Posted by Brad on April 09, 2004 at 01:03:34:
In Reply to: Re: Myth about nude beaches posted by Nomad on April 04, 2004 at 14:00:00:
Outside of the continental US, I've been to nude beaches in England, Hawaii, Jamaica and Mexico. Resorts with nude beaches will have a good balance, but outside of that, I haven't had the pleasure of your experiences. But experiences do differ, and don't have much experience with nude beaches on the European continent, which I understand is much better.
I think the great thing about Cocco's site is that there are plenty of pictures of nude beaches around the world. So for those interested, next time you're viewing one of the photos showing the crowds at these beaches, focus on the ratio, mix, and type of folks laying out in the background behind the lovely naked female. Therein lies your answer.
: 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.