10 ms·

A German Idea of Freedom: Nude Ping-Pong, Nude Sledding, Nude Anything

109 points by tysone 7y ago

deehouie 7y ago
Why is this only a German thing. There're nude beaches everywhere. Basic idea of freedom is to be free from the conventional norm.
- pizza234 7y ago
  > Why is this only a German thing. I'd say that German is the sense of comfort towards nudity. > There're nude beaches everywhere. Well, islamic countries are very unlikely to have them. When it comes to European countries, there are, however, some religions (ie. catholicism) are generally more conservative, and in countries with such beliefs, nudism/nudity is considered sort of "hippy", or strange in general. Something I found really amusing is that in saunas in the north of Europe, "for hygienic reasons", people is invited to be naked. In the south, "for hygienic reasons", people is invited to keep clothes on.
  - dahart 7y ago
    There are certainly plenty of nude beaches and nude ranches in the U.S., but Germany certainly might be more accepting of nudity in public. In Iceland, people are invited to shower in the nude with soap before getting in the sauna or hot tub "for hygienic reasons". Personally I like that one better than naked or clothed for hygiene.
    - pen2l 7y ago
      Isn't that everywhere? I mean, if you go to a gym, don't you shower in the nude after your workout with plenty of nude people? That's every gym, in America, Germany, or wherever
      - dahart 7y ago
        I’d say yes, it is. Gyms where I live are a tad less public though, and not everyone at the gym showers at the gym. The showering before swimming in Iceland is something everyone there does, and for Americans it is a bit different than what we’re used to at a public swimming pool, hot tub, or sauna.
  - robocat 7y ago
    > catholicism ... nudism/nudity is considered sort of "hippy" Nudity isn't an issue in Spain, Portugal or France from what I have seen. I am unsure where you get your categorisation from!
    - harperlee 7y ago
      Spaniard here, it is a mix and match. There are plenty of nude beaches but also people that frown upon topless. In my experience people tend to separate themselves in more secluded parts of beaches for topless, away from kids (if only to avoid some more conservative people complaints); and for nudity (which is definitively looked at as being extravagant / “hippie” as said above), if there are sand dunes and some bushes, people generally go there. But I’d say people argue way more about having dogs in beaches than about nudity.
    - jobigoud 7y ago
      It's considered sort of hippy but it's not an issue.
  - belorn 7y ago
    Hygiene is a common excuse to enforce clothing culture. It is very similar to ban against burqa, and when France banned full-body swimwear it also cited hygienic reasons. Here in Sweden you actually have a easier time finding a work place that accept burqa compared to a work place that accept people being barefoot. I find that to be a bit odd but then clothing is 99% cultural and has very little to do with logic.
    - beatgammit 7y ago
      How is a full body swimsuit less hygienic than any other piece of swimwear? When looking it up, it looks like the actual claim is a mix of hygiene (not specified) and "upholding secular values", so it's absolutely an attack on displaying religious affiliation in public. Does that mean they also ban crosses, kippahs, and Dastars, or will they continue to target a specific religious group? They seem to somehow relate terrorism with everyone who follows Islam, but that's like banning crosses because some predominantly Christian group commits an act of terrorism (white nationalists are often Christian).
- ben_w 7y ago
  According to the DDR museum here in Berlin, the popularity of nudism in east Germany was a reaction against the restrictions of the DDR government.
chupa-chups 7y ago
This is like saying all Americans love McDonalds :) (I'm German) If this was voted up for fun I'm on it, if it was voted up because someone thinks it is true count me out :)
- rolltiide 7y ago
  from the article > A lot of Germans don’t get naked in public, but nudists are ubiquitous enough that the practice has entered the national psyche.
  - chupa-chups 7y ago
    Nope, not true (south Germany) This is assumed to be true in previous east Germany. I cannot confirm or deny how real this assumption is ;-)
    - Maledictus 7y ago
      On sunny days there are naked folks in Englischer Garten, Munich.
      - laingc 7y ago
        Yep. Riding to work, I often got an unexpected and unwelcome eyeful.
        widowlark 7y ago
        boo hoo
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
- Dude2029 7y ago
  So based on your analogy you are saying that it's true for most of German population? Good to know!
postit 7y ago
You only break into the culture if you get into FKK and our nonsense passion for David Hasselhoff.
- chupa-chups 7y ago
  David Hasselhoff caused the unification of Germany, so everyone loves him :D Sorry if this is offensive to some folks, but the folklore here is that David thinks he caused the reunification while everyone over here (that I know of) thinks he is a freak :) Since this caused around -10 points until now I guess I offended somehow :) What I said is true for anyone I know, so I guess there's something I don't understand regarding the perception of "The Hoff", so please inform me :)
  - wolfgke 7y ago
    > David Hasselhoff caused the unification of Germany, so everyone loves him :D > Sorry if this is offensive to some folks, but the folklore here is that David thinks he caused the reunification while everyone over here (that I know of) thinks he is a freak :) No, what causes the unification of Germany was not David Hasselhoff's song Looking for Freedom, but Scorpions [1] with their song Wind Of Change [2], [3] (yes, I am aware this song is actually from 1991 - let us ignore this historical correctness, just as we do for David Hasselhoff). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scorpions_(band)&oldid=913876894 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scorpions_(band)&... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wind_of_Change_(Scorpions_song)&oldid=910164065 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wind_of_Change_(S... [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4RjJKxsamQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4RjJKxsamQ
- matwood 7y ago
  Don't hassle the Hoff. Plus, he had a talking car before voice assistants which is just cool.
- dasKrokodil 7y ago
  He is apparently on tour again this year, is anyone going? http://davidhasselhoffonline.com http://davidhasselhoffonline.com
throwaway666666 7y ago
Nudity is haram.
RandomBacon 7y ago
For any Americans interested, I suggest reading up on the American Association for Nude Recreation https://www.aanr.com https://www.aanr.com They have a bunch of affiliated clubs and resorts around the US. They all have strict rules against anything inappropriate in public. Sometimes it's nice to go out in nature without a barrier between you and the wind, rustling leaves, chirping birds, etc. All of the ones I've been to have WiFi in case you still need to get work done.
daenz 7y ago
Anecdotally, if you have body-image issues, spending some time nude around others (like at a nude beach) can actually help alleviate them. Seeing other peoples asymmetrical, weird and quirky bodies makes you realize that it's the norm.
- smacktoward 7y ago
  Going to a gym with a shared locker room or communal showers can have this effect, too. Even at a place like a gym, you will find very, very few people who are perfectly "cut." And while we all tend to obsess over the ways in which our bodies are weird, it can be liberating to realize that everyone else's body is weird too.
- mc32 7y ago
  Yeah but then it’s possible to start imagining people as domesticated deer. In other words like sedentary house deer. Except non ruminant deer.
- Ididntdothis 7y ago
  Most nudists are not that perfectly built so you probably get a pretty realistic impression how people really look. My body image got shattered on a beach in Santa Barbara... No nude people but everybody almost perfect.
  - scarejunba 7y ago
    Equinox is the same for me. Very motivating since everyone looks good.
- aasasd 7y ago
  Dunno, I'm pretty non-puritan and got desensitized to nudity of all shapes just from the web, but the lesson was that I shouldn't assault people's gaze with my pitiful physique.
newsreview1 7y ago
Just an FYI, the German word for naked is "nackt", not to be confused with "nacht", which means night. Which might not seem important, unless you, like my sister in law, accidentally signed up for a "nackt wandelen" or "naked hike", as opposed to a "night hike" at her daughter's university (Freie Universität Berlin) when she went to visit her last year. Fortunately her daughter saw the mistake long before they attempted to attend. I can only imagine the scene had she not discovered the mistake before showing up!!! :)
- deehouie 7y ago
  Perhaps she would have enjoyed that more...
- b2ccb2 7y ago
  FYI, it's "Nacht/Nackt Wandern". No such thing as wandelen (Apparently Dutch, as noted below). German OCD kicking in, please ignore ;-)
  - b2ccb2 7y ago
    Also of note, English speakers really have trouble pronouncing either correctly (They get conflated, really. As in, pronouncing ck/ch). Hence the confusion. (Anecdotally, I have lived for years(4) in the States.)
  - emmelaich 7y ago
    No such thing in German; wandelen is Dutch.
    - pvorb 7y ago
      Well, German actually has the similar word "wandeln", which means something like "to stroll" and is often used in phrases like "unter den Toten wandeln", which can be translated as "to walk among the dead". So this is quite similar to the Dutch "wandelen" but used in different situations.
      - deleted 7y ago
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
MNreader 7y ago
I get the idea that once you've accepted nudity then it would follow that you can do anything at all nude. But nude sledding sounds miserable and cold. Is this a translation issue or does someone actually think laying down naked in the snow on a toboggan and riding through winter's bounty is fun? Germans can be odd, but this sounds dumb.
- tdb7893 7y ago
  As a American Midwesterner I have gone out with friends in shorts in the snow before and I know a lot of people who have done a polar plunge (i.e. jumped into a somewhat frozen lake). The fact that it's kinda dumb is also what makes it extra exciting.
- wolfgke 7y ago
  > Is this a translation issue or does someone actually think laying down naked in the snow on a toboggan and riding through winter's bounty is fun? I know Germans who indeed find this very funny. But afterwards, better put on warm clothes or even better go into a sauna. So it is clearly not a translation issue.
- ThePadawan 7y ago
  To be fair, German sleds usually look like this [0], so you are not lying down on the snow (unless you fall off), but sitting upright and quite far off the ground. [0] https://www.pinolino.de/produkte/spielwaren/outdoor/schlitten/davos-schlitten/ https://www.pinolino.de/produkte/spielwaren/outdoor/schlitte...
dahart 7y ago
The photos are so well done! I bet it took a lot of pictures to end up with such a good safe-for-work set including some action photos.
temptemptemp111 7y ago
Not really... The Nazis burned porn, not books... Germans have been subverted into giving away their own country, being taxed excessively and drained by the EU. And you can go to jail for criticizing the rootless group who has perpetrated these things. The idea that exposing your body is "freedom" is inversion. HN is controlled by the same types of people who think "progress" is the opposite of progress.
stagas 7y ago
I also particularly enjoy the "Germanic Stare Down"[0] culture; being free to look at anyone and in the eyes without that being considered hostile is something I consider healthy as well. Compared to other places where lack of eye contact can make you feel isolated and alone, a pair of eyes and a smile in the street can bring a sense of belonging. [0]: https://www.spiegel.de/international/the-germanic-stare-down-watcha-lookin-at-granny-a-418068.html https://www.spiegel.de/international/the-germanic-stare-down...
- vinay427 7y ago
  The friendliness of a pair of eyes depends quite a bit on the context. This culture seems quite potent in (German-speaking) Switzerland as well, but at least as a visible minority I seem to experience far more less-than-kind stares that wouldn't be acceptable in the US or the UK, for instance. Giving people license to stare can certainly make others feel like they don't belong when it's indiscriminately applied.
  - stagas 7y ago
    I'm visibly not German as well, so I understand what you are saying. Though, I believe it is better than non-looking cultures, because now that they are looking I have the chance to portray the image of who I am, which is a non-hostile, open and warm person that I believe to be, and most of the time this non-verbal communication is picked up by the person staring and I get an attitude shift that corresponds to my attitude. If you immediately feel threatened by the stare, that will be displayed on you, and that will make others look at you even more cautiously. It is not the staring the problem, it is the solution. It is a body language and it can be used collectively for acknowledging who is fit and who is not for the community and also a non-violent ostracization when that one feels so uncomfortable that flees. In a non-staring culture, people never get a chance to read you, they simply glimpse and then immediately make a judgement based on their own presuppositions and then treat you as such. Not in Germany, they will stare until they understand.
  - itronitron 7y ago
    They are probably trying to figure out where you are from. As an American with Norman and Germanic ancestry I get stared at periodically when shopping, and I think they are trying to figure out what is off about me. I definitely do not perceive it as friendly or welcoming in any way. What is unique about the Germanic stare down is there is no effort made on the part of the starer to avert their gaze or even acknowledge that they are staring. Walking towards the starer usually encourages them to turn away.
algaeontoast 7y ago
The fat-positivity lunatics are going to have a field day with this one... "People who stay in shape and look good naked have 'fitness privilege' and 'naked privilege' the privilege of being able to look acceptable naked because they are able and willing to exercise and be healthy - this is oppressive and not fair" - lunatic without perspective or common sense
denzil_correa 7y ago
Freikörperkultur https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freik%C3%B6rperkultur https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freik%C3%B6rperkultur
smnplk 7y ago
I really hated going to nude camps with my parents during the summer. I think that was a form of child abuse. For me, freedom is being naked alone in the wilderness where there is no one around, not in some crowded area with other naked people.
m_mueller 7y ago
What caught me in this article is that it puts naked children in the pool in the same corner as nudist adults. The former is very common outside the English speaking world in general while the latter is rather a Germanic thing. Personally I find places that don't allow nudity for small children quite strange - it's basically sexualizing them way too early.
hwj 7y ago
s/German/Berlin/ has probably more truth in it.

109 points by tysone 7y ago

Why is this only a German thing. There're nude beaches everywhere. Basic idea of freedom is to be free from the conventional norm.

pizza234 7y ago
> Why is this only a German thing. I'd say that German is the sense of comfort towards nudity. > There're nude beaches everywhere. Well, islamic countries are very unlikely to have them. When it comes to European countries, there are, however, some religions (ie. catholicism) are generally more conservative, and in countries with such beliefs, nudism/nudity is considered sort of "hippy", or strange in general. Something I found really amusing is that in saunas in the north of Europe, "for hygienic reasons", people is invited to be naked. In the south, "for hygienic reasons", people is invited to keep clothes on.
- dahart 7y ago
  There are certainly plenty of nude beaches and nude ranches in the U.S., but Germany certainly might be more accepting of nudity in public. In Iceland, people are invited to shower in the nude with soap before getting in the sauna or hot tub "for hygienic reasons". Personally I like that one better than naked or clothed for hygiene.
  - pen2l 7y ago
    Isn't that everywhere? I mean, if you go to a gym, don't you shower in the nude after your workout with plenty of nude people? That's every gym, in America, Germany, or wherever
    - dahart 7y ago
      I’d say yes, it is. Gyms where I live are a tad less public though, and not everyone at the gym showers at the gym. The showering before swimming in Iceland is something everyone there does, and for Americans it is a bit different than what we’re used to at a public swimming pool, hot tub, or sauna.
- robocat 7y ago
  > catholicism ... nudism/nudity is considered sort of "hippy" Nudity isn't an issue in Spain, Portugal or France from what I have seen. I am unsure where you get your categorisation from!
  - harperlee 7y ago
    Spaniard here, it is a mix and match. There are plenty of nude beaches but also people that frown upon topless. In my experience people tend to separate themselves in more secluded parts of beaches for topless, away from kids (if only to avoid some more conservative people complaints); and for nudity (which is definitively looked at as being extravagant / “hippie” as said above), if there are sand dunes and some bushes, people generally go there. But I’d say people argue way more about having dogs in beaches than about nudity.
  - jobigoud 7y ago
    It's considered sort of hippy but it's not an issue.
- belorn 7y ago
  Hygiene is a common excuse to enforce clothing culture. It is very similar to ban against burqa, and when France banned full-body swimwear it also cited hygienic reasons. Here in Sweden you actually have a easier time finding a work place that accept burqa compared to a work place that accept people being barefoot. I find that to be a bit odd but then clothing is 99% cultural and has very little to do with logic.
  - beatgammit 7y ago
    How is a full body swimsuit less hygienic than any other piece of swimwear? When looking it up, it looks like the actual claim is a mix of hygiene (not specified) and "upholding secular values", so it's absolutely an attack on displaying religious affiliation in public. Does that mean they also ban crosses, kippahs, and Dastars, or will they continue to target a specific religious group? They seem to somehow relate terrorism with everyone who follows Islam, but that's like banning crosses because some predominantly Christian group commits an act of terrorism (white nationalists are often Christian).
ben_w 7y ago
According to the DDR museum here in Berlin, the popularity of nudism in east Germany was a reaction against the restrictions of the DDR government.

chupa-chups 7y ago

This is like saying all Americans love McDonalds :) (I'm German) If this was voted up for fun I'm on it, if it was voted up because someone thinks it is true count me out :)

rolltiide 7y ago
from the article > A lot of Germans don’t get naked in public, but nudists are ubiquitous enough that the practice has entered the national psyche.
- chupa-chups 7y ago
  Nope, not true (south Germany) This is assumed to be true in previous east Germany. I cannot confirm or deny how real this assumption is ;-)
  - Maledictus 7y ago
    On sunny days there are naked folks in Englischer Garten, Munich.
    - laingc 7y ago
      Yep. Riding to work, I often got an unexpected and unwelcome eyeful.
      - widowlark 7y ago
        boo hoo
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
Dude2029 7y ago
So based on your analogy you are saying that it's true for most of German population? Good to know!

postit 7y ago

You only break into the culture if you get into FKK and our nonsense passion for David Hasselhoff.

chupa-chups 7y ago
David Hasselhoff caused the unification of Germany, so everyone loves him :D Sorry if this is offensive to some folks, but the folklore here is that David thinks he caused the reunification while everyone over here (that I know of) thinks he is a freak :) Since this caused around -10 points until now I guess I offended somehow :) What I said is true for anyone I know, so I guess there's something I don't understand regarding the perception of "The Hoff", so please inform me :)
- wolfgke 7y ago
  > David Hasselhoff caused the unification of Germany, so everyone loves him :D > Sorry if this is offensive to some folks, but the folklore here is that David thinks he caused the reunification while everyone over here (that I know of) thinks he is a freak :) No, what causes the unification of Germany was not David Hasselhoff's song Looking for Freedom, but Scorpions [1] with their song Wind Of Change [2], [3] (yes, I am aware this song is actually from 1991 - let us ignore this historical correctness, just as we do for David Hasselhoff). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scorpions_(band)&oldid=913876894 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scorpions_(band)&... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wind_of_Change_(Scorpions_song)&oldid=910164065 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wind_of_Change_(S... [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4RjJKxsamQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4RjJKxsamQ
matwood 7y ago
Don't hassle the Hoff. Plus, he had a talking car before voice assistants which is just cool.
dasKrokodil 7y ago
He is apparently on tour again this year, is anyone going? http://davidhasselhoffonline.com http://davidhasselhoffonline.com

throwaway666666 7y ago

Nudity is haram.

RandomBacon 7y ago

For any Americans interested, I suggest reading up on the American Association for Nude Recreation https://www.aanr.com https://www.aanr.com They have a bunch of affiliated clubs and resorts around the US. They all have strict rules against anything inappropriate in public. Sometimes it's nice to go out in nature without a barrier between you and the wind, rustling leaves, chirping birds, etc. All of the ones I've been to have WiFi in case you still need to get work done.

daenz 7y ago

Anecdotally, if you have body-image issues, spending some time nude around others (like at a nude beach) can actually help alleviate them. Seeing other peoples asymmetrical, weird and quirky bodies makes you realize that it's the norm.

smacktoward 7y ago
Going to a gym with a shared locker room or communal showers can have this effect, too. Even at a place like a gym, you will find very, very few people who are perfectly "cut." And while we all tend to obsess over the ways in which our bodies are weird, it can be liberating to realize that everyone else's body is weird too.
mc32 7y ago
Yeah but then it’s possible to start imagining people as domesticated deer. In other words like sedentary house deer. Except non ruminant deer.
Ididntdothis 7y ago
Most nudists are not that perfectly built so you probably get a pretty realistic impression how people really look. My body image got shattered on a beach in Santa Barbara... No nude people but everybody almost perfect.
- scarejunba 7y ago
  Equinox is the same for me. Very motivating since everyone looks good.
aasasd 7y ago
Dunno, I'm pretty non-puritan and got desensitized to nudity of all shapes just from the web, but the lesson was that I shouldn't assault people's gaze with my pitiful physique.

newsreview1 7y ago

Just an FYI, the German word for naked is "nackt", not to be confused with "nacht", which means night. Which might not seem important, unless you, like my sister in law, accidentally signed up for a "nackt wandelen" or "naked hike", as opposed to a "night hike" at her daughter's university (Freie Universität Berlin) when she went to visit her last year. Fortunately her daughter saw the mistake long before they attempted to attend. I can only imagine the scene had she not discovered the mistake before showing up!!! :)

deehouie 7y ago
Perhaps she would have enjoyed that more...
b2ccb2 7y ago
FYI, it's "Nacht/Nackt Wandern". No such thing as wandelen (Apparently Dutch, as noted below). German OCD kicking in, please ignore ;-)
- b2ccb2 7y ago
  Also of note, English speakers really have trouble pronouncing either correctly (They get conflated, really. As in, pronouncing ck/ch). Hence the confusion. (Anecdotally, I have lived for years(4) in the States.)
- emmelaich 7y ago
  No such thing in German; wandelen is Dutch.
  - pvorb 7y ago
    Well, German actually has the similar word "wandeln", which means something like "to stroll" and is often used in phrases like "unter den Toten wandeln", which can be translated as "to walk among the dead". So this is quite similar to the Dutch "wandelen" but used in different situations.
    - deleted 7y ago

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

MNreader 7y ago

I get the idea that once you've accepted nudity then it would follow that you can do anything at all nude. But nude sledding sounds miserable and cold. Is this a translation issue or does someone actually think laying down naked in the snow on a toboggan and riding through winter's bounty is fun? Germans can be odd, but this sounds dumb.

tdb7893 7y ago
As a American Midwesterner I have gone out with friends in shorts in the snow before and I know a lot of people who have done a polar plunge (i.e. jumped into a somewhat frozen lake). The fact that it's kinda dumb is also what makes it extra exciting.
wolfgke 7y ago
> Is this a translation issue or does someone actually think laying down naked in the snow on a toboggan and riding through winter's bounty is fun? I know Germans who indeed find this very funny. But afterwards, better put on warm clothes or even better go into a sauna. So it is clearly not a translation issue.
ThePadawan 7y ago
To be fair, German sleds usually look like this [0], so you are not lying down on the snow (unless you fall off), but sitting upright and quite far off the ground. [0] https://www.pinolino.de/produkte/spielwaren/outdoor/schlitten/davos-schlitten/ https://www.pinolino.de/produkte/spielwaren/outdoor/schlitte...

dahart 7y ago

The photos are so well done! I bet it took a lot of pictures to end up with such a good safe-for-work set including some action photos.

temptemptemp111 7y ago

Not really... The Nazis burned porn, not books... Germans have been subverted into giving away their own country, being taxed excessively and drained by the EU. And you can go to jail for criticizing the rootless group who has perpetrated these things. The idea that exposing your body is "freedom" is inversion. HN is controlled by the same types of people who think "progress" is the opposite of progress.

stagas 7y ago

I also particularly enjoy the "Germanic Stare Down"[0] culture; being free to look at anyone and in the eyes without that being considered hostile is something I consider healthy as well. Compared to other places where lack of eye contact can make you feel isolated and alone, a pair of eyes and a smile in the street can bring a sense of belonging. [0]: https://www.spiegel.de/international/the-germanic-stare-down-watcha-lookin-at-granny-a-418068.html https://www.spiegel.de/international/the-germanic-stare-down...

vinay427 7y ago
The friendliness of a pair of eyes depends quite a bit on the context. This culture seems quite potent in (German-speaking) Switzerland as well, but at least as a visible minority I seem to experience far more less-than-kind stares that wouldn't be acceptable in the US or the UK, for instance. Giving people license to stare can certainly make others feel like they don't belong when it's indiscriminately applied.
- stagas 7y ago
  I'm visibly not German as well, so I understand what you are saying. Though, I believe it is better than non-looking cultures, because now that they are looking I have the chance to portray the image of who I am, which is a non-hostile, open and warm person that I believe to be, and most of the time this non-verbal communication is picked up by the person staring and I get an attitude shift that corresponds to my attitude. If you immediately feel threatened by the stare, that will be displayed on you, and that will make others look at you even more cautiously. It is not the staring the problem, it is the solution. It is a body language and it can be used collectively for acknowledging who is fit and who is not for the community and also a non-violent ostracization when that one feels so uncomfortable that flees. In a non-staring culture, people never get a chance to read you, they simply glimpse and then immediately make a judgement based on their own presuppositions and then treat you as such. Not in Germany, they will stare until they understand.
- itronitron 7y ago
  They are probably trying to figure out where you are from. As an American with Norman and Germanic ancestry I get stared at periodically when shopping, and I think they are trying to figure out what is off about me. I definitely do not perceive it as friendly or welcoming in any way. What is unique about the Germanic stare down is there is no effort made on the part of the starer to avert their gaze or even acknowledge that they are staring. Walking towards the starer usually encourages them to turn away.

algaeontoast 7y ago

The fat-positivity lunatics are going to have a field day with this one... "People who stay in shape and look good naked have 'fitness privilege' and 'naked privilege' the privilege of being able to look acceptable naked because they are able and willing to exercise and be healthy - this is oppressive and not fair" - lunatic without perspective or common sense

denzil_correa 7y ago

Freikörperkultur https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freik%C3%B6rperkultur https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freik%C3%B6rperkultur

smnplk 7y ago

I really hated going to nude camps with my parents during the summer. I think that was a form of child abuse. For me, freedom is being naked alone in the wilderness where there is no one around, not in some crowded area with other naked people.

m_mueller 7y ago

What caught me in this article is that it puts naked children in the pool in the same corner as nudist adults. The former is very common outside the English speaking world in general while the latter is rather a Germanic thing. Personally I find places that don't allow nudity for small children quite strange - it's basically sexualizing them way too early.

hwj 7y ago

s/German/Berlin/ has probably more truth in it.