Keep your shirt on

“A world without manners means a world without kindness and consideration. And a world without kindness and consideration means the erosion of our civil code of conduct.
And that means chaos and anger.”

The current monarch, King Charles, said that. What he means (if we may be so bold as to interpret for our King) is if we ignore others, we descend into confusion. By disregarding feelings, opinions, beliefs and cultural attitudes, the guidelines by which we live are broken down. The standards that we rise to and the principles that we live by are shattered.

There seems to be a lot of but this is what I want to do. Or don’t tell me what to do. Or but I have a right to do what I want to do. You do have the right to do what you want to do. This is a free country. However, when two young ladies were spotted running down a major highway in bikini G-strings, a discussion was sparked at June Dally-Watkins. Two beautiful girls, without a care in the world, oblivious to their nudity. And unaware of the impact their buttocks were having on passing drivers.

Don’t get us wrong – your bodies are lovely and there is absolutely no shame in them. But almost nudies in the city? On a major road?  The girl’s state of undress was inappropriate. Loads of reasons why but let’s keep the reasons simple. They were insensitive to their impact, to what was going on around them. The girls were behaving improperly. It’s an old-fashioned word ‘improper.’ But at June Dally-Watkins the difference between proper and improper exists. We talk about the difference. We actually adore the conversation about the conflict between proper and improper. Especially in this millennia when we’ve seen massive shifts in what proper and improper dialogue is.

We believe we have a ‘modern’ outlook. However, we also believe that bikini G-strings are for the beach. Off the beach you need to cover your booty.

Let’s look at it this way. If etiquette isn’t something you relate to, then maybe you can relate to boundaries. People have limits. You and I both find different things acceptable. That’s human nature. That’s why there is a civil code of conduct. The code exists to respect not only your boundaries, but also other people’s boundaries. It’s consideration. There are many faiths, customs and beliefs in the world. So though you have the right to do what you want to do, what you chose to do (like running almost starkers down a major road) may well not be within someone else’s boundaries. So it’s consideration towards our civil code of conduct.

For example, many women (and men) find standing next to a shirtless man on the bus uncomfortable. A naked stranger in confined quarters is unpleasant. Shirts are required in elevators, shops, malls, and restaurants. No matter what your age, wearing a shirt in public is respectful. Obviously at the beach and pool, go for it. But it is simply not appropriate or proper for a man to get about naked either. You don’t know what people have been through. You have no idea of people’s past experiences, how your nakedness can affect them. What memories it can spark. Please be considerate.  

This is Australia and we are a very informal nation. But let’s be aware of a civil code of conduct that keeps everyone happy and safe. Pop on a sarong or a shirt. And remember boundaries, etiquette and manners are a tricky business. But it’s our business and we’d like to share it with you.

Drop us a line at June Dally-Watkins any time, with any questions. We are here to help you navigate. It’s what we do.

If you’d like to jump over to our Podcast to listen to more on the dilemmas of modern manners in a modern world, click here.