Europeans really have a very different attitude towards nakedness than Americans do. I first noticed this at the gym. I’ve been a gym rat for many years and have never experienced the level of nakedness anywhere else than I have at the local gym I use here in Warsaw. Most European women think nothing of carrying on a conversation with you whilst standing totally nude or just walking around the whole locker room totally nude. You can tell us American girls right away. We’re the ones trying to change our clothes after a shower while still covered by the towel. Have you ever tried holding the towel up and putting your underwear on with out anyone catching a glimpse of your goods? It’s not easy but we can do it and usually the injury from the inevitable fall is minimal. European girls make their lives much simpler by just dropping the towel and dressing. I have to admit I envy the absence of self-consciousness. However, I’ve been treated to more than one of Babcia’s backsides in the air while she takes off her swimsuit. I could see all the way up to her middle name, if you know what I mean. Not something you really want an eye full of just before lunch.
What I’ve found really interesting though is the wearing of bras out in public. I'll give you a couple of examples. A friend and I were driving along side of a field on the outskirts of the city and there were about half a dozen older women working in the field wearing their shorts and only bras. It was a funny seen and we had a good chuckle. If only I’d had a camera ready. Then, a few weeks ago, my family and I were playing tennis. There was another family on the court next to us. It was a Mom, Dad, and two boys about 11 & 13 maybe. It was hot. Abnormally hot for early June in Warsaw, maybe 85 degrees. So the Mom rolled up her shirt to expose her belly. No big deal, right? About 5 minutes later she just took her shirt right off and proceeded to play tennis with her family in her capri pants and bra. They weren’t “tennis” people so they probably don’t know tennis etiquette usually calls for something a little different not to mention being in public normally does too. And finally, a friend told me a story of walking along a bike path and two women coming towards her looked as though they were wearing bikini tops. Once they got up close it was actually cross your heart stlye plain white bras. I know bikini tops actually reveal much more than a bra but I still find it odd. It is called UNDERwear. Funny how in the U.S. someone could be sited for indecent exposure for wearing just her bra in public but she can walk around in a bikini top and daisy dukes and that’s okay…….hummm. What’s wrong with that picture?
Maybe we Americans are really the odd ducks. Most American girls are willing to talk about anything and everything when we’re all together. I am often shocked by the level of openness women share in conversation even upon a first meeting. But see each other naked, The Horror, The Horror! We were raised in the age of “Barbie” and Playboy bunnies so of course we have body image issues. We all think we’re supposed to fit an image of perfection that continues to morph over time. I think the damage to our collective psyche is the true horror. I have a friend who is a personal trainer and, of course, very fit and beautiful to boot. She writes a fitness blog and speaks openly about struggling with her own body image right along with the rest of us. We shouldn’t treat ourselves so harshly but that’s easier said than done isn’t it?
I’ve heard so many American women complain about their hips or thighs or that little bump on their bellies that showed up after having kids. I go up and down in sizes at times and am always working to get to myself to that dream body I never seem to obtain. That is a lot of pressure to carry around on a daily basis. We are not Barbies. We are women with real bodies and real curves. There has been much debate over the years as to what Barbie would look like if she were actually human. For the most part her proportions are unattainable at best, unhealthy at worst and she might be over 7 feet tall. That is ideal? And the amount of money spent on plastic surgery and anti aging skin treatments in the U.S. is another horror. Ladies just take care of yourselves; mind, body and soul. I think we need to quit trying to stop aging but age gracefully instead. A woman who has taken good care of her health, her skin, and her heart is much more beautiful than the fat lipped frozen faces of the botox generation. And yes we can tell you've had work done.
Maybe we could all just meet in the middle somewhere. We American girls can thumb our noses at Barbie in appreciation of what our bodies can do. We will promise to stop obsessing about being seen naked if the European ladies can promise to just stop going bottoms up before lunch. We’ll just call it a draw on that whole bra thing.
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