Nudist Florida

The Recession Hasn’t Been All Bad

 From Haulover Beach to South Beach (admittedly not that far) over to the western shorelines, nudism is popping up where expected but also on traditional textile beaches. Look to the fringes of normally suits-only beaches and you’ll occasionally see topless or nudist activity and lots of senior men doing the “walk.” You know what we mean.

Florida teens barely give a second thought to an impromptu skinny-dip or casually changing on the beach, from street clothes to bathing suits, or sometimes to nothing at all. A coed familiar with the South Beach scene recently made news for skipping her top on the Hollywood shoreline–not for being reprimanded by authorities, but for not being cited by them.

“Budget cuts and fewer personnel mean we have to be selective in enforcing the law.” said one Broward Country official.

At least the recession has produced some benefits. If people get accustomed to topless and nude sunbathing in Florida, a tourist Mecca, it may spread to the rest of the nation.

Nudist California

California Dreamin

My first visit to Muir Beach north of San Francisco provided several surprises. First, the road there was terrifying (you know what I mean if you’ve traveled it) and second, when I arrived in the parking lot I was confronted by a single nude coed-type bent into the trunk of her car. It made the adrenaline binge of the drive completely worthwhile, and the trip was repeated there and to several nudist spots on Marin for the next three years.

California nudists are some of the warmest people I’ve met. You can walk up to completely nude strangers and begin conversation without fear of rejection. A naked girl sitting alone on a beach towel contemplating the meaning of life while tugging on a cigarette beams an open sincerity to her surroundings that you simply want to be a part of: so carefree and confident, and of course nude. Over the course of my time in California I visited a dozen nudist beaches and found them all the same–like you were attending a low-key party of all of your closest friends, and they’re all glad to have to have you there.

Living where I do now with no access to a nudist beach feels like cold exile. The nearest beach is not clothing optional, and having learned that I hate nothing more than a clinging, wet bathing suit, I seldom bother to visit. It’s not that I’m crazy about nudism per se. What I like most are the people that enjoy it.

Nudist Lovers

Amorous Couples Without Suits &
Mild Tumescence

Okay, it’s a fairly interesting topic. Expressive couples on textile beaches is a somewhat normal scene. Young lovers tend to be all touchy-feely in general, and swimwear tends to heighten their desire to exhibit their fondness for each other. It can be a significant problem for boys and men wearing tight-fitting suits. Why do you think males spend so much time sunning their backs?

Strip off the bathing suits and the challenge for men reaches Olympic proportions. Speaking personally, any contact with a nude female guarantees an elemental response. In public this response is faster than warp drive. So how do you cope with a touchy-feely mate when on a public nude beach? What I’m beginning to notice is no one seems to care anymore about their relative states of tumescence. A few years ago you almost never saw any sort of erectile function on nudist men. Now it seems no one really minds.

Maybe that’s a good thing, as after all, erections are a fairly natural thing. I’m not talking about howlers here, just that sort of half fullness that’s a kick-start response to any form of touching, intimate or simply getting a sun-baked back massage. Due the volume of mail that directly addresses the question, “What do I do if I get an erection,” the answer may now be, “Nothing. It’s normal.”

As you’ll note increasingly in nudist photography, mild tumescence has entered the mainstream, sort of like when Playboy first published photos featuring pubic hair. Not exactly the same, but you know what we mean.

 

Nudism in Home

It Begins At Home

As regulars to our nudist sites know, we treat home nudism with special attention. It’s where “Body Freedom” begins in earnest, in families that don’t mind seeing other naked, which seems to be the dominant case in Europe. On it’s beaches and at community pools, nudity is common among all age groups.

In the US home “nudism” isn’t really a movement, but a useful label for describing the effect of loose nudity around the house. A backyard pool is a natural habitat for skinny dipping, and pictures of families and teens enjoying au natural bathing are both wholesome and somewhat exciting–being naked for some reason does that to people. There’s a childlike giddiness to it, so why not enjoy?

No matter how you feel about communal nudism (mix gender, all-ages nudists), it is gaining popularity all around you, from shore to shimmering shore. The evidence is in the pictures. Enjoy.

C’est la vie

The photographer Gregor Podgorski explores in his work C’est la vie, the diversities of human pathways and their integration in the contemporary world through the portrait of an era and its characters, no accessories, no decorations or devices in their lifestyles , its truths, its essential.

Nudist Beach, California

Off The Beaten Track, Esoteric Nudist Beaches

 The Point Reyes peninsula north of San Francisco has some of the most breath-taking beaches in the nation. Only two (Red Rock and Muir beaches) are sanctioned nudist beaches, but “nudists” find the entire area friendly to naked beach combing. The only unwelcome aspect is the high frequency of white shark sightings. But don’t let that stop you, the water is too cold for general bathing most of the year.

The general topography varies from what some call “a northern Scotland” atmosphere to heavily wooded Alpine forest often shrouded in morning fog. Typically the fog always burns off by midday and it gets warm enough to stroll around naked. Even on popular general beaches on the west side of Point Reyes nudists or topless bathers are part of the crowd. We walked a couple of miles of shoreline past other nudists and families both nude or in bathing suits. No one seems to notice what you wear and, hey, in California it’s safe to expect the unexpected.

While I like nudist beaches generally, going naked on non-sanctioned nude beaches is a bit of kick–or let’s just it adds another dimension to the experience. This “esoteric” form of nudism is one of my favorites. The beauty of most West Coast beaches makes nudism an entirely appropriate response.

French nudism

Vivre La France

 

The Germans may have put FKK nudism on the map, but the French taught the world how to combine a sensual lifestyle with the practice of “body freedom” in undeniable good taste and fashion. French nudism is an epicurean experience that involves not just simple nudity, but stylish nudity–how a French woman can add dazzle to her already fit physique (obesity does not yet reign in Europe like it does in the U.S.) with a chic ornament of jewelry or designer shades is a mystery that works. They’re the only nudists who look dressed for the cocktail hour in the nude.

Name your desired experience and they have a place for it, from camping sites (Le Cote de l’Herme a favorite, located on seventeen woody acres at the top of a hill) to Cap d’Agde, the world premiere nudist village where nudity is mandatory regardless of age. From arrival to departure you shop, sun bath, dine (except for dinner where most wear light attire) in the nude. When is the last time you were in a grocery store completely naked? Probably in a dream.

The Mecca for the jet-set, wannabes and of course Bono is St. Tropez, a dazzling spectable on the Mediterranean rising from humble routes. Put on the front page by Brigitte Bardot, it’s where topless sunbathing began, and where on select beaches total nudity reigns. The mix of Europeans generally, and Scandinavian teens particularly, is stunning. Think you suck-in your gut now on a beach? Wait until you wander the sands of St. Tropez.

Nudism overall is a wonderful way to spend some wholesome, sensuous time in the nude with mixed company, age- and gender-wise. In France it rises to a new level of sensuality that defies my vocabulary. Suffice to say, Vivre la France! and leave it there.

 

 

 

Winter Nudism

Shrinkage Is Not An Issue

It’s that time of year when the mailbox fills with winter photography featuring naked people in the snow, usually outside a streaming sauna or standing around a circular hole in the ice shivering. The idea is that extremely cold water and temperatures give the body a robust burst of climate horror, their goose flesh in rosy rage. The hasty retreat to sauna or hot tub closes the circle of joyful misery, the participants bonded for life by their daring adventure.

That’s really about the sum of it. It’s a group experience and everyone shares equally in the shock and awe of it. Also, it stimulates the circulation while provided a deep cleanse at the cellular level. Body grime and grit want no part of it. At the end of the cycle, generally extreme heat followed by a heart wrenching plunge in snow or water before heading back to the restorative heat, one is refreshed and rejuvenated. It’s a miraculous thing if you permit yourself the indulgence.

The fact that everyone gets naked is of course a bonus. What no one wants to experience is sub-zero temperature in a wet bathing suit. The Finns and Germans are practical about this. Americans still have a problem with the idea, but acceptance is building.

Ahead of everyone now are the Russians, blessed as they with a grim winter weather. They see snow and ice and begin thinking of ways to get naked in it, or so it seems (our Russian membership has doubled in the past year). Thankfully they’re proving to be generous with the evidence.

What no one worries about (aside from nether-region frostbite) is the problem of shrinkage. The actual time spent in ice water or snow is a matter of minutes (it doesn’t take long to get your fill of cold). The warm-up before and after are where you spend most of your time, so don’t fret.

Nudism Is For All Ages

Enough Already. You Can Be A Nudist Too

This is a question I field a lot: “Am I too old to participate in nudism?” My answer is always “No.” You’re never too old or young to participate in nudism. The key word here is “participate.” If you sole intent is to gawk you won’t be appreciated (and we know who you are). If you’re there for the sun and the liberating effects of being nude in communal settings, enjoy communicating with happy, open people, joining a volley ball match without hesitation, that sort of thing, you’re always welcome. Your age is irrelevant.

Men have told me young women don’t want to see old men in the nude. That may be true for some young women, but what other people enjoy seeing is up to them. If you’re relatively fit chances are no one will think you’re an eyesore. Just as your tastes discriminate, so do everyone else’s, which is completely out of your control. That you might enjoy seeing young naked women and teens doesn’t mean you’re a pervert or have crossed whatever etiquette lines are drawn in the various nudist communities. Everyone looks. Every sees. That’s the democratic aspect of nudism. You can’t be selective in either direction.

As an older nudist myself I simply observe the normals rules of social etiquette on a nude beach. I give people their space if they want it, I willingly let others into my own if they so wish. I’ve played nude volley ball with teenagers as well as candidates for the geriatric set. I’ve done nude yoga with exquisitely charming naked women without a second thought. I’ve danced naked around a fire with nubile Eastern Europeans. It’s fun.

One old acquaintance from school days bemoaned the fact (before nudism had even come up in our conversation) that he’d never sleep with a younger woman again, let alone see one naked. I mentioned that, well, we’d had our time, but there was no rule saying we couldn’t meet a younger woman down the road and have an harmless fling, providing the planets aligned properly. Anyway, I brought up nudism and said you could always see younger women naked on nudist beaches. He said, yes, but they would not want to see him there, to which I said hogwash. It had nothing to do with his right to be there, and frankly, nudism was open to all ages.

There is nothing more beautiful in the world than youthful womanhood. I consider it a blessing I can still partake of their beauty, if not always their flesh. At my age (58) I’m simply happy to share the same sunshine and cool seas with them, frolicking as they do, without much concern for anything but having a good time. As a single older gent of some means I have the freedom to do a circuit of nudist beaches every year. Some men spend their free time and money pursuing golf. What you do is up to you.

But let your age stop you from doing anything. Even nudism.

Artistic, female nude images by Nea Bristol photography.

Nude and semi-nude images by talented photographer Nea Bristol. A whole new way to look at the natural forms of the female body. A visual essay on personal freedom: see power and charisma in these photos with a touch of post-apocalyptic industrial theme.