Posted by Nomad on April 04, 2004 at 14:00:00:
In Reply to: Myth about nude beaches posted by Brad on April 04, 2004 at 04:27:47:
I've been to probably 100 nude beaches around the world and do not completely agree with Brad. The character of beaches varies greatly. What he mentions is generally true of American beaches but things can change radically day to day on any given beach. Sure, guys tending to feel less vulnerable about being nude and also maybe are socialized to feel that "looking" is part of male culture. So you're going to get more guys. But I see plenty of women almost everywhere I go. In Europe they have big clothing optional beaches, usually with a campground nearby, and you have an easy mix of all kinds of people, all ages, dressed and undressed with almost no apparent gawking. The nudity is not a big deal. There is a strange tension on American nude beaches... an uneasy edge-of-the-law thing happening, with hungry eyes looking at what is "forbidden", with people undressing, feeling sensual and delightfully wicked as they do it... they feel like they are breaking a taboo, being adventurous. Europeans laugh at this. The unbalance of attendance on American beaches is because of these complex undercurrents. Just my two cents.