I’m very body positive and pro nudity for an American who grew up Catholic, but moving to Germany unleashed similar hangups for me.

Fun story: the first time I used the communal shower at the pool naked (like everyone else here), a child pointed at my nipple piercing and loudly asked “mommy, what’s that on her nipple,” so everyone turned to stare at my tits. I was doubly overwhelmed, because it was the first time I’d heard the vernacular term for a nipple in German: “Brustwarze,” which literally translates to “breast wart,” which is fucking horrendous.

If it weren’t for the fact that I remember that every time I encounter the word “Brustwarze,” I think I’d have blocked it out.