Too prude to go nude

Yesterday afternoon saw Hedda, Titus and I enjoy a couple of hours at the local alpine swimming pool complex. For a hefty 15 euros you get to slide, sit in a bubbling tub, swim inside and out (with a superb view of the Kochelsee*) and there's even an infra-red sun lounge, with a green baize floor. If you lie down and shut your eyes, you can almost delude yourself into thinking that you are on a warm beach somewhere (the operative word being 'almost'). Anyway, afterwards of course you need to shower. It was then I was reminded of what a complete prude I am. To me it is an alien concept that mothers, teenage daughters and small children all shower together, naked, completely unabashed and unselfconscious. I hadn't realised I had brought my children up to be prudish too - Hedda felt most uncomfortable in the midst of these people and kept her swimsuit resolutely on. But what is wrong with nudity - why does it disturb me so? It is the human body in its most natural state, and let's face it, most people do not look their best without clothes, so there is no need to worry about one's own appearance.

I want to salute people who are happy to go nude, but there's a small voice inside me that says there are voyeurs everywhere, and isn't this just more fodder for them? Some years ago, I was persuaded by a female friend to attend a mixed sauna. For prudish, uptight, British me, this was a veritable baptism of fire. Swimsuits were banned - you could wrap yourself in a towel if you wanted, but most people didn't. In the sauna itself, you could more or less keep yourself to yourself - the problem came afterwards, when you had to plunge into an ice-cold pool. I - who balked at this most of the time - will never forget the sight of my nubile, naked friend jumping up and down in the freezing water, watched by a group of elderly men, whose eyes - I swear it - were gleaming with excitement. After all, they're only human!

In the end, I suppose it is better to be happy naked. It is how we are born, and we are all much the same, apart from the obvious gender differences. I don't know when I stopped walking around without any clothes on at home, but I think it happened our first au pair moved in. And now I find myself unable to shake off this prudishness. It is very much a matter of cultural background, and I like the fact that Germans are more comfortable being nude. As long as they don't expect me to join in. And luckily we have a sauna at home now, so the only nudity I'm likely to encounter is that of my husband, thank goodness!