Showering Differences

I know this topic has been discussed a billion times, but I couldn’t find one that fully addressed my perspective… or question. Idk. Bear with me.

I’m West African, and growing up I watched a lot of Western movies. One thing I noticed is their shower technique(s). I wondered why the actors soaked themselves in bubbly soapy tubs and came out without rinsing with clean water. Won't the body remain soapy? It would throw me in such a thought lol Some even washed without soap! Or go days without showering at all.

Sometimes the actors wake up, brush their teeth, throw on an outfit, and go to work—no showering! I remember being so baffled. Even brushing the teeth was done differently; very minimal scrubbing, sometimes without gurgling.

Over here, going to work or school without showering is almost taboo. Parents wake their kids early to bathe(”baff”) before marinating their bodies in pomade. If they washed us themselves, we’d be getting the scrub of our lives! Sometimes we use coarse sponges to literally peel our skins off with soap that lathers offensively! 😂 Showering is such a big deal here.

Brushing the teeth is another sight worth seeing…or hearing because there’d be so much violent wretching you'd think they were dying. Western dentists will be horrified at the way some people scrub their teeth. Now, though, I understand it’s a personal, culture, and climate situation.

I’m sure the actors from the movies I watched will find our methods equally baffling. Perhaps we're the ones obsessed with showering, who knows? Lol