Life can be full of surprises. In the last two days there have been letters about nudity to both Miss Manners and Dear Abby. I really like the responses they gave.
Abby was asked how to respond to grandparents who object to the casual nudity of their grandchildren (a boy and girl). They find it "disturbing" that the parents would allow them to run around the house and play in the pool in the nude.
(I'm paraphrasing here.) Abby's response was to point out there is nothing wrong with this, but they may want to tell the kids to wear clothes when guests are there; to explain hosts are supposed to make their guests feel comfortable.
But, many people are nudists and raise families in the lifestyle. My opinion, of course, is promoting the normalcy of the human body is a good thing. There will always be the Jerry Fallwells and Pat Robertsons of the world who will claim it's sinful, yada, yada, yada. We, however, must work against the demonization of nudity.
The writer to Miss Manners (ya gotta love her!) said he's a single dad and must help his daughter in changing clothes when shopping; where should he go to accomplish this without causing problems?
Miss Manners replies that he should take his daughter into the men's fitting area - because men won't care, whereas the women get nervous over a man being in theirs. When available, individual fitting rooms are the best. I've seen men bring their young daughters into the men's restroom. It has never bothered me. If they are comfortable with their daughters seeing men pissing, who am I to argue? It sure gets the point across that we all must, doesn't it?
Women, on the other hand, appear to have issues with these things. The common reaction is that there is some prurient, or salient reason for the presence of men with daughters - or even other women with a young son.
Fear that the only reason they'd be in a fitting room or restroom is for sexual jollies. To me, this is where attitudes regarding the trans community begins, and perpetuated.
What is this aversion we have toward naked men?
How will we ever fix this?
6 comments:
Getting rid of religion would be a start.
Great post - so glad to hear positive, healthy attitudes being promoted. I don't know how to improve our culture's views but I think blogs like yours and with all of us discussing and promoting healthy attitudes will one day help us evolove into a more sane culture. I hope all is well with you and yours, brother. Hugs, Licks, and Strokes, AOM
Life is too short for people to be worrying over such things. I can't understand the worry over nakedness at all, men or women.
On this point, it's not something we should be ashamed of, we should be ashamed of being ashamed.
In France, there are over four hundred nudist camps. The number of customers increases by ten percent every year and they are more and more young. At the end of May, the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has inaugurated personally the first nudist beach on the banks of the Seine. She entered into the spirit of the game by appearing in birthday suit at the opening ceremony of the beach. The creation of a permanent space reserved for the naturists in the heart of Paris is planned for 2018. It is a first step. But why to confine in camps the people who practice a natural and very healthy activity. The day will come when that will be the fact that nudity was not completely free which will seem incomprehensible.
I loved the quotation by our even more loved Jean of the Barbara Streisand's advice for couples: to be kind to each other. I wondered how many men find normal, the Valentine's Day, to offer a bouquet of roses to the man whom they love. If I don't know their number, but I am sure from my own experience that they are quite wrong and should try.
Love, hugs and bisous, my darlings Jean and Pat.
Boys can typically use the ladies' room accompanied by Mom until age 4 or so.
Grown women can use the men's room and no one cares.
Geez, with all the restroom issues, we are apparently not over this mixing of the sexes. (you can't see anything in a stall). The men and women with all the "fire and fury" are unmovable in their opposition to transgenders using their restrooms. This is another slice of the USA.
We have Pat and his good readers to help change some attitudes. Very slowly though. Bisous French Patrick.
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