thread: 2013-08-01 : A Guide to the Sauna for Shy Americans
On 2013-08-02, l984 wrote:
An excellent analysis on the anxieties of a sauna-newbie. I am a big advocate of Sauna and I totally agree on the perception of Americans, Canadians, Australians, Kiwis and the British and their feeling of shame, related to their very own birthday-suit, their own nakedness in general. Also, add embarrassment on behalf of people who have actually climbed this silly, but extremely damaging psychological hurdle.
What kind of a society makes you feel sorry and ashamed of your own body? The kind that compels to spend all your money in trying to close the gap between yourself and the photoshopped, underaged models and the maddening insecurities revolving around this destroyed self confidence.
Think about all the modern industries feeding on that feeling of shame. We're talking trillions of dollars here.
I am half-finnish, half-scottish citizen who's spent most of his life in Finland, but studied in the UK. I applaud the mentality surrounding nakedness in the Nordic countries. Most of the world has lost this way of thinking in the constant bombardment of information and entertainment, and I think there are some important lessons to be learned here, which of course the author has now realised.
Thank you.
