I've traveled around Europe a good bit in my life, but I must admit that I have never made it to the coast or the beach. That being said, I expected to show up at the beach in Barcelona and just lay out in my bikini like I would every other place. Well, I did lay out in my bikini, but I DID NOT fit in! ....oh yeah Casey... beaches are topless all over Europe! Heaven forbid I actually want to have some modesty and cover myself up! Honestly, I had a mild case of culture shock. When I had heard about these places, I assumed...ooh, well women must just take off their tops and lay on the beach..but NO. They play beach games, go swimming, shower in the public showers naked, and have ABSOLUTELY no shame whatsoever! It was really an amazing experience for me! Not to mention that I saw more of men's legs than I've ever seen in my entire life...did the US miss the "speedos are in" memo?! ...I think we did.
In the US, a speedo belongs in a swimming pool and even then, the boy 'jammers' are preferred to the eyes. And if a woman went topless? Umm....I'm feelin a ticket for indecent exposure. To me, these 'outfits' if you will are so immodest, but to Europeans, it is just a part of normal life.
These observations taught me a lot really quickly about the differences in culture between places in Europe and the US, and what each of our societies tell us are okay.
Where do these social 'norms' come from? Who sets the standard that its okay for women to walk around topless and for men to virtually bare all? Were they originated from the media, or society, or what? What do we do in our country that people are shocked by when they visit us? Honestly, I don't know who sets such social standards, but it was a thought that for sure made me evaluate the values and norms of my own country in comparison to those half way across the world from me.
Valuable thoughts...cheers.
I had the exact same experience in Barcelona, Casey. I just sat on the beach thinking, "put some clothes on people" and then reminding myself that this is their country- not mine. I just wonder how long it takes for a custom like that to become the norm. For example, what if all beaches in the US were topless? Would most people actually go topless? I'm thinking no. I wonder if America's fear of the nude stems all the way back to our Puritan history. How would one find that out? I'm thinking that would be hard to research.
ReplyDeleteBahahaha. I wholehearted agree with you. Out of any place I visited this summer in Europe, I would definitely have to say Barcelona had the strangest culture I have seen. I still have scary images ingrained in my mind, about the dude I saw wearing the Borat thong/speedo/tank-top neon yellow one-piece bathing suit. The funny thing about it was that he was wearing it not as a joke, but in all seriousness. He was also involved in a seemingly intense game of volleyball. I would have to say that Barcelona definitely had the most ecclectic array of beachgoers out of any beach I have ever visited.
ReplyDelete