American Reacts to Why Norwegians Don't Close Their Curtains

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]What's going on everyone? Uh, I am just a typical average American here today to react and learn about why Norwegians don't close their curtains.

[00:00:22]Is this true? Because I know that this might not sound like a big deal, but I actually think that this shows a huge difference between what life is like here in the United States versus life in Norway. Because you know here in the US we are very very uh private and to be honest we don't really trust each other very much and so yeah we definitely like to keep all of our curtains and blinds closed you know most the time. Uh, so today I want to take a look at this Reddit discussion and learn more about this and what it's like in Norway cuz somebody actually asked this question. I've noticed many Norwegians don't use curtains.

[00:01:30]Why is that? Interested in hearing your opinions. And a ton of Norwegians actually responded to this question. So let's take a look at these. Starting with this Norwegian said, "Most people do have curtains here." Oh, including myself. But we usually leave the curtains open to still get some view and daylight. I suppose it depends on where you live and how exposed your window is to the public.

[00:02:03]So in Norway, curtains are normal and common, but you like to keep them open to get I mean to get sunlight. That makes sense. Of course. It's just I don't know. This is actually a very reasonable answer. I think a lot of Americans like don't care about getting sunlight or like a good view or even though that is important and and that's nice to have most Americans are just like I don't know what it is like I can't even really explain it. We just don't we feel like everybody who's driving by or walking by is like looking in your windows and like they're going to see you. I don't doing what. I don't know.

[00:02:51]But um I'm Norwegian and I feel like the majority of us don't actually use curtains.

[00:02:59]To me, that just says you guys are very comfortable and you don't have this anxiety that a lot of Americans just have about people looking in your house. And it's kind of like I don't know, it's kind of weird to think about cuz I don't think anybody is really going around the neighborhood looking in houses, but it's like built in to us to like clo not let anyone see in your house. I have no idea. I never thought about it until my partner, who's from the United Kingdom, pointed it out, saying it was weird that in Norway we don't use curtains. I guess in my mind, I'm I'm just never doing anything particularly worth hiding.

[00:03:47]Uh, my parents' bedroom are on the second floor, so no one can see. Oh, in the US that doesn't matter what floor you're on. All the blinds are closed.

[00:03:58]except maybe into your backyard. And so what would the spying per person even witness? [laughter] Watching Hotel Caesar or eating dinner?

[00:04:08]Nothing exciting. It's not It's a good point. I guess it really just shows that this is kind of like an irrational fear that a lot of Americans have. I um I share the same confusion. When my family from the US visit, they shut all the blinds. It makes the house feel ukos. Is that like small or dark? Makes the house feel dark to me. I like seeing the street lamps and the weather, especially snow.

[00:04:44]Having all I can say is in America, like having all your windows, like the blinds open and the curtains open, it makes you feel naked.

[00:04:54]I don't know. I'm starting to think this is a very American thing. No one cares if someone's looking in. In the US, people really care. Like people will like call the police if they think you're trying to like look in and see something like and in the US it is considered very very strange to look into somebody's house. Maybe in Norway it's more innocent or Yeah, I don't I don't know. Maybe that's something. Plus, if they we want to get as much light in as possible.

[00:05:33]I mean, this makes sense to me.

[00:05:34]Personally, I have blinds and curtains, but if for some reason I don't shut them and someone looks in, they're welcome to look.

[00:05:43][laughter] I'm not paying for their therapy. So in Norway, you guys just for one thing, you want light and to see outside, which that makes sense to me. That that would be nice.

[00:05:57]You don't care if anyone looks in.

[00:06:00]Americans, we really care. And I don't know why.

[00:06:04]Huh. There's even a novel written about this. Really? All foreigners have closed curtains. Allelendinger Haruka Gardener. If I walk past a house with curtains closed, I assume they're foreign or or dodgy, like suspicious, like doing drugs.

[00:06:27]It's honestly a strange sight. What is that true in Norway? Having your blinds and your and the windows shut, the curtains closed so no one can see inside. That's considered weird in in here in the US. That's just normal. It's It's expected that you can't see inside. [snorts] Uh we we really prioritize privacy even when we're not doing anything. And I don't know why this makes me feel like we're really uptight or something. I don't I don't know where I'm trying to think of like where this comes from in America cuz it's Yeah. I didn't realize this was weird. I love looking into people's homes at nighttime. Oh, you could. Don't Don't do that in Don't do that in the US. Someone might call the cops on you.

[00:07:19]What's there to see that needs to be hidden? People doing normal things.

[00:07:23]Watching TV. I like to see what they're watching. Eating supper. Doing homework.

[00:07:30]It always looks peaceful.

[00:07:33]Huh? No. No. You could never do this in the US. People would think you are so weird. They'd call you creepy. I think it's so normal. Nobody is going to spy on you. We can see straight into the neighbor's living room from our dinner table and they can see us. Sometimes one of us will say things like, "Arnie has his friends over and they're watching the game."

[00:07:59]So seeing into other people's houses in Norway is just normal.

[00:08:05]It's not considered weird. You can see what they're watching on TV. It's fun.

[00:08:10]By the sound of it, it's just like pleasant.

[00:08:13]I feel like this has to do with in Norway, it feels like you guys trust each other to not do anything inappropriate, to not like in America, if if people could just look into houses. And we all think that somebody creepy would take advantage of it, that there'd be someone who ruins it. I think most people aren't very creepy and and aren't trying to look and spy, but there would be there would be some Americans who do.

[00:08:45]And I I think most Americans have that fear that there's creepy people out there trying to look in. I'm Norwegian, but I definitely do not close my curtains. But only the side of the house that faces the street. The side that faces the harbor has none. This is because I walk around in my underwear.

[00:09:05]Okay, that's fair. Okay, that doesn't count. That's fair. I only close curtains to maximize my movie and TV watch watching experience and to avoid sunlight hitting my books. So, Norwegians will close the curtains, but ver for very for a purpose, for a utility to not for privacy. That's the big word. I think Americans want privacy.

[00:09:36]I don't want you to see me eating breakfast. I don't want you to see what I'm watching on TV. And I'm I'm wonder where does that come from? Why don't privacy is so important in America?

[00:09:50]And this is just like making me think why? Because in Norway you guys just don't care. That's it. Sounds like a very liberating way of living. Like you just don't care. It's like whatever. You can see what I'm watching on TV. That I I respect that. How else are my neighbors gonna know? Okay. Exactly.

[00:10:08]I've watched pornos many time. What?

[00:10:11]Okay. This is This is why we can't do this in America.

[00:10:16]I [laughter] think I think most houses have curtains. They're for decoration, not to prevent anyone from looking in.

[00:10:23]Although we we just saw like there are perverted people who are like naked and watching porn and I guess you close your curtains if you're doing that. I guess it sounds like in Norway you just kind of like do what's appropriate. You you use curtains when it makes sense.

[00:10:41][snorts] Um people have nothing to hide. We're not afraid. We're not ashamed for walking in their underwear or what?

[00:10:50]Wait, what?

[00:10:52]Okay. Is this true though? You can walk around in you can walk around naked with your and people can see. No. What? Why?

[00:11:04]Why? What? I know you guys are like open, but that's like people can see you naked in your house.

[00:11:13]What? And you're okay with that? What?

[00:11:17]In the United States that that's illegal. you. That would be indecent exposure. You can't even in your own home in your own home. You can't walk around naked in your backyard or your front yard. You can't open your blinds and walk around naked in your house if people can see you. That's against the law, actually. So, this is a huge difference. You can't do that. To me in the United States, it's very odd when people have these gorgeous, huge windows just to have them always blocked off by blinds.

[00:11:56]Um, it's really about privacy. It's not about the sun.

[00:12:02]It's not even that we're not even doing anything interesting. It's really like we just don't like the idea that people could see us.

[00:12:11]Maybe maybe it's not logical.

[00:12:14]In Norway, the social classes are tightly close to each other. In countries with a huge I don't know if this applies to this the Middle East.

[00:12:24]Doesn't really apply to the US. If curtains are always down, people will assume you're hiding some in the US.

[00:12:32]That is that's so funny cuz it's normal here. In Norway, it makes you think they're doing something suspicious.

[00:12:40]That's funny. That's so funny. You can't see what you don't look at. It's common courtesy in Norway to not look into people's homes if it's none of your business. It's consider Oh, it is. It It sounds like you can look in people's houses like casually.

[00:12:59]Just don't be creepy. Don't be weird.

[00:13:02]Don't be nosy. But you but you can look in. That's what it seems like to me.

[00:13:08]Lack of sunlight. We don't have curtains, but we're a kilometer away from the next neighbor. Doesn't really matter. Curtains. So, for a lot of Norwegians, curtains are just to block out the sun. They're not even in America. They're for privacy. It's a totally different purpose. We only have curtains in the bedroom. They are a hassle. But I do like privacy in private rooms.

[00:13:33]Yeah, you don't want people watching you while you're sleeping. That's makes sense to me. our house. Do not sit anywhere where anyone could look in without climbing a mount. Oh, so for a lot of Norwegians, for some Norwegians, people can't even see inside your house because you have like a a mountain or something or or they can't see high enough.

[00:13:56]I've never known why it's considered weird. I prefer curtains open to get more light so I don't feel trapped.

[00:14:03]Americans feel like vulnerable.

[00:14:08]Um, if the curtains are open. Huh?

[00:14:12]Why would you close off the world and live like a caveman? Americans want Huh.

[00:14:18]Huh. This is so that that that is so fascinating. That is a huge difference between Norwegian and American culture.

[00:14:26]I I had no idea about. It's just like, yeah, there's many reasons why it it seems to work in Norway and I don't think it would work in America or we're we're never going to feel so comfortable like Norwegians do. Seems like you guys live like a much more carefree like uh liberated. I don't know. I'm kind of jealous. It It's actually pretty cool.

[00:14:51]So anyway, that was very interesting.

[00:14:54]Um, if you enjoyed this, feel free to give this video a like or leave a a comment with your thoughts, especially if you're Norwegian.

[00:15:04]Do you keep your curtains open? Like, do you agree with this? Or that'd be cool to hear about. And if you're interested in more videos like this, me reacting to Norway [snorts] and learning about Norwegian things that I've never seen before, feel free to subscribe for more.

[00:15:26]And until then, thanks for watching and see you next