I had just finished my swim, and, as usual, walked into the changing rooms to shower and change at my local pool in Aarhus, Denmark’s second-biggest city. The room itself was amazing: white and clean, it looked like a luxurious laboratory, complete with the kind of amenities Australians only see in fancy spas.

As I acclimatised, I suddenly noticed that everyone was stark naked. Teen girls, chatting about teen girl things, changing in front of each other without a shred of (perceptible) discomfort. Mums combing their daughters’ hair, topless. Grandmothers and grandkids – boys and girls – helping each other put on or take off clothes.

Danes are generally much more comfortable with nudity than Australians.Credit: Istock

No one was embarrassed or trying to hide anything – except me. Having grown up in a fairly conservative Polish Catholic household, I have to admit I’m not entirely comfortable with the nude body.

Even though logically I am aware that nudity is not shameful, I couldn’t help but absorb much of the religious (and cultural) discourse around nudity – especially female nudity – in my formative years, which characterised the naked body as sinful and private.

I chose, this first time, to keep the suit on. But in the weeks since, I’ve slowly begun to shed my unease. In Denmark, the naked body does not seem to hold the same judgment and connotations as it does in Australia.

After a few weeks of exposure to different body types and generations, I have started to feel much better about myself – an experience that bears out in research, which suggests that public or communal naked activity improves body appreciation and self-image. (The Danes are regularly credited as being one of the happiest people in the world, so there may be something to this.)

I’ve since wondered: why aren’t Australians as happy to shed their clothes? What factors contribute to a nation’s (culture’s and even generation’s) attitudes to nudity?

“First, there are social, cultural and religious norms that determine what is normal and what is offensive for a society,” Dr Lauren Rosewarne, an associate professor in public policy at the University of Melbourne, says.