Although I am not physically part of a coven, I have a little knowledge about how some traditions do their initiations that is public information, so I explained to her honestly what goes on at some of the older traditional initiations. I guess it would depend on who is doing the whipping. At that point, I pretty well knew the conversation was somewhat of a loss. It would take too much time to explain the purpose behind whipping and nudity. I think I accidentally perpetuated a stereotype.
Initiations vary from coven to coven and sometimes from individual to individual.
Scourging, better known to the populous as whipping, actually has a two-tiered symbolic process, as does the nudity. In order to be life affirming, fear and death have to be acknowledged and dealt with at some level for anyone to progress spiritually. The person is then led to another location where the coven is gathered for the initiation. The person may be passed between the legs of the coveners, symbolic of birth, or simply led to the circle where the High Priest or Priestess waits with either scourge or athame. The person is either whipped and takes vows afterwards or has the athame pointed to their heart while they take certain vows.