At the town pool, when I was seven or eight, with my dad. Since my folks were casual about bathroom nudity at home, I didn't find it strange. What I did find strange was that the crowd in the locker room was about half black. I hadn't noticed this in the pool itself for some reason. My school was about a fifth black, and I was un-used to being so nearly outnumbered. I later learned that this was because I lived in a racially-tolerant old underground railroad town (London, Ohio) and ours was the only public pool for many counties around that allowed black swimmers - so of course people came in from all over.
It's been fascinating to read about all the experiences. I have a theory that naturism is genetically determined (we're learning that much more is genetics than we ever thought): ever since I can remember, I've wanted to be naked with my (male) friends - something that their parents didn't appreciate! But when starting secondary school (age almost 12), in 1957, the communal showers and the changing rooms after swimming and sports were heaven on earth for me. As it happened, I was hitting puberty earlier than the other boys (who were also a bit younger: how the academic year dates fell), and with hair appearing and an erection bigger than those of the others, I was the centre of attention: something I loved. (The teacher left us to our own devices.) There was incomprehension (no sex education and I think no-one had ever seen an adult naked) and some banter, but I don't remember counting it as bullying.
What a difference these days, as many have mentioned. Now that there's so much enforced prudishness, kids are expressing their normal curiosity about their developing bodies through 'sexting' - photos of their genitals or with girls their breasts sent via their smartphones. This is so risky: they underestimate the extent to which it can be misused, often with resulting bullying. If nudity were still the norm, as in the past, all attitudes would be far healthier. You need only look around a naturist campsite or attend a naturist swimming gala to see how happy and well-adjusted the kids there are. And of course nothing untoward ever happens. We can always dream!
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