I'm proud of my body and I adore looking at and touching his. It's just one more thing we do to show each other how comfortable we truly our in the relationship and with each other. I think it's a glorious thing to do as a couple and it often leads to really great, spontaneous sex.

I am hoping with my heart of hearts what this woman was trying to say is that she wants to keep some of the mystery alive. less

Ah, my "commonly said" referred only to Dombasle's "he won't buy me lunch" comment. It sounds almost insane in English, the way, "it costs an arm and a leg" would sound very strange translated to French.

I'm taking Elaine Sciolino's word that no-nudity-in-the-bedro om is 'the norm' among French women. Her interviewees are not a scientific cross-sample of all of female France, but she is the former Paris Bureau Chief of the New York Times. She has some credibility.

Actually, Sciolino was on your side of the fence, thinking that Dombasle's attitude towards being naked was the by-product of an aging sex symbol realizing she was past her physical prime. The author was surprised when other interviewees answered in the same way. less

I love being naked around my boyfriend. I've demanded that once we move into our own apartment, unless we're expecting company, he is to be naked or in only his underwear at all times.
Since I'm never having kids, I don't foresee the constant nudity or near-nudity to be an issue ever. less

A few days ago when the subject of our being naked (other than during sex) came up, my husband told me, "being naked is becoming ordinary, it's no longer special," which he considers a bad thing. My opinion is that I'm comfortable with him, and that I enjoy the freedom of being in my natural state.

Then I started reading, La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life and came across this interesting quote:

"Nudity is extremely violent to gaze at... I would never walk naked in front of my husband. Never, never, never... I'm nude when I'm alone, and I'm nude when I'm in his arms, but never in a sort of casually stupid gesture of the morning or whatever. Never." – Arielle Dombasle, actress, singer, performer

Bear in mind this is a woman who has performed, top-less, at the Crazy Horse in Paris. She went on to say:

"You shouldn't {be naked in front of your husband}. Otherwise he won't buy you lunch."

In other words, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? I'm familiar with the saying, but I always judged it as something that applied to non-committed relationships, not marriage (or civil-unions, or any other long-term commitment). Now I'm beginning to wonder...

What about you and your significant other — outside of sex are you naked in front of each other? less