In the working class community I grew up in, during the 1950s and early 1960s, 'company' meant anyone visiting the house. I lived in a rough and ready coal - mining, steam railroads, factories town.
It was the kind of neighbourhood where my mother's friends, my aunts, uncles etc would often visit the house, usually congregating in the fairly large stone - flagged kitchen. In that era,showing my mother up by misbehaving in front of 'company' was not to be tolerated. My mother was quite feisty and she had a fiery temper. Not that I was particularly badly behaved.
The house I lived in back then did not have a bathroom. Bathing arrangements were quite primitive ( still mostly based around specific bath nights - tin bath - for males / females) as there was no running hot water either. In my case as the youngest child in the family (& the only boy ) my mother would frequently circumvent the 'bathing system' by giving me 'strip washes' in the kitchen.
There were two extremely large stone sinks in the scullery (kitchen). My mother would half fill a sink with cool water from the tap and then either boil up water on an old fashioned stove or draw hot water from a 'copper' (huge washing tub) if it was a wash day (clothes). I would simply have to strip naked and then literally stand in the enormous sink up to my knees in soapy water (sometimes I sat) whilst she washed / sponged / flannelled me down.
The only drawback was that she would do this (if she felt it necessary ) no matter who else was present in the kitchen. She would just carry on talking to whoever was there whilst washing, scrubbing away at me.
Of course, adults seeing young children, especially boys, naked in those days was quite normal. No one seemed in the least bit bothered. My mother had scant regard for any notion of my potential feelings of modesty. From the age of 7 onwards I began to get much more self - conscious and I hated being bathed in front of an 'audience' (no matter how disinterested they appeared to be).
The tipping point came when I was 9. I had been out playing (football probably ). During my absence, my aunt and a friend (plus a teenage daughter) had arrived with an offer to take me out for the day. Our next door neighbour was also there with her daughter (about the same age as me).
As soon as I went into the kitchen, my mother told me that my aunty was very kindly going to take me out . She instructed my older sister to go and find some decent clothes for me. Then she uttered some dreaded words. "Right my lad. You need a good strip wash. Get your clothes off and be sharp (quick) about it" My heart sank, my stomach lurched.....I really did not want to take off everything in front of all of these females. Soon humiliating...."Ohhhh. .Mummm " (whining),.."Do I have to..,??" "Yes you do....hurry up!" "Oh huh Mum....but.." " No buts. Clothes...off....& be sharp about it my lad..,"
"Mum....,, ( quiet & desperate )..,they'll all see my bum and my willy." My mother (impatient..,annoyed)."Stop being so mardy (stupidly unwilling )...nobody'seems bothered about that!!" "Well I am..,," "You what?? I shan't tell you again!! Clothes...All of them...off..now!!"
"But, mum.."
"Right!! I warned you my lad. I'mean not having you showing me up in front of company!!" With that she hauled me across her lap and spanked me quite hard, lecturing me. Then she pulled down my shorts and pants, grabbed a kitchen (hearth) brush and gave me 6 whacks with it."Let that be a lesson to you my lad. Now.,.do as you're told and get undressed!!" My embarrassment was complete.