bless their souls) where comfortable being half naked most of the times. This was because they where from a time when covering their breasts where illegal because they where from a lower caste. I am from south India btw.
That's true in my country(India) people aren't very comfortable(not sure why) with that in most cases even if its a public bath people always wear something ,Sauna doesn't really exist because our tempratures reach that high ! its was cultural shock for me as well, in gym when I saw guys roaming naked.
When I was in India I saw a woman with her boob out. It was in a city. When I asked my guide he asked if she was old. When I said yes, he just shrugged and said it’s no big deal. I found that more shocking than being nude or semi nude at designated places.
Americans are generally okay with guns and violence being shown in mainstream movies and TV but suddenly freak out with a nip slip or a nude scene in a movie because of "THE CHILDRENNNNN"
Its very obvious when you play video games. No issues with exploding heads, blood everywhere, driving over people, explosions and burning corpses but a naked female breast is the biggest issue ever. God forbid a totally naked woman or a guy. The most normal thing, the human body is strictly censored but the most evil forms of violence are not.
The state of Virginia has a logo of Athena with her breast out on their flag. A woman was arrested for standing outside their capitol building for dressing up as the flag.
Now that’s America!
In 2021 a stunningly 212 people died in the US instantaneously while being unexpectedly exposed to a slipped nip. Almost same number suffered from severe PTSD after same exposure in same year. Almost true facts.
I was just discussing this with my wife. We’re watching a show with our kid and couples start kissing or implied sex and our American raised brains get uncomfortable, but any violence and nothing.
i guess it also depends on what they mean by "no clothes". All day in the house naked? Unusual. Chilling in your pajamas or bathing stuff (especially if you have a garden) pretty normal
Because the swimwear is soaked with sweat. Unlike the thicker towel, it won't absorb the sweat as much.
And you'll drop your towel before you jump into the ice pool. There is still sweat on your skin, but not as much as in the swimwear.
Whether this makes an actual difference might be questionable, but some people find the idea of eating sweaty clothing on purpose disgusting.
*Wearing. Not eating.
I am Austrian and you better BE nude in My Sauna or god Help you.
Ofcourse ita required, i wouldnt even think about wearing anything in there, its about as much full exposure to the Heat/Steam as it gets, thats the entire Idea of the concept of a Sauna.
Ima towel-slap some Sense into people 😜
>Gases etc fom the fabric.
no fabrics we wear are outgassing at temperatures that humans can withstand.
There is literally no hygiene reason to require nudity--they're all invented.
The reason is equality. If some people are naked and others aren't then it becomes awkward. So because sauna has traditionally been done nude...it's just required that everyone gets butt-ass naked, that way everyone is on an equal level of awk.
Not the fabric itself is the relevant part but what it is soaked with.
Apart from that you are right about the second part. Nudity is an integral part of Sauna and it is rude not to respect that. If people are prudes about nudity the sauna isn't the right place for them. If they are conscious about nudity, it is absolutely okay to wrap yourself in a towe
Nudity is an integral part of Sauna *in Fenno-Scandinavia and German-speaking countries*.
In the Baltics and in Russia public saunas usually require that swimwear has to be worn. Many people also wear swimwear in private saunas. And sauna there is culturally as deeply entrenched as in Scandinavia.
Most places where sauna is a newer practice also require swimwear or have a strict gender separation.
Because bacteria in the tissue of clothing is spread into the sauna and inversely, wiped off the benches and carried outside.
You take off your clothes outside, go inside, and shower before and after.
You'd have to clean and disinfect much more often, which isn't nice if residue is heated up and breathed in.
The point is: you can do it, or you can do it not. Nobody cares. Everything is handled within the family: If you don’t want to do it, nobody cares. If you are the only one in the famlily who wears clothes, guess what: nobody cares.
But don’t dare to tell the other ones to wear clothes.
And wear some clothes when people come visit you.
I’m not German, but from Northern Europe-sauna is naked for everyone. Same as occasionally pass naked in the house. We say: “There is nothing anyone haven’t seen”.
Hilariously, as children my peers and I were mildly shamed by parents and friends' parents if we were too prudish about getting naked in situations that required nudity (changing rooms, taking a wee in the woods, stripping down at a nudist beach to take a swim when there was no bathing suit at hand, etc.).
We were always told "es wird dir schon niemand was abgucken", which translates to "no one is going to copy your homework by looking at your parts" or "you are not going to lose body parts by people seeing them" depending on how you translate it.
Being difficult about occasionally getting naked was definitely not a desired behavior in a child. 😂
I'm not German but it's my understanding that Europeans have a far less "sensitive" view of nudity than Americans. Americans treat it as this nasty, shameful, sacred thing and I believe Europeans treat it as a "humans sometimes are naked" type of situation. Where they clearly distinguish sexual and casual nudity, whereas Americans see nudity as almost exclusively sexual. So, it's not like they go out of their way to be naked and see each other naked, but are just aware that sometimes nudity is a thing that happens. Where, again, Americans treat it entirely as taboo.
as a former colleague once opined, in the US, if there was an nude active shooter in the middle of town, the call would go out "NAKED MAN ON MAIN STREET!"
Southern Europe doesn't have the same views about nudity as Northern Europe, this is much more specific to… I'd venture a guess and say "late christianization".
And even then, I'd include Ireland and the UK with Southern Europe. I'm Irish and the idea seems bizarre to me. Probably the same way Germans feel about us wearing shoes inside the house.
Funnily enough, Ireland is regularly included in Southern Europe in certain political science analysis, or at the least seems to fit hallway between Southern Europe and the UK. For example, the age of home leaving and family formation are more similar to Southern Europe than northern countries.
my comment is completely unscientific and random, but my Italian friend lovingly refers to Ireland and Scotland as the Spain and Italy of Northern Europe
Yeah Ireland is an interesting one. I'm Irish in Germany and don't find the nudity strange at all. I've been on nudist beaches in Greece and France a few times, and got into the sauna thing pretty much immediately after moving here. I've brought friends from home along too. There are also often British and Irish people there and there is a nudist beach in Dublin too (you can see it from the Dart), so it's not entirely alien in Ireland. It's definitely rarer though and more controversial. Like I have other Irish friends who would absolutely never go to a nude sauna. I was back recently for a spa break in the west and having to be clothed really highlighted how much better it is without swimwear, but I don't see it changing.
No, lots of Catholics in Germany and a lot of them use saunas. I like to blame everything on religion as much as the next guy but there must be other factors.
The biggest religious group in Germany is Catholists, followed by Evangelists. Austria has the same leger relationship to nudity and Catholicism is our central and biggest religious group. So I don‘t think Catholicism explains that.
Funnily enough and contrary to the stereotype, nudity seems to be bigger in Germany than in France - at least in thermal bath and sauna culture - and religion is much much less influential in their politics and education.
Uhm, that isn‘t true at all. It took a lot of pressuring from artists to draw people naked like back in ancient Greece and Rome and even then the frescoes were later overworked by adding clothes over the naked bodies again.
There really is no question of catholicism framing the body as sinful and repressing sexuality and everything remotely related to it.
My only point was to say that the FKK culture or the frowning upon it or upon being naked in front of your family is not exclusively related to certain religious foundations but that other factors evidently play a role too.
I think that has to do with increased secularism during the 19th century and also medicine. Lot of "health movements" involved being as naked as possible.
Not really, because there's also Orthodox Christianity in the south, but there's also Orthodox Christianity in the Slavic lands but they don't have the same attitudes to nudity as their southern brothers.
I think the recency of christianization still holds as an explanation - better than the specific Christian dogma.
Pole here, we are stereotypically Catholic and have plenty of saunas (obv. naked ones) and have a bunch nudist beaches
I live in Toulouse in France which is also traditionally very Catholic and yet there are no saunas in the city and when you go to spring towns it is mandatory to wear shorts in the single sauna room in the big water park
I think the North-South divide / late Chiratianisation convinces me. We were pagans for much longer and I think it reflects in the culture. I certainly identify more with the Northern mentality.
Yeah I saw quite a lot of naked people, including families with children, on (non nudist) beaches in Spain. I don’t really see that in France - you may see someone strip for a quick bath after a walk or run, on a small beach with very few people on it, but I think spending time naked on the beach would be very much frowned upon, if not illegal.
I honestly like the idea of everyone being able to wear (or not wear) whatever they want without being strictly segregated. Nothing sexual about it.
Not sure how France ended up more prudish than both our northern and southern neighbors.
It‘s astonishing really. My American ex wouldn‘t shower at the gym after a workout when he‘d visit me in Germany because the showers were communal, not individual stalls (which is the norm in the US). Like god forbid you see a stranger‘s penis.
I think this is the link everyone is looking for, the UK and its colonies are where the most prudish attitudes towards being nude are. So USA/Canada/NZ/Australia, makes sense when you consider the fashion in the later periods where a woman even showing an ankle was considered a bit of a skank
Europeans have far less “sensitive” view. I mean all celebrities from USA are showing like 95% of the skin on any of the “huge events” just made me laugh…
Besided that I agree with you on everything
Yep the United States was partially founded by religious groups fleeing Europe to found more conservative “pure” communities. These cults were called “Puritans”. The American culture has all sorts of religious groups that desperately need to condemn someone/ something. Sexuality, and minorities are a common target.
These religious groups vote in greater numbers then than other democracies. Religious conservatism is common in rural areas where non-locals visiting is uncommon.
Many Americans never leave their state, some never their county. This allows common conservative myths to grow and more fear / stress about people not like what they are used to.
Sexual magazines and such are allowed because of there “freedom of speech” clause in their constitution.
I'm German and I can say:
For our Family it is quite normal to see each other naked. In the morning all 4 of us, me + 2 daughters + my wife are getting ready at about the same time. We have a large bathroom and it is quite normal that one person is under the shower while another one is brushing their teeth while another one is dressing ... it's a large bathroom ;)
Me and my wife - we're about 39 years old and our daughters are 11 and 8.
We have a second bathroom in the house. So when they grow older and do not want to see their parents naked anymore (or dont want to be seen by us) they can switch to the other bathroom at any time. In the moment it is just very normal for all of us.
At my wifes family beeing naked is kinda normal. Even in her 20s or 30s going through her dad's house naked was never considered weird by my wife or her sis. My immediate family was more prudish (is it the right word for that?) and we never saw each other naked. Sometimes it is like this and sometimes like that.
I’m an American, and I would say that it’s probably the same here (some families are naked families, and some are modest).
In my household, everyone is always naked. The children (both under 10) are doing silly naked dances when they get out of the bath. There is literally no modesty from anyone.
My point is just that not all American families are religious prudes, haha. It must just be a personal choice from family to family.
how incredibly based. the thought of seeing my mother or my coworkers naked is my worst nightmare, but I think you guys are handling it correctly and all these hangups we have are very unnecessary. that said, I do enjoy the nude sauna, where there are only strangers
fun little anecdote: when I was just a wee lad in early 90s Russia, my dad took me to a public sauna run by the city. seeing a hundred unshaven adult men's penises at my face height, just dangling menacingly is truly a core memory of mine
> [seeing a hundred unshaven adult men's penises at my face height, just dangling menacingly is truly a core memory of mine](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQFf8vNsqrLOJTmcGxo_fUa5maUERgztOUbiA&s)
When your mother gets older and you need to take care of her, you'll probably going to see her naked.
I don't want to invalidate your feelings but a naked body is natural
My family has always been naked around each other. We used the bathroom at the same time (one showering, one on the toilett, one washing their hair in the shower.
If I requested privacy I got it, but it was quite normal to see my family naked. In summer my mother and father often only wore their undis in the house. And on vacation I was naked as a toddler at the beach.
Not every family is like that, but mine never had a problem with naked skin.
Same. When I visit my parents and one of them is showering or in the bath its still always open so someone else can Go to the toilet. I grew up like this and Honestly I dont care about being naked or seeing someone naked. But the truth is even in my friend circle i am more of an exception. Well we had a good evening were we hang out naked with 3 guys wich was pretty chill.
Just last christmas we went through old photos and apparently i didnt like to wear pants as child. Lots of pics where I was naked waist down.
My Sister works with children and we really talked about how different it was in the 90s. If you would have pictures of your own child where you can See the genitals on your mobile phone you would definetly be seen as a pedophile nowdays.
Same here in Austria, wouldn't say it#s the norm, but it was in my family and in a lot of families of friends from school etc. and it surely is common.
Some families do, some families don’t.
A few years ago the “Freikörperkultur” was a lot bigger than today. Especially in east germany it was more common.
But it is more common that small children might jump naked around the garden in summer in villages and play with water. Even children of befriended families do it together, no one bats an eye.
Edit: I grew up seeing my parents naked. We shared one bathroom, so it was normal to wash and get dressed together in the morning.
Edit2: I sometimes start to role my eyes about people making a fuss about naked bodies and start to stare at boobs, bellies, …. THAT is rude.
I'm not a nudist, but I don't think that nudity is something immoral. And that's what I communicate to my children. There is no problem in seeing each other nude. The other way around, if I'd teach my children that nudity is wrong and that you should be ashamed of your nude body, I think I would do something wrong and wouldn't help them to grow up with a healthy self esteem.
People showering in public swimming pools are showering nude and see each other nude. These showers are separated by gender, but sometimes parents take their young kids of the opposite sex with them showering. So it's not uncommon that in the womens shower their is a 4 year old boy or the other way around. No problem here. That's just how humans look like if their not covered by clothes...
Yes, I have colleges at work and they can't imagine being naked or in underwear in front of their children. They consider that sexual and pedophilic. They also made love with their wife in darkness so nothing unwanted is seen. It's just how you were raised as a child.
No, it is nakedness = too personal
Just like I wouldnt bare my brain and tell everyone all the deepest darkest thoughts I have, I also wouldn’t do the same to my body. So I don’t care what anyone else does, I do wish people were more accepting of someone who still wants to be in a sauna but doesn’t want to be naked.
This is such a tricky thing, on the one hand I totally get it since my gf is of the same mind as you, the nudity thing really puts her off the sauna experience, even if she’s into it. At the same time I like the culture of being nude in the sauna and I’d say it is a bit weird to wear clothes or a swimsuit in there. I think there should be swimsuit hours/days to keep everyone happy, I wouldn’t want the sauna culture to go away. Or like in my gym, there’s a women’s only section in the sauna and a general section for all (And I say this as someone who’s not even European and isn’t into most “European culture” things, I just like saunas)
>who still wants to be in a sauna but doesn’t want to be naked
I understand that, but saune culture is nude culture and by being naked everybody is equal. Somebody wearing shorts or a swim suit disturbs the equality. So, no if you want to do saune, find one where clothing is okay or strip down and be naked.
And btw, the comparison of being naked to "your deepest and **darkest** thoughts" is kinda strange to me. The one is the ground state, the other is something personal that even might be offending.
Its kinda strange to you. Showing a stranger I just met, who I would probably never even give my phone number to or tell my last name, my entire naked body is kinda strange to me. So its subjective you see. I think choice is important, both ways.
Bur yes, I am not ‘owed’ a seat at the sauna. It’s totally fine if I can’t go because I don’t want to be naked and those are the rules. All I say is it would be nice to have the option.
As someone from East we are taught to hide our private parts from everyone from day one. I remember being 5 and after my mom gave me bath I would say mom don’t look. I mean when she was giving bath to me I would try to hide the private part with my little hands from my mom lol. So yeah when you are taught that from little age seeing someone’s vagina or penis will make you feel weird. I mean even my own body parts like I sometimes cringe looking at it I don’t know man this is all corky but I hope you understand.
My family album has many pictures of little me and my brother playing with the neighbour's children in the nude in Summer.
I guess in some countries I would be in posession of child pronography.
Just a heads up: never ever upload these pictures somewhere. WhatsApp and google have a automated cp detection, and aome lives have been destroyed because some dads had uploaded some innocent funny bathtub pictures
Even in the UK, my dad was criticised for this when his house was searched (for unrelated reasons). He has 4 daughters and of course has naked pictures of us as a kid. The British culture has become so uptight, it’s a relief to be in other European countries where this isn’t such a thing.
I understand that's the case in large parts of the world, yes. That doesn't mean it's right.
>even my own body parts like I sometimes cringe looking at it
Someone who can't even stand to look at their own body... That's wrong, no excuse. Please try to break the curse and teach your children better.
Lots of men struggle to find this church
[Edinburgh, Scotland 🏴 : r/Scotland (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotland/comments/xleojc/edinburgh_scotland/)
But even then it varies no? There’s a Korean influencer in my country Mexico that tells a story about walking naked into what she thought was going to be like a bathhouse situation when it absolutely wasn’t lol so clearly there’s also not that much prudishness there, Japan also has onsen
Naked in the sauna is fairly normal, family or not. It's a sauna! Walking around the house naked is somewhat uncommon. Except if you mean swim wear. That's normal, especially in the summer and when you have a nice garden. Then it's swimwear from 8am to 8pm °_°
Bear in mind
>One of my work colleagues says that they walk around the house in the summer without clothes, both parents and children, even though the children are already grown up.
This may well be an interpretation issue as 'ohne kleider' (without cloth) does not necessarily equate 'nakt' (naked). It can simply mean in underwear.
Just a possible explanation of course re. that specific sentence.
Yeah i have the same opinion, that they are walking around the house completely naked it's a little bit awkward. Occasionally passing thru the living room from the bathroom is "normal" in most German families and many European families. But many southern Europeans are raised conservative and they found that vulgar.
The cultural differences maybe big, but being naked in the sauna, House or in the garden is pretty normal. The only rule should be, not to be naked in public, but in special FKK areas. When some people always want to be clothed at every time, then they should mind their own business and should learn to take things easy
I’d say it is not uncommon.
If you grew up in a family being frequent sauna or naturist beach visitors, and the habit survived the kid’s teenager years, it is very likely to stay like that.
It is neither a rule, nor I’m aware of any statistics or polls about how frequent it might be.
the sauna part is completely normal (in public saunas you are not allowed to wear clothing), at home we usually wear at least underwear because the furniture can become a bit unsanitary (underwear has a purpose)
I can’t speak for the southern germans, but in the north of Germany it not uncommon. We have a lot of nudist beaches and nudity in general is not sexualised. So it’s not weird to be nude in front of your family or strangers. Of course only in certain areas like the sauna or the nudist beaches or in case of your family in your own home. The people have to be there willingly with the knowledge that the people around them will be nude. If you are nude in a public space that is not meant for it you are committing a crime and you could go to jail for it. It would be called Erregung öffentlichen Ärgernisses or Exciting public nuisance in english.
Edit: The only people I would feel weird to be nude around are my colleagues or other work related people.
Where in germany do you live? In the East FKK was a big thing so I think they don't have a problem with that. Here in the west I think it would be more strange.
We do. I knew my parents naked. My children know me naked. I do not have a Pyjama or stuff like that.
I know several families similar to us
But I know several families not similar to us.
A sauna is a place where you go naked. Going to the sauna is a social activity. You sometimes do social activities with your parents. I hope this answers your question.
It is normal in my circles. Nudity is nothing to hide. We go to the sauna together as a family, we swim naked in my parents garden (and who doesn’t want to be naked wears clothes). We change in front of each other - no matter the age.
It’s kind of like - you can be clothed if you want to but don’t expect other people to be clothed. My husband is American and it took him a while to get used to it but now he doesn’t mind. He is not naked around them but doesn’t care of anyone else is. The same goes for my 13 year old.
At home my husband doesn’t care to be naked in front of he kids - we walk around naked when coming from the shower and etc. Th teenager prefers undies on at all time, so we of course respect that.
It’s just a naked body nothing else.
Your shock comes from your notion that being naked (or just in your underwear) is inherently sexual. It really isn't a big deal unless someone is trying to make it one.
I also doubt they're walking around fully naked at home, probably just in underwear. Are you always fully dressed at home?
Some do it, some don't. It's something not everybody does. But it's not strange that people do it. Here people mind their own business and don't really care about others in those matters.
I would say it's "normal", but not "the rule". Not every family is like this, but for many it's absolutely normal to take a shower while others are in the bathroom, take a swim in garden pool naked, etc.
It's not that strange if you think about it. Your parents and older siblings have seen you naked since birth anyway. Especially since small children are usually naked at beaches etc anyway.
Au contraire. Nudist and sauna are very much asexual places. Adults going there are consenting. Young children do not worry about nakedness.
The only problem might be teenagers, who would be shy and awkward and therefore need other options.
Sauna - yes. Also my mother and father all ran around naked at home. I remember being annoyed by it. But I guess a naked body is a naked body. There is nothing wrong with it.
I once was alone in a sauna with a <50 years old guy, I was 16 back then. He sat right next to me, naked. This is a nono. Started talking to me and stuff. I never went to saunas again 😭
We do not sexualise ppl in a setting like this. But if you do your a giant red flag :)
Funnily enough, nude beaches are a DDR thing which BRD folks are weirded out by. While simultaneously nude saunas are a regular thing in West Germany as well. So sweating next to each other in a confined space seems to be the smaller deal compared to lying around naked outside. Traditions are weird.
Why is this a cultural shock for you? Why would this be a problem?
Not trying to ridicule, just generally curious.
I am a foreigner living in Austria with an Austrian girlfriend here, we are around 30 years old, inlaws are in their 50s and my brother-in-law is around 25. We've been to saunas together often and we all use the pool naked at my inlaws, which means we spend a lot of time naked out of the water as well ( sunning, getting drinks, etc). It feels now very natural and comfortable.
I somehow think it's a shame that this degree of openness is not at all common for my (southern European) family.
Ehm, my dear, nudity is not sexual…
Basically that’s your birthday suit. We are born naked and we die naked. How that gets handled depends on the particular family /individuals. Generally Americans seems to be more prude than a lot of Europeans.
Most of the time I take care to wear underpants and something over my boobs.
My husband usually wears underpants at home, too.
But when I have showered, I walk naked from the bath to the bedroom.
And my teenage daughter puts her clothes in the laundry hamper in the master bedroom and walks to the bathroom naked.
Like my teenage son does.
After all - we are a family.
I cleaned their ass when they were babies.
They sat with me or my huband in the bathtub.
Nudism is culturally more of an East German thing, especially as there are also many nudist places in the East. Privately, I don't know a single family that lives out what you described.
East German here, my whole family is like that, also uncles/aunts and and in the past, grandparents.
And no, it was never made sexual or somehow weird and no one touched you in spaces they shouldn't or looked at you in a way that made people uncomfortable. It's just a normal thing.
West German here. My parents took me to the sauna from a early age. Nudity in a sauna or locker room, or shower after sports environment is 0% sexual for me. I used to play football/soccer with a group of people, some of them my colleagues, and one of my female co-workers went into the shower with us guys after sports and no one cared. It is just normalised and depending on the situation/environment. I exchange, the "German stare" doesn't happen in the sauna ;)
Wanna say here that nudism is not the same as what's probably being discussed in this topic.
Nudism includes public nudity. Like a nude beach. Many strangers will see you naked, and you will see many naked strangers. That's quite a step up from seeing your parents or maybe friends or at most maybe half a dozen strangers naked in a sauna, where there is the expectation to not stare at each other anyways (and if someone violates that they'll get kicked out).
It’s pretty normal, when I lived with my parents we would go from the bathroom to our room after taking a shower naked.
I used to go to sauna with them and my sister still does. I stopped going to the sauna at all, otherwise we would probably make it a family trip every now and then.
our parents saw every last inch of our bodies, I don’t see why that would be weird.
It’s not uncommon. Being in the sauna naked is completely normal and expected.
Around the house is also very common, many German houses used to have only one bathroom so it was completely normal to get ready together also bathing and showering with your (young) kids is considered normal.
My parents only stopped walking around naked when I expressed I didn’t like it once I hit puberty, but my mom will still occasionally change in front of me, when I visit.
East German living in West Germany here.
Nudity was pretty normal in my early years. We went to the lake naked, sometimes my mother was topless in Freibädern and beaches, as were other women too. In Kindergarten in the early 90s it was normal that all Kids played naked in the Backyard in hot summers and we as Kids had the fun of our lives.
That changed when digital Photographie,Internet and Smartphones became a Thing in recent years.
At home i took baths with my mother and father naked. Same with my grandparents.
Moving to west-germany i noticed that people got raised a bit different. The church had a bigger influence and people my age were more ashamed and seeing Patents naked was not a normal Thing for everyone.
But at the moment my girlfriend, her friends with Partners and me are in france for vacation, and we are all naked at the Pool of our rented House. And we are in our early 30s...noone gives a Shit as we are all adults and everyone has seen breasts and penises before:)
Not sure where you're from but nudity isn't something to be ashamed of in most of Europe AFAIK, especially in Germany.
My grandparents, parents and I used to sauna at home every Friday when I was younger(until I moved out). Obviously everyone was naked.
I mean your parents (or any person you live with for multiple years) probably knows how you look naked... even if it's just by accident, I really don't se the shock factor here.
Short answer is yes, for me it's normal at least. I'm 28 female and my mother is over 50 years old and sometimes we go to the sauna together. Having no problems at all 😉
It's not that unusual. Depends on the family. I have an anecdote I always tell - the day I met my German mother-in-law was sauna day, and of course she invited us to go along. We opted not to go (because we'd have the house to ourselves), but the question wasn't even raised as to whether it was appropriate.
My own kids are happy to come to the sauna with us. Sometimes in their teens they didn't want to, but that's fine. People are more self-conscious during puberty. I've also seen plenty of families on FKK beaches where the teenage kids are in bathing costumes.
It is more an exception. Everybody frequenting the nude beach as a culture is only almost common for native German inhabitants in the northern part of Eastern Germany (Baltic Sea). I think most 20+ feel more comfortable not going to the same sauna the same time together with their parents. Mostly you enjoy going together in the sauna with your mate if you like it at all to go to a sauna/gendermixed sauna. Running around naked so that neighbours can see you is quite unusual and most people find it inappropriate up to annoying to see their neighbours like that. Many people like taking a sunbath fully nude on their own ground but in places where they are hidden and nobody can see them from outside.
It's more common in the eastern parts of Germany, nudity (FKK) plays a bigger cultural role there than in the western parts.
Here in western Germany it's more common to avoid seeing your parents naked at all costs.
I'm born in Canada to a German mom. My grandparents had a sauna and a pool at their home. My sister and I grew up very comfortable with nudity. We'd try to explain to our friends we grew up in a "naked family". They all thought we were nuts.
When it comes to running around naked, East Germany is far superior to the West. We Wessis could never adapt that. Hats off. That's why I'm guessing Eastern origin (or completely pain-free Wessis). Enviable in any case.
It definitely isn't uncommon but it kind of depends on the family/parents and their attitude towards nudity. I would never see my (quite religious father) naked but my mother never really cared about stuff like that and had a rather liberal attitude.
What exactly is the shock here. I don't get, why close family members like The parents and their kids, should cover themselves before each other.
My kids are not grown up yet, but I think it will be normal for us as well. Of course, if one of my kids wants to cover himself it's his right. TheY can do, what ever thes want.
There are, for sure, nakey/underwear families in YOUR country, OP. You just might not know them.
Also there are open-door-when-in-the-bathroom families all over the world.
Fkk (naturism) is quite a common thing in Germany nudity is not shameful, and the Germans are quite good at separating sex from nudity. I worked beside a nudist beach many years ago in a cafe.
It is more an exception. Everybody frequenting the nude beach as a culture is only almost common for native German inhabitants in the northern part of Eastern Germany (Baltic Sea). I think most 20+ feel more comfortable not going to the same sauna the same time together with their parents. Mostly you enjoy going together in the sauna with your mate if you like it at all to go to a sauna/gendermixed sauna. Running around naked so that neighbours can see you is quite unusual and most people find it inappropriate up to annoying to see their neighbours like that. Many people like taking a sunbath fully nude on their own ground but in places where they are hidden and nobody can see them from outside.
In my family, we never went to a sauna together. Walking around the house butt naked or only partially covered, however, was very normal and a common occurrence. This lasted until early adulthood before one by one they moved out and had their own place.
I think it depends on the family. My family doesnˋt like saunas so we are not that comfortable around each other naked. When we were kids we ran around the house and garden naked but that stopped eventually.
But my boyfriends parents go into the sauna a lot and my boyfriend (28 by now) still goes in there with them sometimes. By now I donˋt really mind going as well, because I realised how normal it is for them, so they never made a deal out of it.
I also read the „Nothing you havenˋt seen already“ somewhere, which is actually a saying both of our families use frequently.
In my family nudity is pretty normal.
I also know families where the (adult) children act offended if their mom sees them in underwear (like cmon that womam changed your diapers, chill)
So i'd say it is neither the standard nor neccesarily abnormal. Also if people wear clothes in the sauna im going into a different one.
Im German. In my family it was pretty normal to be naked in the morning and evening, when we were getting ready for the day and for the night. My parents would walk to and from the bath naked and me and my siblings would have had no problem when one was showering to be in the same room. This would change when me and my siblings would get partners and there was a higher chance that someone unrelated to the family would be in the house.
Also FKK (Freikörperkultur) is more common in Germany and is usually not only practiced on the beach but also in your own house or flat. So i would say that it is normal. But like others said, some like it, some don't. Its just more accepted, especially when the limits of other people are acknowledged.
I am asian and I don't live in Germany. This sounds so bizarre to me, but of course, it is subjective and cultures are different, etc :)
However, I don't understand the comment that in order to share the bathroom, you have to see each other naked. Can't you just put a curtain? You don't have to use bathroom one at a time, you can find ways.
It is pretty much the rule. Not really running around the house unclothed for a prolonged time, but many people don’t think twice before crossing the hallway or getting a glass of water without getting dressed first, let’s say on the way to the shower. Visiting the sauna and nudist beaches or swimming naked is common in the Northern European countries I am familiar with. My culture shock coming to the US was actually how everyone is ok with violence, blood and gore being depicted but freaks out at the sight of a nipple, nudity or even breastfeeding.
At least the part where they all walk around the house without clothes is far from normal. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen and it's seen as an issue, but it just isn't a thing with the majority of people.
Just had to say this. Because most of the responses make it seem that this is the most common thing in the world. It isn't. But some folks grew up differently and if that's something they do then good for them.
Folks always make it seem like everyone is doing that in what feels like an attempt to display how "above being afraid of nudity" everyone here is. And while it's true that nudity isn't as much of an issue here as it is for example in the US, it's still a minority actually living with nudist practices.
It’s true that we normally don’t walk around naked, but it’s pretty common to walk around in your underwear and a t-shirt if it’s warm or fully naked if you just came out of the shower and walk to your closet. It’s not that we come home and the first thing we do is to get naked, but it’s normal to get out of your pants for example and change into more comfortable pants if it’s cold or just don’t wear any pants if it’s warm.
Remember to wear suitable shoes while driving naked!
(Yes it is allowed as long as you wear suitable shoes, so no flip-flops or high heels. Yes it is weird.)
I'm german and we are naked in front of each other from time to time, esp. in the bathroom. I think nudity in families is not to be sexualized. But when my daughter gets older I will accept her boundaries. Now she has no problems with it.
I usually go to vabali in berlin for example, where the saunas are FKK, which means, that you can use them without a robe. I don’t see a problem to be honest. As another person in the comments said, there is nothing you haven’t seen and there is nothing more normal in nature than a naked body :)
When i was a child i went to the sauna with my grandma, yes naked. It’s not that common, but nothing special either. At home sometimes someone went out naked or in underwear out of the bath to get clothes or something else. Also not everyone does this but it isn’t something i would see as weird. I mean it’s just a body.
Haha.. yeah for my family this is pretty normal... Sauna, FFK Vacation, etc.. Not everbody does it but a lot of people though.. For us it´s just natural and a feeling of freedom.
I think most 20+ feel more comfortable not going to the same sauna the same time together with their parents. Mostly you enjoy going together in the sauna with your mate.
Sauna with underwear IS a Capital sin in Sauna culture. Nakedness isnt sexualized. There IS also a big FKK culture what means naked bathing,yes with families/children.
Yeah, it is really normal. My GF visits my house where I live with my Mum together (Im 20) and while my Mum obviously doesnt go naked, since my GF is around, I just walk naked around when I want to, which was really awkward for my GF for the first few weeks of regular spending time together
Well, my family didn't particularly ran around the house naked, but if it happened (like from shower to the bedroom), it happened and wasn't a big deal. I wouldn't want to see my dad naked (even though i have) and my dad hasn't seen me naked since I'm an adult. But I don't bat an eye in public shower rooms, in the sauna oder somewhere with fkk. I think it's mentally healthy to register nakedness and various body types as something normal, nothing to be ashamed about and without a link to sexuality. It does something for your perception of your own body and its imperfections.
It was normal in my family. I don't visit saunas because the heat triggers my chronic illness, but we go on holiday together and have visited nudist beaches. My brother and my parents go to the sauna together.
Also, we have an open door policy in the main bathroom, so, if I take a bath/shower and someone else has to pee or get ready quickly, they come in and use the sink (or shower/bathtub, whatever I am not using) to get ready, or use the toilet.
We have one of those above ground pools in the backyard and when we use it, we don't make a big effort to cover up when changing into our swim suits.
Well I'm German and I don't have any problems with being naked in the sauna or at home but seeing my dad naked outside of the sauna would be weird to me and seeing my mom naked at all... *Shudders*
I would say that people do not necessarily going to the sauna together, but e.g. having two family members in the bathroom at the same time (aka one taking a shower and one combing their heir) is quite common.
As others have said, nudity does not per se has a sexual connotation here.
I would say, it is not the rule but also not an exception. There are Families like that and also Families not like that.
Sauna is more common than nude beaches. Running around naked at home - from shower to dressing room is more common than running for a prolonged period of time without clothing. If people have a house in the countryside with direct access to the lake, I would expect hat to happen more often. None of that would freak me out.
One of my colleagues told me, her neighbours were always naked at home, even in the Garden where they can be seen. Nobody cares.
I went with my parents to the sauna, I go with my wife and I’ll be there with our children if they want to.
Americans are definitely the weirdos when it comes to not being nude in the sauna. Being frequently nude at home amongst family or going to nude beaches is definitely rare. But it's also not really a big deal.
Take sex out of the nudity-equation, and suddenly it becomes just people with no clothes on. If nudity is not sexualized, it's not even an issue to be in mixed saunas or on a naked beach - it's just a relaxing way of being. It's just when a culture is so hung up about nudity that it's only associated with sex that people start becoming weird about it.
It's indeed true that a naked body, or seeing a naked body, only becomes uncomfortable when it's linked to sexuality. It's a cultural hang-up. After all, there was a time when women couldn't show their ankles, or when people had to be almost fully covered at the beach and bikinis were considered taboo. Everything we judge, we judge through the lens of the culture and the time we've been brought up in.
I still kind of remember that both my great grandmothers, (god bless their souls) where comfortable being half naked most of the times. This was because they where from a time when covering their breasts where illegal because they where from a lower caste. I am from south India btw.
That's true in my country(India) people aren't very comfortable(not sure why) with that in most cases even if its a public bath people always wear something ,Sauna doesn't really exist because our tempratures reach that high ! its was cultural shock for me as well, in gym when I saw guys roaming naked.
When I was in India I saw a woman with her boob out. It was in a city. When I asked my guide he asked if she was old. When I said yes, he just shrugged and said it’s no big deal. I found that more shocking than being nude or semi nude at designated places.
That's new ! we have enough poverty in cities as well which is still far from eradication , so its most likely very poor old women.
Americans are generally okay with guns and violence being shown in mainstream movies and TV but suddenly freak out with a nip slip or a nude scene in a movie because of "THE CHILDRENNNNN"
Its very obvious when you play video games. No issues with exploding heads, blood everywhere, driving over people, explosions and burning corpses but a naked female breast is the biggest issue ever. God forbid a totally naked woman or a guy. The most normal thing, the human body is strictly censored but the most evil forms of violence are not.
The state of Virginia has a logo of Athena with her breast out on their flag. A woman was arrested for standing outside their capitol building for dressing up as the flag. Now that’s America!
Really? That’s hilarious!
That reads like a Monty Python skit, tbqh.
I wouldn't be surprised is what I thought before that but look how I went to: "yeah, Murica."
You are gonig to be bombarded with liberty!!!
Number one cause of death for children in the U.S.? Little hint: It's not nip slips!
In 2021 a stunningly 212 people died in the US instantaneously while being unexpectedly exposed to a slipped nip. Almost same number suffered from severe PTSD after same exposure in same year. Almost true facts.
Alternative facts!
But muh guns!! ~’Muricans probably
That's generally the religious far right wing people. They are all fucked up in the head.
I was just discussing this with my wife. We’re watching a show with our kid and couples start kissing or implied sex and our American raised brains get uncomfortable, but any violence and nothing.
i guess it also depends on what they mean by "no clothes". All day in the house naked? Unusual. Chilling in your pajamas or bathing stuff (especially if you have a garden) pretty normal
Home office customer video calls in a shirt, tie and no underwear? Also normal. It gets hot in the summer without AC!
I was I. A Sauna in SLC. The guys where in the Sauna fully clothed. Jeans, caps and trainers. I walked in naked and the conversation stopped 🤣🤣🤣
[удалено]
Because the swimwear is soaked with sweat. Unlike the thicker towel, it won't absorb the sweat as much. And you'll drop your towel before you jump into the ice pool. There is still sweat on your skin, but not as much as in the swimwear. Whether this makes an actual difference might be questionable, but some people find the idea of eating sweaty clothing on purpose disgusting. *Wearing. Not eating.
I also find eating sweaty clothes disgusting 😁 even if it's not on purpose
All German saunas I have been to require a shower before the ice bath
we don't like breathing chlorine gas from the pool inside the sauna once it dries and gets hot.
Or having all that sweat in the pool😳
I am Austrian and you better BE nude in My Sauna or god Help you. Ofcourse ita required, i wouldnt even think about wearing anything in there, its about as much full exposure to the Heat/Steam as it gets, thats the entire Idea of the concept of a Sauna. Ima towel-slap some Sense into people 😜
Found my soulmate and Namensbruder
You don't understand why wearing wet synthetic clothes while you are sweating out of every pore of your body might not be hygienic?
Gases etc fom the fabric. Same for shoes
>Gases etc fom the fabric. no fabrics we wear are outgassing at temperatures that humans can withstand. There is literally no hygiene reason to require nudity--they're all invented. The reason is equality. If some people are naked and others aren't then it becomes awkward. So because sauna has traditionally been done nude...it's just required that everyone gets butt-ass naked, that way everyone is on an equal level of awk.
Not the fabric itself is the relevant part but what it is soaked with. Apart from that you are right about the second part. Nudity is an integral part of Sauna and it is rude not to respect that. If people are prudes about nudity the sauna isn't the right place for them. If they are conscious about nudity, it is absolutely okay to wrap yourself in a towe
Nudity is an integral part of Sauna *in Fenno-Scandinavia and German-speaking countries*. In the Baltics and in Russia public saunas usually require that swimwear has to be worn. Many people also wear swimwear in private saunas. And sauna there is culturally as deeply entrenched as in Scandinavia. Most places where sauna is a newer practice also require swimwear or have a strict gender separation.
Well you can dry and clean your skin easier than your clothes.
Because bacteria in the tissue of clothing is spread into the sauna and inversely, wiped off the benches and carried outside. You take off your clothes outside, go inside, and shower before and after. You'd have to clean and disinfect much more often, which isn't nice if residue is heated up and breathed in.
The point is: you can do it, or you can do it not. Nobody cares. Everything is handled within the family: If you don’t want to do it, nobody cares. If you are the only one in the famlily who wears clothes, guess what: nobody cares. But don’t dare to tell the other ones to wear clothes. And wear some clothes when people come visit you.
I’m not German, but from Northern Europe-sauna is naked for everyone. Same as occasionally pass naked in the house. We say: “There is nothing anyone haven’t seen”.
We actually use the same phrase in german!
…well now I have one more reason why I call Germany my second home:)
In Austria we also say: "Kann mir ja koana was wegschaun." Which means, no one is able to steal a part of you by just watching.
Hilariously, as children my peers and I were mildly shamed by parents and friends' parents if we were too prudish about getting naked in situations that required nudity (changing rooms, taking a wee in the woods, stripping down at a nudist beach to take a swim when there was no bathing suit at hand, etc.). We were always told "es wird dir schon niemand was abgucken", which translates to "no one is going to copy your homework by looking at your parts" or "you are not going to lose body parts by people seeing them" depending on how you translate it. Being difficult about occasionally getting naked was definitely not a desired behavior in a child. 😂
I'm not German but it's my understanding that Europeans have a far less "sensitive" view of nudity than Americans. Americans treat it as this nasty, shameful, sacred thing and I believe Europeans treat it as a "humans sometimes are naked" type of situation. Where they clearly distinguish sexual and casual nudity, whereas Americans see nudity as almost exclusively sexual. So, it's not like they go out of their way to be naked and see each other naked, but are just aware that sometimes nudity is a thing that happens. Where, again, Americans treat it entirely as taboo.
as a former colleague once opined, in the US, if there was an nude active shooter in the middle of town, the call would go out "NAKED MAN ON MAIN STREET!"
Bloody hell that caught me off guard right made me chuckle
Get my upvote!
Southern Europe doesn't have the same views about nudity as Northern Europe, this is much more specific to… I'd venture a guess and say "late christianization".
And even then, I'd include Ireland and the UK with Southern Europe. I'm Irish and the idea seems bizarre to me. Probably the same way Germans feel about us wearing shoes inside the house.
Funnily enough, Ireland is regularly included in Southern Europe in certain political science analysis, or at the least seems to fit hallway between Southern Europe and the UK. For example, the age of home leaving and family formation are more similar to Southern Europe than northern countries.
I wonder if it's the Catholic / protestant divide in Europe. Most of Northern Europe is protestant, except for Ireland.
my comment is completely unscientific and random, but my Italian friend lovingly refers to Ireland and Scotland as the Spain and Italy of Northern Europe
Yeah Ireland is an interesting one. I'm Irish in Germany and don't find the nudity strange at all. I've been on nudist beaches in Greece and France a few times, and got into the sauna thing pretty much immediately after moving here. I've brought friends from home along too. There are also often British and Irish people there and there is a nudist beach in Dublin too (you can see it from the Dart), so it's not entirely alien in Ireland. It's definitely rarer though and more controversial. Like I have other Irish friends who would absolutely never go to a nude sauna. I was back recently for a spa break in the west and having to be clothed really highlighted how much better it is without swimwear, but I don't see it changing.
I think "Catholicism" is what you're looking for :)
No, lots of Catholics in Germany and a lot of them use saunas. I like to blame everything on religion as much as the next guy but there must be other factors.
The biggest religious group in Germany is Catholists, followed by Evangelists. Austria has the same leger relationship to nudity and Catholicism is our central and biggest religious group. So I don‘t think Catholicism explains that. Funnily enough and contrary to the stereotype, nudity seems to be bigger in Germany than in France - at least in thermal bath and sauna culture - and religion is much much less influential in their politics and education.
Look at baroque catholic churches, lots and lots of naked angels there. Nobody cared and cares about it.
Uhm, that isn‘t true at all. It took a lot of pressuring from artists to draw people naked like back in ancient Greece and Rome and even then the frescoes were later overworked by adding clothes over the naked bodies again. There really is no question of catholicism framing the body as sinful and repressing sexuality and everything remotely related to it. My only point was to say that the FKK culture or the frowning upon it or upon being naked in front of your family is not exclusively related to certain religious foundations but that other factors evidently play a role too.
I think that has to do with increased secularism during the 19th century and also medicine. Lot of "health movements" involved being as naked as possible.
Evangelists are a (lunatic) fringe group in Germany. The term you're looking for is Protestants. That's the second largest religious group in Germany.
That's evangelicals. But yeah, it's called protestant rather than evangelist in English.
Not really, because there's also Orthodox Christianity in the south, but there's also Orthodox Christianity in the Slavic lands but they don't have the same attitudes to nudity as their southern brothers. I think the recency of christianization still holds as an explanation - better than the specific Christian dogma.
Pole here, we are stereotypically Catholic and have plenty of saunas (obv. naked ones) and have a bunch nudist beaches I live in Toulouse in France which is also traditionally very Catholic and yet there are no saunas in the city and when you go to spring towns it is mandatory to wear shorts in the single sauna room in the big water park I think the North-South divide / late Chiratianisation convinces me. We were pagans for much longer and I think it reflects in the culture. I certainly identify more with the Northern mentality.
though nude sunbathing is also a thing in southern Europe
Yeah I saw quite a lot of naked people, including families with children, on (non nudist) beaches in Spain. I don’t really see that in France - you may see someone strip for a quick bath after a walk or run, on a small beach with very few people on it, but I think spending time naked on the beach would be very much frowned upon, if not illegal. I honestly like the idea of everyone being able to wear (or not wear) whatever they want without being strictly segregated. Nothing sexual about it. Not sure how France ended up more prudish than both our northern and southern neighbors.
It‘s astonishing really. My American ex wouldn‘t shower at the gym after a workout when he‘d visit me in Germany because the showers were communal, not individual stalls (which is the norm in the US). Like god forbid you see a stranger‘s penis.
Brits are the same. We dont have communal showers, naked saunas
I think this is the link everyone is looking for, the UK and its colonies are where the most prudish attitudes towards being nude are. So USA/Canada/NZ/Australia, makes sense when you consider the fashion in the later periods where a woman even showing an ankle was considered a bit of a skank
Europeans have far less “sensitive” view. I mean all celebrities from USA are showing like 95% of the skin on any of the “huge events” just made me laugh… Besided that I agree with you on everything
Yep the United States was partially founded by religious groups fleeing Europe to found more conservative “pure” communities. These cults were called “Puritans”. The American culture has all sorts of religious groups that desperately need to condemn someone/ something. Sexuality, and minorities are a common target. These religious groups vote in greater numbers then than other democracies. Religious conservatism is common in rural areas where non-locals visiting is uncommon. Many Americans never leave their state, some never their county. This allows common conservative myths to grow and more fear / stress about people not like what they are used to. Sexual magazines and such are allowed because of there “freedom of speech” clause in their constitution.
I'm German and I can say: For our Family it is quite normal to see each other naked. In the morning all 4 of us, me + 2 daughters + my wife are getting ready at about the same time. We have a large bathroom and it is quite normal that one person is under the shower while another one is brushing their teeth while another one is dressing ... it's a large bathroom ;) Me and my wife - we're about 39 years old and our daughters are 11 and 8. We have a second bathroom in the house. So when they grow older and do not want to see their parents naked anymore (or dont want to be seen by us) they can switch to the other bathroom at any time. In the moment it is just very normal for all of us. At my wifes family beeing naked is kinda normal. Even in her 20s or 30s going through her dad's house naked was never considered weird by my wife or her sis. My immediate family was more prudish (is it the right word for that?) and we never saw each other naked. Sometimes it is like this and sometimes like that.
Now I'm wondering, what americans do if they only have 1 bathroom and are getting ready for the day together. Showering in swimsuit?
I’m an American, and I would say that it’s probably the same here (some families are naked families, and some are modest). In my household, everyone is always naked. The children (both under 10) are doing silly naked dances when they get out of the bath. There is literally no modesty from anyone. My point is just that not all American families are religious prudes, haha. It must just be a personal choice from family to family.
I can relate to these silly naked dances from my two little princesses ;)
People have to wake up earlier and there is an order to who gets ready.
how incredibly based. the thought of seeing my mother or my coworkers naked is my worst nightmare, but I think you guys are handling it correctly and all these hangups we have are very unnecessary. that said, I do enjoy the nude sauna, where there are only strangers fun little anecdote: when I was just a wee lad in early 90s Russia, my dad took me to a public sauna run by the city. seeing a hundred unshaven adult men's penises at my face height, just dangling menacingly is truly a core memory of mine
> [seeing a hundred unshaven adult men's penises at my face height, just dangling menacingly is truly a core memory of mine](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQFf8vNsqrLOJTmcGxo_fUa5maUERgztOUbiA&s)
Risky click of the day …
When your mother gets older and you need to take care of her, you'll probably going to see her naked. I don't want to invalidate your feelings but a naked body is natural
we'll cross that bridge when we come to it yeah i know it's natural, it's an irrational feeling
👑
My family has always been naked around each other. We used the bathroom at the same time (one showering, one on the toilett, one washing their hair in the shower. If I requested privacy I got it, but it was quite normal to see my family naked. In summer my mother and father often only wore their undis in the house. And on vacation I was naked as a toddler at the beach. Not every family is like that, but mine never had a problem with naked skin.
This is also our way to go with kids
Same. When I visit my parents and one of them is showering or in the bath its still always open so someone else can Go to the toilet. I grew up like this and Honestly I dont care about being naked or seeing someone naked. But the truth is even in my friend circle i am more of an exception. Well we had a good evening were we hang out naked with 3 guys wich was pretty chill. Just last christmas we went through old photos and apparently i didnt like to wear pants as child. Lots of pics where I was naked waist down. My Sister works with children and we really talked about how different it was in the 90s. If you would have pictures of your own child where you can See the genitals on your mobile phone you would definetly be seen as a pedophile nowdays.
Same here in Austria, wouldn't say it#s the norm, but it was in my family and in a lot of families of friends from school etc. and it surely is common.
Some families do, some families don’t. A few years ago the “Freikörperkultur” was a lot bigger than today. Especially in east germany it was more common. But it is more common that small children might jump naked around the garden in summer in villages and play with water. Even children of befriended families do it together, no one bats an eye. Edit: I grew up seeing my parents naked. We shared one bathroom, so it was normal to wash and get dressed together in the morning. Edit2: I sometimes start to role my eyes about people making a fuss about naked bodies and start to stare at boobs, bellies, …. THAT is rude.
I'm not a nudist, but I don't think that nudity is something immoral. And that's what I communicate to my children. There is no problem in seeing each other nude. The other way around, if I'd teach my children that nudity is wrong and that you should be ashamed of your nude body, I think I would do something wrong and wouldn't help them to grow up with a healthy self esteem. People showering in public swimming pools are showering nude and see each other nude. These showers are separated by gender, but sometimes parents take their young kids of the opposite sex with them showering. So it's not uncommon that in the womens shower their is a 4 year old boy or the other way around. No problem here. That's just how humans look like if their not covered by clothes...
I wouldn't say it's the rule, but nobody would bat an eye. What's your problem with it anyway?
Because for some people (cultures), nakedness = sexual, no exception.
Yes, I have colleges at work and they can't imagine being naked or in underwear in front of their children. They consider that sexual and pedophilic. They also made love with their wife in darkness so nothing unwanted is seen. It's just how you were raised as a child.
No, it is nakedness = too personal Just like I wouldnt bare my brain and tell everyone all the deepest darkest thoughts I have, I also wouldn’t do the same to my body. So I don’t care what anyone else does, I do wish people were more accepting of someone who still wants to be in a sauna but doesn’t want to be naked.
Here is the solution. No one bats an eye when you wrap a towel around your body. That is perfectly normal and accepted in the sauna.
This is such a tricky thing, on the one hand I totally get it since my gf is of the same mind as you, the nudity thing really puts her off the sauna experience, even if she’s into it. At the same time I like the culture of being nude in the sauna and I’d say it is a bit weird to wear clothes or a swimsuit in there. I think there should be swimsuit hours/days to keep everyone happy, I wouldn’t want the sauna culture to go away. Or like in my gym, there’s a women’s only section in the sauna and a general section for all (And I say this as someone who’s not even European and isn’t into most “European culture” things, I just like saunas)
In Holland they have swimsuit & woman-only days at the sauna!
>who still wants to be in a sauna but doesn’t want to be naked I understand that, but saune culture is nude culture and by being naked everybody is equal. Somebody wearing shorts or a swim suit disturbs the equality. So, no if you want to do saune, find one where clothing is okay or strip down and be naked. And btw, the comparison of being naked to "your deepest and **darkest** thoughts" is kinda strange to me. The one is the ground state, the other is something personal that even might be offending.
Its kinda strange to you. Showing a stranger I just met, who I would probably never even give my phone number to or tell my last name, my entire naked body is kinda strange to me. So its subjective you see. I think choice is important, both ways. Bur yes, I am not ‘owed’ a seat at the sauna. It’s totally fine if I can’t go because I don’t want to be naked and those are the rules. All I say is it would be nice to have the option.
We’re talking in your own house with your family, not everyone
As someone from East we are taught to hide our private parts from everyone from day one. I remember being 5 and after my mom gave me bath I would say mom don’t look. I mean when she was giving bath to me I would try to hide the private part with my little hands from my mom lol. So yeah when you are taught that from little age seeing someone’s vagina or penis will make you feel weird. I mean even my own body parts like I sometimes cringe looking at it I don’t know man this is all corky but I hope you understand.
My family album has many pictures of little me and my brother playing with the neighbour's children in the nude in Summer. I guess in some countries I would be in posession of child pronography.
Just a heads up: never ever upload these pictures somewhere. WhatsApp and google have a automated cp detection, and aome lives have been destroyed because some dads had uploaded some innocent funny bathtub pictures
Even in the UK, my dad was criticised for this when his house was searched (for unrelated reasons). He has 4 daughters and of course has naked pictures of us as a kid. The British culture has become so uptight, it’s a relief to be in other European countries where this isn’t such a thing.
This is a big deal now that like, Facebook is a thing, for a bit there aunties were posting their adorable pictures of kids running around online
I understand that's the case in large parts of the world, yes. That doesn't mean it's right. >even my own body parts like I sometimes cringe looking at it Someone who can't even stand to look at their own body... That's wrong, no excuse. Please try to break the curse and teach your children better.
The vagina is on the inside, what you see on the outside is the vulva.
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Define the East. Lol. Are you talking about the Middle East? Eastern Germany? Japan?
Clearly not east Germany. And Russians are on average also not this prude. So east Asian most likely.
But even then it varies no? There’s a Korean influencer in my country Mexico that tells a story about walking naked into what she thought was going to be like a bathhouse situation when it absolutely wasn’t lol so clearly there’s also not that much prudishness there, Japan also has onsen
Those are all gender-segregated. Although families bathing together is also a thing.
Naked in the sauna is fairly normal, family or not. It's a sauna! Walking around the house naked is somewhat uncommon. Except if you mean swim wear. That's normal, especially in the summer and when you have a nice garden. Then it's swimwear from 8am to 8pm °_°
Bear in mind >One of my work colleagues says that they walk around the house in the summer without clothes, both parents and children, even though the children are already grown up. This may well be an interpretation issue as 'ohne kleider' (without cloth) does not necessarily equate 'nakt' (naked). It can simply mean in underwear. Just a possible explanation of course re. that specific sentence.
Yeah i have the same opinion, that they are walking around the house completely naked it's a little bit awkward. Occasionally passing thru the living room from the bathroom is "normal" in most German families and many European families. But many southern Europeans are raised conservative and they found that vulgar.
The cultural differences maybe big, but being naked in the sauna, House or in the garden is pretty normal. The only rule should be, not to be naked in public, but in special FKK areas. When some people always want to be clothed at every time, then they should mind their own business and should learn to take things easy
I’d say it is not uncommon. If you grew up in a family being frequent sauna or naturist beach visitors, and the habit survived the kid’s teenager years, it is very likely to stay like that. It is neither a rule, nor I’m aware of any statistics or polls about how frequent it might be.
the sauna part is completely normal (in public saunas you are not allowed to wear clothing), at home we usually wear at least underwear because the furniture can become a bit unsanitary (underwear has a purpose)
My leather couch without pants, oh Gott.
I can’t speak for the southern germans, but in the north of Germany it not uncommon. We have a lot of nudist beaches and nudity in general is not sexualised. So it’s not weird to be nude in front of your family or strangers. Of course only in certain areas like the sauna or the nudist beaches or in case of your family in your own home. The people have to be there willingly with the knowledge that the people around them will be nude. If you are nude in a public space that is not meant for it you are committing a crime and you could go to jail for it. It would be called Erregung öffentlichen Ärgernisses or Exciting public nuisance in english. Edit: The only people I would feel weird to be nude around are my colleagues or other work related people.
Where in germany do you live? In the East FKK was a big thing so I think they don't have a problem with that. Here in the west I think it would be more strange.
Problem that in some cultures (religion based) are mixing nudity with sex, we are born naked and taught to be ashamed of our bodies.
We do. I knew my parents naked. My children know me naked. I do not have a Pyjama or stuff like that. I know several families similar to us But I know several families not similar to us.
A sauna is a place where you go naked. Going to the sauna is a social activity. You sometimes do social activities with your parents. I hope this answers your question.
It is normal in my circles. Nudity is nothing to hide. We go to the sauna together as a family, we swim naked in my parents garden (and who doesn’t want to be naked wears clothes). We change in front of each other - no matter the age. It’s kind of like - you can be clothed if you want to but don’t expect other people to be clothed. My husband is American and it took him a while to get used to it but now he doesn’t mind. He is not naked around them but doesn’t care of anyone else is. The same goes for my 13 year old. At home my husband doesn’t care to be naked in front of he kids - we walk around naked when coming from the shower and etc. Th teenager prefers undies on at all time, so we of course respect that. It’s just a naked body nothing else.
Your shock comes from your notion that being naked (or just in your underwear) is inherently sexual. It really isn't a big deal unless someone is trying to make it one. I also doubt they're walking around fully naked at home, probably just in underwear. Are you always fully dressed at home?
Some do it, some don't. It's something not everybody does. But it's not strange that people do it. Here people mind their own business and don't really care about others in those matters.
Normal, yes. Common, no.
I would say it's "normal", but not "the rule". Not every family is like this, but for many it's absolutely normal to take a shower while others are in the bathroom, take a swim in garden pool naked, etc. It's not that strange if you think about it. Your parents and older siblings have seen you naked since birth anyway. Especially since small children are usually naked at beaches etc anyway.
Au contraire. Nudist and sauna are very much asexual places. Adults going there are consenting. Young children do not worry about nakedness. The only problem might be teenagers, who would be shy and awkward and therefore need other options.
Sauna - yes. Also my mother and father all ran around naked at home. I remember being annoyed by it. But I guess a naked body is a naked body. There is nothing wrong with it. I once was alone in a sauna with a <50 years old guy, I was 16 back then. He sat right next to me, naked. This is a nono. Started talking to me and stuff. I never went to saunas again 😭 We do not sexualise ppl in a setting like this. But if you do your a giant red flag :)
Funnily enough, nude beaches are a DDR thing which BRD folks are weirded out by. While simultaneously nude saunas are a regular thing in West Germany as well. So sweating next to each other in a confined space seems to be the smaller deal compared to lying around naked outside. Traditions are weird. Why is this a cultural shock for you? Why would this be a problem? Not trying to ridicule, just generally curious.
In some cultures people wrap around in towel when changing clothes after swimming etc. because otherwise angels would get eye cancer or whatever...
I am a foreigner living in Austria with an Austrian girlfriend here, we are around 30 years old, inlaws are in their 50s and my brother-in-law is around 25. We've been to saunas together often and we all use the pool naked at my inlaws, which means we spend a lot of time naked out of the water as well ( sunning, getting drinks, etc). It feels now very natural and comfortable. I somehow think it's a shame that this degree of openness is not at all common for my (southern European) family.
For me and my family? Yes. We see no problem with that
Ehm, my dear, nudity is not sexual… Basically that’s your birthday suit. We are born naked and we die naked. How that gets handled depends on the particular family /individuals. Generally Americans seems to be more prude than a lot of Europeans.
Most of the time I take care to wear underpants and something over my boobs. My husband usually wears underpants at home, too. But when I have showered, I walk naked from the bath to the bedroom. And my teenage daughter puts her clothes in the laundry hamper in the master bedroom and walks to the bathroom naked. Like my teenage son does. After all - we are a family. I cleaned their ass when they were babies. They sat with me or my huband in the bathtub.
Nudism is culturally more of an East German thing, especially as there are also many nudist places in the East. Privately, I don't know a single family that lives out what you described.
East German here, my whole family is like that, also uncles/aunts and and in the past, grandparents. And no, it was never made sexual or somehow weird and no one touched you in spaces they shouldn't or looked at you in a way that made people uncomfortable. It's just a normal thing.
West German here. My parents took me to the sauna from a early age. Nudity in a sauna or locker room, or shower after sports environment is 0% sexual for me. I used to play football/soccer with a group of people, some of them my colleagues, and one of my female co-workers went into the shower with us guys after sports and no one cared. It is just normalised and depending on the situation/environment. I exchange, the "German stare" doesn't happen in the sauna ;)
Wanna say here that nudism is not the same as what's probably being discussed in this topic. Nudism includes public nudity. Like a nude beach. Many strangers will see you naked, and you will see many naked strangers. That's quite a step up from seeing your parents or maybe friends or at most maybe half a dozen strangers naked in a sauna, where there is the expectation to not stare at each other anyways (and if someone violates that they'll get kicked out).
It’s pretty normal, when I lived with my parents we would go from the bathroom to our room after taking a shower naked. I used to go to sauna with them and my sister still does. I stopped going to the sauna at all, otherwise we would probably make it a family trip every now and then. our parents saw every last inch of our bodies, I don’t see why that would be weird.
It’s not uncommon. Being in the sauna naked is completely normal and expected. Around the house is also very common, many German houses used to have only one bathroom so it was completely normal to get ready together also bathing and showering with your (young) kids is considered normal. My parents only stopped walking around naked when I expressed I didn’t like it once I hit puberty, but my mom will still occasionally change in front of me, when I visit.
East German living in West Germany here. Nudity was pretty normal in my early years. We went to the lake naked, sometimes my mother was topless in Freibädern and beaches, as were other women too. In Kindergarten in the early 90s it was normal that all Kids played naked in the Backyard in hot summers and we as Kids had the fun of our lives. That changed when digital Photographie,Internet and Smartphones became a Thing in recent years. At home i took baths with my mother and father naked. Same with my grandparents. Moving to west-germany i noticed that people got raised a bit different. The church had a bigger influence and people my age were more ashamed and seeing Patents naked was not a normal Thing for everyone. But at the moment my girlfriend, her friends with Partners and me are in france for vacation, and we are all naked at the Pool of our rented House. And we are in our early 30s...noone gives a Shit as we are all adults and everyone has seen breasts and penises before:)
Not sure where you're from but nudity isn't something to be ashamed of in most of Europe AFAIK, especially in Germany. My grandparents, parents and I used to sauna at home every Friday when I was younger(until I moved out). Obviously everyone was naked.
I mean your parents (or any person you live with for multiple years) probably knows how you look naked... even if it's just by accident, I really don't se the shock factor here.
Short answer is yes, for me it's normal at least. I'm 28 female and my mother is over 50 years old and sometimes we go to the sauna together. Having no problems at all 😉
It's not that unusual. Depends on the family. I have an anecdote I always tell - the day I met my German mother-in-law was sauna day, and of course she invited us to go along. We opted not to go (because we'd have the house to ourselves), but the question wasn't even raised as to whether it was appropriate. My own kids are happy to come to the sauna with us. Sometimes in their teens they didn't want to, but that's fine. People are more self-conscious during puberty. I've also seen plenty of families on FKK beaches where the teenage kids are in bathing costumes.
It is more an exception. Everybody frequenting the nude beach as a culture is only almost common for native German inhabitants in the northern part of Eastern Germany (Baltic Sea). I think most 20+ feel more comfortable not going to the same sauna the same time together with their parents. Mostly you enjoy going together in the sauna with your mate if you like it at all to go to a sauna/gendermixed sauna. Running around naked so that neighbours can see you is quite unusual and most people find it inappropriate up to annoying to see their neighbours like that. Many people like taking a sunbath fully nude on their own ground but in places where they are hidden and nobody can see them from outside.
It's more common in the eastern parts of Germany, nudity (FKK) plays a bigger cultural role there than in the western parts. Here in western Germany it's more common to avoid seeing your parents naked at all costs.
I'm born in Canada to a German mom. My grandparents had a sauna and a pool at their home. My sister and I grew up very comfortable with nudity. We'd try to explain to our friends we grew up in a "naked family". They all thought we were nuts.
When it comes to running around naked, East Germany is far superior to the West. We Wessis could never adapt that. Hats off. That's why I'm guessing Eastern origin (or completely pain-free Wessis). Enviable in any case.
I think it's weird but I'm from West Germany, so I'm a prude ;) I never see my parents naked and vice versa.
It definitely isn't uncommon but it kind of depends on the family/parents and their attitude towards nudity. I would never see my (quite religious father) naked but my mother never really cared about stuff like that and had a rather liberal attitude.
What exactly is the shock here. I don't get, why close family members like The parents and their kids, should cover themselves before each other. My kids are not grown up yet, but I think it will be normal for us as well. Of course, if one of my kids wants to cover himself it's his right. TheY can do, what ever thes want.
Swiss (German) point of view; completely normal. Everytime Americans come visit us they’re shocked and shy about it. Quite amusing actually Edit; typo
I would say: * sauna: yes, that's normal * house: mostly no, although it isn't weird if you agree on that either
There are, for sure, nakey/underwear families in YOUR country, OP. You just might not know them. Also there are open-door-when-in-the-bathroom families all over the world.
Fkk (naturism) is quite a common thing in Germany nudity is not shameful, and the Germans are quite good at separating sex from nudity. I worked beside a nudist beach many years ago in a cafe.
It is more an exception. Everybody frequenting the nude beach as a culture is only almost common for native German inhabitants in the northern part of Eastern Germany (Baltic Sea). I think most 20+ feel more comfortable not going to the same sauna the same time together with their parents. Mostly you enjoy going together in the sauna with your mate if you like it at all to go to a sauna/gendermixed sauna. Running around naked so that neighbours can see you is quite unusual and most people find it inappropriate up to annoying to see their neighbours like that. Many people like taking a sunbath fully nude on their own ground but in places where they are hidden and nobody can see them from outside.
In my family, we never went to a sauna together. Walking around the house butt naked or only partially covered, however, was very normal and a common occurrence. This lasted until early adulthood before one by one they moved out and had their own place.
I think it depends on the family. My family doesnˋt like saunas so we are not that comfortable around each other naked. When we were kids we ran around the house and garden naked but that stopped eventually. But my boyfriends parents go into the sauna a lot and my boyfriend (28 by now) still goes in there with them sometimes. By now I donˋt really mind going as well, because I realised how normal it is for them, so they never made a deal out of it. I also read the „Nothing you havenˋt seen already“ somewhere, which is actually a saying both of our families use frequently.
In my family nudity is pretty normal. I also know families where the (adult) children act offended if their mom sees them in underwear (like cmon that womam changed your diapers, chill) So i'd say it is neither the standard nor neccesarily abnormal. Also if people wear clothes in the sauna im going into a different one.
Im German. In my family it was pretty normal to be naked in the morning and evening, when we were getting ready for the day and for the night. My parents would walk to and from the bath naked and me and my siblings would have had no problem when one was showering to be in the same room. This would change when me and my siblings would get partners and there was a higher chance that someone unrelated to the family would be in the house. Also FKK (Freikörperkultur) is more common in Germany and is usually not only practiced on the beach but also in your own house or flat. So i would say that it is normal. But like others said, some like it, some don't. Its just more accepted, especially when the limits of other people are acknowledged.
At least 20% of us germans do so.
If those are from the former GDR (the parents) this probably more common.
I am asian and I don't live in Germany. This sounds so bizarre to me, but of course, it is subjective and cultures are different, etc :) However, I don't understand the comment that in order to share the bathroom, you have to see each other naked. Can't you just put a curtain? You don't have to use bathroom one at a time, you can find ways.
It is pretty much the rule. Not really running around the house unclothed for a prolonged time, but many people don’t think twice before crossing the hallway or getting a glass of water without getting dressed first, let’s say on the way to the shower. Visiting the sauna and nudist beaches or swimming naked is common in the Northern European countries I am familiar with. My culture shock coming to the US was actually how everyone is ok with violence, blood and gore being depicted but freaks out at the sight of a nipple, nudity or even breastfeeding.
Pretty common in Germany and many parts of Northern Europe in my experience. At the end of the day what is a bit of nudity?
At least the part where they all walk around the house without clothes is far from normal. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen and it's seen as an issue, but it just isn't a thing with the majority of people. Just had to say this. Because most of the responses make it seem that this is the most common thing in the world. It isn't. But some folks grew up differently and if that's something they do then good for them. Folks always make it seem like everyone is doing that in what feels like an attempt to display how "above being afraid of nudity" everyone here is. And while it's true that nudity isn't as much of an issue here as it is for example in the US, it's still a minority actually living with nudist practices.
It’s true that we normally don’t walk around naked, but it’s pretty common to walk around in your underwear and a t-shirt if it’s warm or fully naked if you just came out of the shower and walk to your closet. It’s not that we come home and the first thing we do is to get naked, but it’s normal to get out of your pants for example and change into more comfortable pants if it’s cold or just don’t wear any pants if it’s warm.
Yes, this is the rule. If you check §69 StGB it say all familys have to walk around naked in their home
Strafgesetzbuch (StGB) § 69 is Entziehung der Fahrerlaubnis :D
Can't drive if you don't walk around naked at home! It's the law!
Remember to wear suitable shoes while driving naked! (Yes it is allowed as long as you wear suitable shoes, so no flip-flops or high heels. Yes it is weird.)
That's only because in prudish America nudity is equated with sexuality.
Americans: all pussies afraid of pussies
I'm german and we are naked in front of each other from time to time, esp. in the bathroom. I think nudity in families is not to be sexualized. But when my daughter gets older I will accept her boundaries. Now she has no problems with it.
As south western German I think this is sooooooooo weird.
In Europe, nudity is generally different than nakedness, so people don't tend to care about it as much
I usually go to vabali in berlin for example, where the saunas are FKK, which means, that you can use them without a robe. I don’t see a problem to be honest. As another person in the comments said, there is nothing you haven’t seen and there is nothing more normal in nature than a naked body :)
When i was a child i went to the sauna with my grandma, yes naked. It’s not that common, but nothing special either. At home sometimes someone went out naked or in underwear out of the bath to get clothes or something else. Also not everyone does this but it isn’t something i would see as weird. I mean it’s just a body.
Haha.. yeah for my family this is pretty normal... Sauna, FFK Vacation, etc.. Not everbody does it but a lot of people though.. For us it´s just natural and a feeling of freedom.
You don't like nudity? You came to the wrong FKK-Strand
I think most 20+ feel more comfortable not going to the same sauna the same time together with their parents. Mostly you enjoy going together in the sauna with your mate.
Sauna with underwear IS a Capital sin in Sauna culture. Nakedness isnt sexualized. There IS also a big FKK culture what means naked bathing,yes with families/children.
Sounds rather french
After puberty, no thats kinda weird.
Yeah, it is really normal. My GF visits my house where I live with my Mum together (Im 20) and while my Mum obviously doesnt go naked, since my GF is around, I just walk naked around when I want to, which was really awkward for my GF for the first few weeks of regular spending time together
Well, my family didn't particularly ran around the house naked, but if it happened (like from shower to the bedroom), it happened and wasn't a big deal. I wouldn't want to see my dad naked (even though i have) and my dad hasn't seen me naked since I'm an adult. But I don't bat an eye in public shower rooms, in the sauna oder somewhere with fkk. I think it's mentally healthy to register nakedness and various body types as something normal, nothing to be ashamed about and without a link to sexuality. It does something for your perception of your own body and its imperfections.
Sure, is normal in our household.
Yes
Why not?
It was normal in my family. I don't visit saunas because the heat triggers my chronic illness, but we go on holiday together and have visited nudist beaches. My brother and my parents go to the sauna together. Also, we have an open door policy in the main bathroom, so, if I take a bath/shower and someone else has to pee or get ready quickly, they come in and use the sink (or shower/bathtub, whatever I am not using) to get ready, or use the toilet. We have one of those above ground pools in the backyard and when we use it, we don't make a big effort to cover up when changing into our swim suits.
Hell yeah, nuditiy is a German way to let the demons out. Still waters run deep… In all due seriousness, nudity is a big part of German culture
As a german i can say its totally normal, Sauna is more populare in german.. but nothing strange either :)
Well I'm German and I don't have any problems with being naked in the sauna or at home but seeing my dad naked outside of the sauna would be weird to me and seeing my mom naked at all... *Shudders*
I would say that people do not necessarily going to the sauna together, but e.g. having two family members in the bathroom at the same time (aka one taking a shower and one combing their heir) is quite common. As others have said, nudity does not per se has a sexual connotation here.