American's can be a bit prudish. In many ways, our culture is uninhibited and pushes boundaries. But when it comes to nudity we tend to be much more conservative. I'm not talking about nudity on TV or the movies, but the act of being naked around other people. In theory, we don't have an issue with nakedness... as long as it's in designated areas, and the people who are naked are attractive, and no kids are around, and no one is breastfeeding. In fact, it's probably best that you take your naked body and cover it up so you don't offend someone.
In the US, men and women have separate saunas. Nude beaches have a bit of a stigma. People can be extremely judgemental of nudity in general.
Europeans? Pretty damn comfortable in their own skins.
Remember last year and the naked guy going for a run down the beach in The Hague? No one batted an eye. Well, Ev and I went 'what the hell', but no one else seemed to think it was odd. Every beach we've been to in Europe has had at least one woman without her bikini top, enjoying the sun and avoiding tan lines.
I like to think I'm pretty confident and comfortable with my body. But to be perfectly honest, the idea of being naked around other people intimidates me. I'm self-conscious and secretly afraid of being judged for all my scars, tattoos, and jiggly bits. In other words, I have a fairly typical American body image problem.
In Greece, Ev and I went to our first nude beach. There weren't many people there, but it was quite a hike out and fairly early in the day. By the time we left mid-afternoon, the number of people had almost doubled. But I digress. Everyone at the beach was solidly adult (my guess ranges between 35 and 60) and completely unashamed of their bodies. No one was model-thin or super ripped (I think Ev and I had the most athletic bodies there), and no one cared. We were there to enjoy the beach and swim and let it all hang out. There was no gawking, no awkwardness, no judgement (at least that was conveyed), and no chafing of any kind. And it was liberating.
On a side note, swimming nude in the ocean is bloody amazing and I never want to do it with a swimsuit again.
We've recently been to a couple saunas with a friend, and it has been extremely different than what you would see in the States. For starters, one day a week there is a swimsuit day. The rest of the time, clothes are a no no. Bring a towel and/or bathrobe so you can get a coffee and cake in between saunas, but the rest of the time everyone is naked. Oh, and everything is co-ed. And I mean everything - changing rooms, toilets, showers, saunas and pools... after all, they're just bodies of all shapes and sizes. It's not like you haven't seen a member of the opposite sex without their clothes before (I hope).
And, once again, everyone is totally comfortable with the public nudity. It probably helps that everyone else is naked, too.
My point is simply this: there's nothing wrong with nudity. It's comfortable. It's (as cliche as it sounds) natural. And dear god, it's freeing.
It's possible I like it so much because I hate wearing pants. Pants suck. And bikinis are expensive.
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