Okay . . . Allow me to get personal and admit something that I wouldn’t normally admit to anyone: I don’t wash my back. Sure, I shower, bathe, and scrub every surface of skin that I have, but I don’t scrub my back with soap. I rinse it only with water, and it’s never complained.
Why do I forgo washing the largest surface area of my body? Because I haven’t had a need to. Call it what you will. I’ve never had back acne, hair, or blemish problems on my back, so I haven’t focused on this area to clean when I’m in the shower.
Let’s take a moment to clarify: washing the back means using soap and some type of instrument that places the soap on the back.
Haven’t you noticed that despite the lack of effort our backs seem to maintain a rather clean appearance? Now, let’s ignore occupations that may sully that smooth dorsal surface behind our chests. Let’s focus on the average Joe’s—like myself—who don’t have a back scrubber in the shower.
Civilization will always be keen on proper bathing (let’s hope). Even ancient ones built public baths with the notion that a clean body meant a healthy society. If I had to guess, the Romans probably didn’t give the back much thought either as they swam in their large heated pools, planning the next region of the world to assimilate.
Maybe it’s for lack of seeing it that I don’t pay my back much mind, or maybe it’s for the reason above (that I’ve never really had a problem with it). I have come to regard it as self-maintaining for the most part. It’s only relation to my shower time is with the shower head as I’m scrubbing the body’s anterior portions.
Our backs are important, no question; without them, we’d be pretty funny looking. Each one of us can speak of a specific area of need, a place we focus on in our scrubbing efforts. Backs are possibly the most ignored region of our bodies when it comes to soap, water, and the brush. I would be quite surprised if a study was done that indicated the contrary.
Perhaps in its stoic way, my back doesn’t mind the lack of soap because it’s satisfied with just water. Then again, since I’ve disclosed its apathy it may start to complain.
Copyright © Tyler Gant 2009
