Awkward

no you hugged your colleague while naked in the gym…

I've been awkward about nudity in the classic way of someone afflicted with catholic guilt nearly their whole entire life. I'm much more comfortable doing the awkward towel shuffle, you know the one, where you slip your knickers on with your towel clamped between your armpits. For fear, another woman in the gym might see that you also have breasts. Flashback to Irish college and all of us getting dressed under our blankets rather than being comfortable in your own skin around other people.

But now. At 30. I'm liberated. I'm practically Scandinavian now. i've had a naked sauna. I can be naked. After a number of years of living in Denmark and then Sweden, I've slowly adopted to being ok with being naked. I can be naked in the gym changing room. I can just change my clothes around my friends. I can walk around topless. And this isn't naked in a sexy way, this is naked in a "oh we're pals we can be naked together". This is the opposite of how this catholic-guilt-ridden-convent-educated-woman would ever even dream of being.

I like to think that this liberation with being naked comes down to a moment in my gym changing room when i bumped into my colleague. Picture the scene. I'm being really casual cool, just being naked in the shower room, oh look at me, so naked. My very beautiful colleague walked out of a shower and was nonchalantly drying her hair with her towel. I was naked, she was naked. Cue me starting to panic. What the fuck do i do? We're colleagues and we're naked. NAKED. What do I do? Do I ignore her? Do I high five her? Do I wave awkwardly? Do I run for my towel? Do I just run?

So I played it cool and hugged her. We had a naked hug.

After a few moments of chit chat (naked) asking each other about weekend plans (naked) and discussing the facilities at this particular gym (naked), we ended our pleasantries (naked) and went to head our separate ways. So, instead of just putting on my towel and saying bye, I thought, what would a liberal nude do right now to show my colleague how I'm totally ok with the fact we are both naked?

So, I hugged her again. Naked. After our second naked hug, I casually wrapped my towel around my body and left the changing room leaving her to enjoy the sauna (naked).

It was only when I went to get dressed that maybe you shouldn't hug your colleague while naked. Twice.

But now, I am liberated. I am a skinny dipping, walking-around-with-no-top-on, comfortable with nudity, naked-colleague-hugging-woman, hear me roar.