Okay so as per the title suggests, there’s something you’re going to have to mentally prepare yourself for when you visit Deutschland….

Germany has something called Freikörperkultur (FKK), meaning a free body culture which is particularly noticeable in the summer time!

It is totally normal to go naked at pools, lakes and saunas in Germany, in fact Saunas often have strict no-clothing policies!

This concept can be understood by considering the history of nudity in Germany, as the first official FKK club was founded in Essen in 1898.

Nazis put a stop to nudist practices but eventually began to relax nudity bans, first in rural areas.

After the war, the German Association for Free Body Culture (DFK) was established, and the acceptance of nudity was at an all time high. Nudity was rapidly becoming a social norm, as well as a prominent aspect of German culture.

Clearly, nudity at this level is far less accepted as a social or cultural norm in a country like Australia, and at first may take some getting used to.

The attitude Germans have to nudity is wonderful, and has helped form the culture of body positivity so prominent in Germany.

Societal pressures about body standards and beauty ideals don’t seem to impact Germans so much, whom appreciate bodies of all shapes and sizes, and don’t criticise bodies that don’t conform to societal standards.

I personally believe that the free body culture is a wonderful thing that encourages self-love and an appreciation for a diversity of bodies!