Since I started swimming at the Y, I've noticed that guys who are in their 30's through 60's walk to and from the shower and then in the locker area naked just holding their towel. There isn't the towel dance that Swimmboy described among this age group. But younger guys are the ones who do the towel dance so maybe it's related to age and the incomplete development of self confidence among late adolescents and younger adults. Maybe the modesty of these guys is a reflection of their unsure sense of their body image, a big issue for all adolescents.
Specifically in the example given by Swimmboy, maybe that young man was out of his comfort zone. It's comfortable to be wearing his brief suit along with his teammates at the indoor pool during practices and meets, but at the outdoor pool by himself, he was no longer in his comfort zone. Just a hypothesis.
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