The concept of "private parts" (West vs Orient)

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I never liked Phys Ed in school, because stripping down and showering at the end of each class was mandatory - you could get marked 'Absent' for non-compliance. The Phys Ed instructor stood there at the entrance to the shower room, and watched each person go through the entire soap-lather-rinse-repeat routine, and made comments on our development (or lack thereof). This was in Michigan during the late 1960s, and to this day, I can not stand the thought of exposing myself in front of other men (or more than one woman at a time ).

I find with New Zealand women they rarely disrobe in front of each other, except for drunken wardrobe malfunctions.

Though at somewhere like a swimming pool/gym changing room some more courageous women will strip off there.

I remember at school when I was 8 I was faced with this sort of changing room situation and I went and hid in the toilet cubicle the teacher told me I was weird to not want to get changed with all the other girls and women but I didnt want to.

I remember staying at a hostel, and the women from Australia and New Zealand were pretty modest on the whole. Women from England and Scotland were a bit more open, but I was blown away by the Finnish/Swedish women who would just rapidly strip off everything without a thought... : )

Probably because of all those saunas up there, which I am told are used without towels.

Don't you dare!

Sometimes I've walked about naked in the male changing rooms at the swimming pool, and it didn't bother me. Otherwise I wouldn't even wear shorts in public. I don't feel it as a shame issue, not consciously anyway. It's a cultural thing, right through my childhood everybody was covered up, so that's my default assumption, and anything else still seems like a culture shock, though like I say, the swimming pool changing room didn't bother me for some reason.