That inset is really beautiful! Of course we have to have screens here in DC (not only required by code, but practically unless you want your house full of bugs if you open a window at all), but the flexibility of doing an inset, a film, a curtain, a blind, or nothing is what makes me lean toward just doing clear. The cost is so low as to be irrelevant, in perspective (less than half a percent of the project cost), but it just kind of squicks me out to be making a decision that will probably be in place for so long. In the condo I last lived in before buying this house (which I sell this Friday!), I had a window IN the shower and it just had privacy film on the lower portion (it was a double-hung...bane of my existence since the top would slip down and I'd have to put step stool IN the bathtub to put the top back in place!). It worked fine for over 5 years, through all the humidity and direct sunlight (unobstructed southern exposure, so it got direct sunlight ~7 months/year), and I didn't mind it.

Shades in a bathroom kind of stink because they get pummeled by the relative humidity unless they are like a PVC plantation style blind. Obscured it a nice option, but folks still like some more privacy many times. Not because you can see anything discernible through it, but they just don't like the idea of some neighbors knowing when they are showering.

Beware that advertisement for window films and other products can be deceiving about what they block. What ever you choose, be sure to check "the view" from the outside when the lights are own inside and it is cloudy or dark outside. A lot of things work OK when the sun is shining but they don't work so good at night. Even just a body outline can be unacceptable. A few years ago a new young couple bought the house next door and chose white shades for their bathroom window that has a floor to ceiling window across from the toilet. Also, between the toilet and the full window was the exit from the shower so that same area was where the after shower dry off took place. I never saw it but the neighbor across the street from the young couple got a couple of shocking views and was nice enough to take the young wife aside and share the problem. The peep shows ended that afternoon.

Thanks all! Both windows are effectively second-story since the house is set up off the ground. Neither is in a shower; one is alongside a toilet, and the other will be next to a vanity. One window is in an existing bathroom and has a not-especially-beautiful view (15' from apartments/house next door, no possibility for landscaping) but with no direct line of sight into the room given placements of the windows on neighboring buildings. However, I do look out that window often now to see what's happening on the street below. (Currently the bottom sash has a café curtain covering it, and that's been fine for privacy.) The second window is in a room we're converting to a bathroom that was primarily used for storage before, and as part of that work we took out a tree that had fully screened the window for many years, so for that one it's hard to guess how private it will feel. However, it's 50' from the nearest building and only visible from nearby balconies that are rarely used, so you'd have to work to see much. That window is south-facing and gets very good natural light, which we do want. I am hoping to avoid curtains/shades in both rooms if possible.