Fighting for Acceptance of Public Male Nakedness

What's appropriate? What's not? I've wondered, for example, to cover or not cover in a sauna where one day many men are sitting on a towel and the next the towel is around them. Do I respect the crowd rule or do what feels right? A few years ago it put me in a quandary, now I go naked out of principal.

Sorry it took me long to reply. I'm always naked in most of the saunas that I visit. To me that's the norm. Since I was a kid, my dad and I have been traveling to Europe a lot and we have been visiting lots of Saunas/Turkish baths. By default, all men were naked and that's the way it should be.
Meanwhile int he US, that's a different story! it's always a good idea to pay attention to posted rules and follow the example set by sauna regulars unless you have your own Sauna then you can make your own rules and I will be the first to join in :)

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I'm always naked in most of the saunas that I visit. To me that's the norm. Since I was a kid, my dad and I have been traveling to Europe a lot and we have been visiting lots of Saunas/Turkish baths.

I too grew up with naked saunas, it's part of my culture of origin. In Chicago the handful of non-sexual ones are mostly clothing optional and one day many are toweled the next not. It's shifted more to wrapped over the past years, except for the Korean saunas where nudity is mandatory. I used to be respective of others and follow their lead, but now I just go proud and naked when it's allowed. I mostly go to the Korean spa where it's not an issue,

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In the US, along with other countries, we are likely to experience negative judgements against public male nakedness. I use the words "public" and "nakedness" loosely as men exposing their skin in the presence others they do not already know. It can be taking off your shirt in the park on a hot summer day or shaving naked at the sink of your gym's locker room. What's appropriate? What's not?

Shaving at the gym is a blood-born pathogen risk and I HATE it when guys do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Shaving at the gym is a blood-born pathogen risk and I HATE it when guys do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So somewhere in between the range of millennials doing a towel dance, ashamed of their butt cheeks, and fat old hairy guys with one foot lobbed into the sink while they cut thier toenails, is a range of appropriate.

How do we be naked as a man among other naked, adult responsible men? How do we honor that we each have an exposed penis which has traded places with our clothes that are locked up instead? Or that we're reminded of each man having a unique sexual profile worth celebrating perhaps but in another time and space? How do we old guys be naked like we grew up without scaring or permanenly emotionally scarring younger men? What's appropriate?

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Shaving at the gym is a blood-born pathogen risk and I HATE it when guys do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!So somewhere in between the range of millennials doing a towel dance, ashamed of their butt cheeks, and fat old hairy guys with one foot lobbed into the sink while they cut thier toenails, is a range of appropriate.How do we be naked as a man among other naked, adult responsible men? How do we honor that we each have an exposed penis which has traded places with our clothes that are locked up instead? Or that we're reminded of each man having a unique sexual profile worth celebrating perhaps but in another time and space? How do we old guys be naked like we grew up without scaring or permanenly emotionally scarring younger men? What's appropriate?

You cannot place the burden of your body traumatizing others in spaces where nudity is normal. If the person is that poorly socialized and has had zero guidance or support and is self conscious to this point then expectations of ease in such settings are ridiculous. Therapy isn't your job. I spent years hiding hating doubting myself. I am proud to be nude and have no concerns being seen nude. My body is beautiful as are all bodies and I claim my space to be with full confidence and the knowledge I deserve it

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In the US, along with other countries, we are likely to experience negative judgements against public male nakedness. I use the words "public" and "nakedness" loosely as men exposing their skin in the presence others they do not already know. It can be taking off your shirt in the park on a hot summer day or shaving naked at the sink of your gym's locker room. What's appropriate? What's not? I've wondered, for example, to cover or not cover in a sauna where one day many men are sitting on a towel and the next the towel is around them. Do I respect the crowd rule or do what feels right? A few years ago it put me in a quandary, now I go naked out of principal.

I'm beginning to see this trend of shaming men for being naked - even shirtless - is a subtle and passive-aggressive way of trying to control us.
There is a trend to shame men to stay shirted in public and "appropriately modest and covered" even in a locker room. Some blame it on feminism, homophobia and overbearing soccer moms. I find all this hypocritical since a different standard applies with women. Overweight - obese millennial woman seem to have the unquestionable right to parade around expensive retail areas in short shorts and exposed midriffs, and any comments expressing anything but "go girl" are likely considered sexist.

Perhaps the issue is that men have rights and feelings too, and we need to also claim that we are beautiful and glorious with or without textiles in the equation. We can take a page from the feminist handbook and say we feel disrespected and we can call out micro-aggression tactics for us to have our bodies controlled by others. I understand that as a white, straight and middle aged man, I am on top of the food chain in terms of privilege and perhaps I've faced the least discrimination in my life. Can I really say, compared to those that have to fight sexism, rasism and homophobia that I really know what prejudice is? But does that make it right to publicly shame me? Or can I speak out without sounding like a hypocrite that everyone, even including "the man" needs to stand up against body and fat shaming?

I welcome your feedback![/quot

I find most women and men accept me nude if I am open free and disarming with humor. I've been able to be the only nude man in tens of thousands of people. More smiles than scowls. Lots of photos. Straight men in particular asking questions me just saying drop em. Two did. They had a blast. Both straight. Asked me later why some gay guys seemed upset. Said outdone and jealous that str8 men are nude...they asked how anyone knew...shoes hair farmer tans...lol. so I said hold hands and really mess em up. They giggled clasped hands and skipped off down the street yelling happy pride. That was awesome.

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What's appropriate? What's not? I've wondered, for example, to cover or not cover in a sauna where one day many men are sitting on a towel and the next the towel is around them. Do I respect the crowd rule or do what feels right? A few years ago it put me in a quandary, now I go naked out of principal.Sorry it took me long to reply. I'm always naked in most of the saunas that I visit. To me that's the norm. Since I was a kid, my dad and I have been traveling to Europe a lot and we have been visiting lots of Saunas/Turkish baths. By default, all men were naked and that's the way it should be.Meanwhile int he US, that's a different story! it's always a good idea to pay attention to posted rules and follow the example set by sauna regulars unless you have your own Sauna then you can make your own rules and I will be the first to join in :)

Always nude my towel is outside. I will not be otherwise. Only exceptions are semi or public and mixed gender. But I avoid those anyway because male nude is my enjoyment of the sauna.

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Always nude my towel is outside. I will not be otherwise. Only exceptions are semi or public and mixed gender. But I avoid those anyway because male nude is my enjoyment of the sauna.
A healthy attitude which I've evolved to as well. I understand that some have had trauma and need therapy, but as you say it's not my job - except perhaps to do my own nude therapy.

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Acceptance starts with yourself. I have always been accepting of other people being naked. I grew up in a house where nudity was fine, for other people. Live and let live. I was just never accepting of myself, naked or otherwise.

I also grew up at a time when you are taught to be ashamed and embarrassed of your own body if you didn't fit the image society had created, and honestly, I didn't fit that acceptable body image.

I wonder if there might have been a bit of "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence", with my desire to be naked. I had an impression that naked people were healthier, fitter, sexier, happier, and lived a fun embracing life with no body image issues. When you grow up with major body image issues, a naked lifestyle is like the holy grail, something to strive for, but not attain.

My fight for public male nakedness had to start with me. A fortuitous accident had me at staying at a gay resort (Turtle Cove) while they had a nudist week, and the resort had many naked gay men walking around letting everything hang out. I stayed dressed, out of their way. I was curious, intrigued, slightly aroused as you might expect. I just couldn't find the courage to strip of and join them out in the open. I could in the spa. The water and bubbles provided a physical and mental crutch for me.

The biggest impact for me were the different body types of the men. The were young men with fit sexy bodies, that made me think OMG, and then remember I never had a body like that, and I never will, and that is another psychological issue for a different topic thread, but there were other men whose bodies were like mine, and those men were happy being naked in front of others.

Anyway, it has taken a few years, lots of baseless fear, and a huge amount of courage on my part, but I have finally found some acceptance within myself to be seen naked by other men, regardless of what body type they have or how they fit a societies image.

I just spent a good portion of 3 days being totally naked at another men's only resort surrounded by other naked men with incredibly diverse bodies, and the majority of those men were very polite, friendly and accepting of everyone.

If we can't accept our own public nakedness, we can't fight for others.

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