Nude in front of same sex friends?

[CurtGiles46]

From talking with my grandparents and people from their generation, I noticed that there was nothing uncomfortable back then about sometimes being nude in front of same sex friends.

Within the last 40 years, younger people grew very shy about their nude bodies.

What’s the reason for this change? Is it body image issues? Fear that if you see a same sex friend nude you might get aroused and feel gay?

 

[Filipinawife]

I go nude in front of same sex friends sometimes such as in the gym changing room and the sauna. It’s no big deal

 

[Lucien_Al]

As a naturist it doesn't bother me with either sex.

 

[Filipinawife]

Me neither

 

[Britva415]

From talking with my grandparents and people from their generation, I noticed that there was nothing uncomfortable back then about sometimes being nude in front of same sex friends.

Within the last 40 years, younger people grew very shy about their nude bodies.

What’s the reason for this change? Is it body image issues? Fear that if you see a same sex friend nude you might get aroused and feel gay?

What's the evidence for this alleged change?

 

[Lucien_Al]

Interesting as a survey done in the UK in October showed that 14% of the participants identified as Naturist or Nudist. Up from 6% in 2011.

 

[CurtGiles46]

What's the evidence for this alleged change?

Decline in communal showers all across the Western world. There’s been research into it.

 

[jehoram]

Interesting as a survey done in the UK in October showed that 14% of the participants identified as Naturist or Nudist. Up from 6% in 2011.

Where I hear it's legal to be nude in public spaces like beaches and woods and the like.

As for me, outside of nudist settings, gyms, roomies, and hot tubs, the only time a same-sex friend saw me naked was when I was in my back yard working on my car. There's a gate that screens the area from the street. My friend opened the gate and walked through and saw me in the nude, and walked back and closed the gate until I put some shorts on. It evidently made him uncomfortable to see me.

 

[Britva415]

Decline in communal showers all across the Western world. There’s been research into it.

Are you sure that that's because of shame, shyness and discomfort at a greater level than past generations, though?

It seems more highly plausible to me that it's simply more acceptable to express these than in the past and to request/expect accommodations for it, than the alternative hypothesis, which would be that nobody used to be shy or have a reason to not want to expose themselves to friends or strangers. I think it's more like there didn't used to be a socially acceptable way to express it and avoid the uncomfortable situations.

 

[Britva415]

I noticed that there was nothing uncomfortable back then about sometimes being nude in front of same sex friends.

I don't know what exactly you noticed. There are plenty of people today who find nothing uncomfortable about this, just as back then.

You don't have a sample which includes people who did find it uncomfortable, or were willing to say so, back then.

There's another selection bias too, which is that even if you know people of your grandparent's generation who would rather not expose themselves to friends or strangers, you'd never know it because they were conditioned to shut up about it.

 

[FL30]

From talking with my grandparents and people from their generation, I noticed that there was nothing uncomfortable back then about sometimes being nude in front of same sex friends.

Within the last 40 years, younger people grew very shy about their nude bodies.

What’s the reason for this change? Is it body image issues? Fear that if you see a same sex friend nude you might get aroused and feel gay?

Older generations had much, much smaller houses with fewer bedrooms and bathrooms in them so usually everyone had to share.

So, when you shared you were more likely to be naked with the same sex more often than not, so it wasn't such a big deal as it is now. In addition, in school or in the service everyone had communal showers so once again everyone was naked with members of the same sex more so than today.

In today's society a lot of households have more bedrooms than there are people, so no one shares the bedroom or bathroom anymore, so everyone has their own "personal" space, so they're not naked in front of anyone anymore.

Plus, in the summer, in the country, which was a lot more plentiful than it is now, everyone went to the swimming hole where everyone either went naked to swim or they were in their underwear, which showed almost everything, anyway.

 

[CurtGiles46]

Interesting as a survey done in the UK in October showed that 14% of the participants identified as Naturist or Nudist. Up from 6% in 2011.

The kind

I don't know what exactly you noticed. There are plenty of people today who find nothing uncomfortable about this, just as back then.

You don't have a sample which includes people who did find it uncomfortable, or were willing to say so, back then.

There's another selection bias too, which is that even if you know people of your grandparent's generation who would rather not expose themselves to friends or strangers, you'd never know it because they were conditioned to shut up about it.

Your “plenty of people today” comment by which you mean specifically YOU is not statistical data either.

 

[Britva415]

Older generations had much, much smaller houses with fewer bedrooms and bathrooms in them so usually everyone had to share.

So, when you shared you were more likely to be naked with the same sex more often than not, so it wasn't such a big deal as it is now. In addition, in school or in the service everyone had communal showers so once again everyone was naked with members of the same sex more so than today.

In today's society a lot of households have more bedrooms than there are people, so no one shares the bedroom or bathroom anymore, so everyone has their own "personal" space, so they're not naked in front of anyone anymore.

We're also a lot more aware and willing to speak openly today about reasons why people might not want to be exposed. Gender dysphoria with or without transition, sexual assault survivors, body shame and self-consciousness, it's ignorant to imagine that none of these were issues two generations ago. They just weren't socially acceptable to talk about and expect accommodation.

 

[Britva415]

Your “plenty of people today” comment by which you mean specifically YOU is not statistical data either.

You're not wrong about that but you're conveniently ignoring the point by pretending it somehow carries less weight than the same fact did two generations ago.

 

[cubbyfire04]

Decline in communal showers all across the Western world. There’s been research into it.

I thought you'd answered your own question when I read this as SHOWers (as opposed to "growers")...

As a grower, myself, I thought "Well, yeah... Makes sense. I'm a little shy myself until he's at least a little chubbed up!"

Then I realized I'm an idiot

 

[Uncut1969]

Hopefully trying a nudist rest this year and hope I don’t have a problem being naked in front f other men or women

 

[Richelieujuniour]

I am fine with nudity in front of pretty much anyone.

I don’t really consider myself an exhibitionist, but as a shower AND a grower, and like most guys think I am probably a lot more fantastic than I really am, but it’s funny how an average guy thinks he’s God‘s gift to women, often, but a magnificent woman will see every flaw in her body and feel complex about it…

When I was younger, I used to avoid gym because I was so much more developed in the other boys, and they would intentionally try and show me things to arouse me— even pin me up against the wall, which was no fun at all. (I’m sure there’s some here who think that would be really amusing, he didn’t feel that way at all at the time!)

That said today I’d like to feel eyes on me, men’s, as well as women’s.

I tend more offers come from men, particularly at the gym (gays, which is flattering, or bis which is.. interesting,Married men, mostly. And sometimes they invite me to have a drink with their SO, which is a damn site better than being pinned up against the wall and shown a Playboy to ‘get it angry’, I can tell you.

Still, I imagine this will happen, less and less, as they grow older, which does fill me with a bit of sadness

 

[tnhardon]

From talking with my grandparents and people from their generation, I noticed that there was nothing uncomfortable back then about sometimes being nude in front of same sex friends.

Within the last 40 years, younger people grew very shy about their nude bodies.

What’s the reason for this change? Is it body image issues? Fear that if you see a same sex friend nude you might get aroused and feel gay?

I think this is more so the case among men than women. I know lots of women who have no issue changing in front of one another or seeing each other naked. I’ve found guys are far more cautious about it.

I’d say a lot of it comes from two main places for guys: 1) being afraid of being called “gay” if you are caught looking in the direction of a naked guy or god forbid you get an erection in front of others. I think back to when I was in school how much that type of stuff gets tossed around. 2) being afraid of what others will say about your body. I know for me this was more the case. Im a grower not a shower, so there are times, especially after working out, that my dick looks really small. Erect, I’m at or above average (depending on what numbers you use), but you never want others making fun of your dick size.

I’d be far more willing to be nude in front of others now that I’m older, especially if other people are too, but when I was younger I was definitely more shy.

 

[tnhardon]

I don't know what exactly you noticed. There are plenty of people today who find nothing uncomfortable about this, just as back then.

You don't have a sample which includes people who did find it uncomfortable, or were willing to say so, back then.

There's another selection bias too, which is that even if you know people of your grandparent's generation who would rather not expose themselves to friends or strangers, you'd never know it because they were conditioned to shut up about it.

I think the OP’s point was that things like swimming naked and such were more common practice than they are today. Areas like bathroom and gyms were less set up for privacy than they are today (Think about trough urinals and communal showers). Some of the comfort around nudity might have been predicated out of necessity and cultural norms of the day, more than people’s feelings on it.

 

[Filipinawife]

Am comfortable going nude in front of the same sex

 

[vibes]

I am not sure such is the case: all those practising team sports have been naked (and taking showers) among other same sex persons in locker rooms

 

[J_Bone]

Having been an athlete growing up and all the way through college, it was an afterthought and totally normal.

 

[jehoram]

Decline in communal showers all across the Western world. There’s been research into it.

That sounds reasonable to me, although I haven't seen that research.

I read somewhere (on a nudist forum, I think) that the reason younger people don't want to be seen nude anymore is that the only nude or semi-nude people they see on the media have terrific bodies, so the younger people are afraid that they'll be teased for not having perfect bodies like that. OTOH, kids who have been raised as nudists don't have those body issues, because they've seen the gamut of body shapes from thin to stout, from short to tall, and so on.

In short, the more naked bodies you see, both of your own sex and the opposite sex, the less shy you'll be about exposing your own.

 

[Uncut1969]

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...hUKEwiMs96d0uP9AhUMIt4AHUm3DhEQMygQegUIARDAAQ

 

[Britva415]

I think the OP’s point was that things like swimming naked and such were more common practice than they are today.

In my opinion, if this is true, it's not necessarily because people are too shy to skinny-dip anymore, it's because other people make a bigger deal of it than they used to and it's a deterrent to the people who would otherwise have no problem with it.

In before "bla bla bla not backed up by data bla bla." No u