Nudity
In Western countries, nudity was the norm in many male-only activities until the last decades of the 20th century. It was thought of as unmanly not to do so. This followed a long history of poor and working class men and boys taking off their clothes to go swimming in any river, pond, or lake. Women and girls either did not swim or were dressed because it was thought that they were more modest than men. When they were first built in the 1890s, men and boys swam nude in indoor pools. Swimmers were also required to take fully nude showers with soap before going in the pool. During women's weekly swim hours, one-piece suits were allowed and sometimes supplied by the facility to insure cleanliness; towels were also supplied. In the 1960s, women-only days were added. Some of the first indoor pools were built by the YMCA, with male nudity required.