I went to the public pool here in Korea for the first time with my friend (we're both Americans). In the locker room, we started changing into our swimsuits fairly discreetly. An older Korean woman started saying to us in Korean that we should go shower and then put on our swimsuits. My friend and I looked at each other like "Well, we hadn't planned on being naked together today!" We continued to put on our swimsuits and showered in them with about 50 naked Korean women before hitting the pool.
It got me thinking about being comfortable naked. I know many of us have body issues related to our weight and others have come a long way in accepting their body.
So I'm curious. How do you feel about being naked?
When we lived in Japan it didn't bother me as much to be naked in public, like in a public bath house (onsen) . Because that is a cultural norm, I didn't feel strange or anything and it just didn't bothered me. - I was too busy obsessing over making sure everyone thought I was thorough enough in my washing and rinsing! However, I DID feel shy if there were Americans around, and while I will change in the locker room here, I try to do it as quickly as possible.
This might seem odd coming from someone my size, but I'm not generally very sensitive about nudity itself. That doesn't mean I would waltz around a changing room naked when everyone else is being very modest. Even when changing in the lockerroom, it doesn't make me nervous because someone might see my body, it's what people might be thinking about it. If I change in the weird try-to-stay-as-covered-and-change-as-quickly-as-possible dance, I'm thinking people are thinking "why is she being so shy, does she think any of us want what she has?" If I change too nonchallantly, I'm thinking people are thinking "why can't she hurry up, does she think we want to see any of that."
So, it's more what I think people are thinking that the nudity itself. If everyone is being nude, even if I have the most horrible body, I'm not so bad (unless all of the other bodies are far superior to mine - I don't mind being the ugliest body, but I don't want to be the freakish body).
When I go to the warm water therapy pool, most of the other women are 30 or more years older than I. It's a pool only for those with medical needs of one kind or another, so occasionally we will get the high school or college athlete, but mostly it's senior citizens. The average body type is pretty overweight and/or varying degrees of sagginess. The women mostly seem pretty comfortable in the dressing room, so now I am too. It took me a while to feel I had the "routine" down. The one thing I'm not as comfortable doing, as some of the women seem to, is "chat" while naked.
This might sound funny but I dont even like seeing myself naked.When I change clothes I shut off all lights and go into my closet and change clothes as fast as I can.Even when I was a size 6 it repulsed me.I have issues.........lol.
I'm the person who doesn't care if strangers see me naked but feels anxious when people I know are around. I don't know why, I think it's because they could say something to me about my body, they could tell someone how I look, I worry a lot about their judgment! But if no one I know is around, I feel more brave. I could easily change slower in the locker room and when I was on a beach in Thailand where many were topless, I considered taking my top off (except I wasn't tanning so I didn't do it---also it helped to see other topless chubby women).
Thin4Good, bath houses are very popular here too and while I live here, I'd like to try one out. I don't want to go alone, I'd like some support from a friend but then I don't know which friend to ask to go like... okay friend, want to spend the afternoon with me naked?
Kaplods, yes, the chatting naked! Another reason I feel uncomfortable being naked around friends. When I change with friends now, I just do it quickly. I agree, the little dance to keep yourself totally covered seems a little silly at this point in my life. If someone catches a glance at me, okay. But to like, take my top off and rub lotion all over while chatting with my friend--can't do it. Not yet at least.
And you're right those old women are nudity role models! The older women I see at the gym, well, the fit toned body is pretty rare. Yet they will walk all over naked. As a younger, self-conscious person, I might have thought something negative, but now, I WANT confidence and I look at them for inspiration.
I never thought I'd be comfortable naked. My body is too imperfect and even weight loss won't fix some things I don't like. But I'd love to get to the point of being comfortable naked whenever.
I was never comfortable naked until I had children. I got to the point of being so ooooo pregnant with both of my 10lb soms, that my modesty just sort of dropped off the faith of the earth....there it goes....
I had both my children with 10-12 family members and friends, and since then it is just kind of no big deal.
I have lots of tattoos on my body; a full back piece and full sleeves and I am more conscious of the tattoos than I am being fat. I actually look to see if there are other inked people in my company when I get naked as opposed to other chubby people.
Thin4Good, bath houses are very popular here too and while I live here, I'd like to try one out. I don't want to go alone, I'd like some support from a friend but then I don't know which friend to ask to go like... okay friend, want to spend the afternoon with me naked?
lol- I know what you mean. I wound up going with a friend AFTER she begged me for a few months to go with her. She had already been and knew what to do so that was nice. After the first time, I didn't hesitate to go back. We had a blast laughing at ourselves and it really was very relaxing.
At my current weight I'm okay with being naked in front of only my husband. I wouldn't even say I am comfortable because sometimes I won't even change in front of him and I think he's looking at me weird. Which is silly because he says he loves me how I am.
So yea, I'm semi-comfortable with being naked in front of my significant other!
i don't care if my husband sees me - but i don't really want to see me. lol. i try to avoid mirrors at all costs. but i have no real qualms about walking around the house with little to nothing on, as long as you know-the windows are closed and there is no company.
hubby on the other hand appears to not care who sees him naked.
I'm fine getting nekkid around my hubby, I'd be okay stripping for the doctor (not that I actually have one!), but I'm not really okay letting others see me in the niff.
I used to go topless on holidays many years ago, but as I got older I found I didn't want to put it all out there any more. I like that certain things are private, and my lady bits fall into the category of "certain things".
I really dont like being naked, not even in front of my hubby. I will get naked when its like pitch black in the bedroom..but I'm so pale its like I glow..LOL!!
Naked!
