Across the Pond

"Please take off your clothes from the waist up and lie down on this table." The nurse's voice was friendly, matter-of-factly. I looked around, searching for a curtain that might work as a changing room, a paper gown to cover up. Nothing. The nurse's eyes urged me on, so I got naked, then and there, the lady a mere arm's length away. It was one of those moments where I longed to be in California. Culturally speaking the naked body is a complicated thing. Some muslim women must cover up (or feel the need to do so); Scandinavians on the other hand, when visiting beaches, pools, and lakes, expose themselves without inhibition; Austrians and Germans don't tend to be shy either. Hereabouts images of more or less naked women are used to advertise anything from cars to clothes to window sashes. A recent campaign by a beer brewer shows three women from the chest upward, no clothes, arms crossed to hide their breasts. The connection between the women and the beer is ...