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Originally Posted by coachjock  ....As for the generational issues, most of the WWII generation lost any shred of modesty when they were serving in the military. Since this was such a common experience, this carried over when so many of those veterans returned home, many of them becoming teachers and coaches, who carried over the hygiene training they were exposed to in the military into their roles as teacher/coaches. Thus, most kids growing up in the 50's, 60's, 70's, and even early 80's, were expected to shower after gym or practice. Most of us overcame the first few embarrassing experiences of being smaller or less hairy than the upperclassmen, or even the deathly embarrassing untimely erection, without permanent psychological damage... |
Even prior to WWII and the farther you get from the Industrial Age, men were doing more physical labor. We were using our bodies more and working outdoors-the body was much more part of the everyday world than it is today. If it was hot, you probably wore less clothing; if cold, you wore more. If the body was injured, you patch it up, and if it's dirty, you wash it and make it clean, just as you would a horse or any other working animal. Because men, and not women, were doing most of that hard physical labor, it gave society a different attitude about guys covering up, and this remained right up through the mid 70s, when I was growing. When it cam to being naked, men and women were just different.