Missing the "Good Old Days"

[Torchwatch]

On British naturist beaches fathers became concerned with accusations of child sex abuse and stopped taking their families to the beach. This left the naturist beaches used only by older couples and single men. Many of the single men were gay so naturist beaches became associated with being gay, driving out the older couples.

Once longer shorts had become the fashion anyone wearing short shorts or speedos became the targets of homophobes, this was happening especially in our schools. Tom Daley a school boy and international diver was bullied, called gay and had his pencil case and other personal possessions stolen at school when he appeared on television competing in speedos. He was forced to change schools, in my opinion his head teacher should have been sacked.
Levels of homophobic bullying in schools increased and children started committing suicide. Both Cameron and Abama told the victims of bullying to tell someone.

It wasn't actually important whether the victims of homophobic bullying were gay or not, the homophobes were on a power trip and wearing speedos immediately singled you out as a victim.

Swimming in big baggy shorts doesn't work, it's inefficient, slow and hard work. Swimming clubs traditionally provided children's swimming lessons and recruited club members from swimming lessons, boys afraid of wearing competitive swimwear began dropping out instead of joining the clubs, swimming clubs became increasingly female.

In public lane swimming sessions a few older men would wear speedos and swim fast while younger men in big baggy shorts would soon tire and drop out. The public lane swimming sessions became overloaded with older women in shapeless black Lycra one piece suits.

In the sea wearing big baggy shorts rapidly turns a strong swimmer into a weak swimmer and a weak swimmer into a non swimmer. So boys and young men in big baggy shorts were spending less time actually swimming and more time plodding about in the shallows.

After an unfulfilling swim the big baggy shorts wearer is left with wet shorts that will remain damp for hours further spoiling his beach experience. Eventually the only reason he stays on the beach is to hang out with the girls in their tiny bikinis who can all swim better than he can.

Our young man is trapped, if he wears short shorts or speedos that he can swim and sunbathe comfortably in he'll be assumed to be gay and if he keeps his big baggy shorts on he'll have a wasted day at the beach.

Fortunately there is a new generation coming through that are rejecting the old conformity and are enjoying shorter shorts and may experiment with speedos.

[Bede735]

Time to start a campaign - "Male Nudity Matters". And any criticism of that will be deemed as sexist. Sorted.

[Jack Lewis]

I think Fairfax has made some intelligent-expressed observations, which presents an interesting slant on our collective disappointment. As you say, young men today will doubtless never know what they’ve missed.

The Michael Jordan effect had a lot to answer for, but as Torchwood says, there were so many other social changes that fuelled the trajectory. Official acceptance of homosexuality (even if not universally taken to heart), political correctness (which has been a blessing and a curse), etc. Its strange how most people, I think, watch competitive swimmers/divers wearing speedos and say “well he’s a professional so of course he’s wearing those”. But the same guy (unless recognised) would be looked upon with scorn if seen on the beach wearing them. Imagine a male stripper in board-shorts! Actually, I’ve recently seen male fitness parade shows where the guys are on stage in board-shorts. So, forget leg-day – its over! No need! You say a new generation is coming through that are rejecting the old conformity, but I have to say I’ve not seen any evidence of that. But I hope you’re right.

Bede735 – that is brilliant – you sir, are a genius. It makes no sense to go into battle with bows and arrows. One must always use the modern weapons of our time.

[Torchwatch]

Male Nudity Matters is actually quite important, the slavers and the missionaries justified their actions by claiming they were bringing the naked savages into the light of civilisation and Christianity.

In ancient Rome slaves were always auctioned while naked and standing on a block, I suspect that slaves coming off the ships in the US and Caribbean were naked and stripped of all humanity when they were sold.

Native American Indians were dehumanised because of their naked savage image, they could be killed or starved on reservations while treaties made with Indian tribes could be broken because a promise given to a savage need not be honoured.

"Clothes maketh the man" the rich said while wearing their finery, the poor wore pass me down rags displaying their poverty while their priests warned them of the naked savages in the dark uncivilised heathen parts of the world.

In mediaeval Europe if you had no money you lost your home, you sold your clothes to buy food and then were thrown out of town to wander naked and helpless on the blasted heaths outside the law. Public nudity was originally covered by the Vagrancy Act, of having no visible means of support you would be arrested not for indecency but for poverty.

The naked man is a threat to society, to Christianity; if you can be educated, have a home, money in the bank and a smart phone connecting you to everything yet still be naked then the justification for colonising, enslaving and civilising the native peoples of the world collapses.

[Fairfax]

Your description Torchwatch of the decline of naturist beaches in Britian mirrors the situation here in Australia. Rightly or wrongly every clothing optional beach here is now considered a "gay" beach.

However I don't think its widely recognised that the decline of the naturist lifestyle is mainly due to the invention of modern swimwear. When the naturist movement took off in popularity during the 1920's "swimwear" as it existed then wasn't really worthy of the name. Its no wonder a lot of people thought going naked the best option.

The invention of nylon in the 1950's and especially nylon elastaine in the 1970's changed everything. When people had access to minimal, form fitting garments, that didn't slow you down in the water and dried quickly afterwards the popularity of nude bathing declined.

I tried the nude bathing thing a few times in my twenties but quickly went back to briefs because I found you got much the same feeling of freedom without the social awkwardness of putting your genitals on display. The tanlines and swimwear fashions available were also more appealing to me and many other people.
The people still attending naturist beaches were as you said older couples and people for whom going naked had a stronger sexual element. Basically nudity had become sexualised again.

What frustrates me with todays situation is while women have retained the enjoyment of wearing minimal clothing in an outdoor recreational setting (a sort of "nudist lite") our modern society considers men wearing similar garments to be sexualised like nudity.

I'm not sure how this can be changed. I think part of the problem is while about 80% of women enjoy doing the "nudist lite" thing only about 20% of men would be interested. As a minority they are simply intimidated into conformity.

The only hope I have for positive change is this movement towards "gender fluidity" that's taken off in recent years. Maybe it will be recognised that men have the same legitimate desire to display their bodies as women do.
Until that happens the "good old days" won't return.

[Glenda]

As long as reduced sperm count articles due to the wearing of Speedos and other tight clothing continue to be written, the "good old days" will never return. I first recalled reading about it in the mid-1980's. The perception by women I've known is that the wearing of Speedos is less masculine (having qualities or appearance traditionally associated with men, especially strength and aggressiveness) due to it weakens their sexual reproduction capabilities.

https://www.inverse.com/article/3510...ce-sperm-count

The author of this 2017 article is a woman...Eleanor Cummins.

[Jack Lewis]

I think most guys are aware of the “tight clothes reduce your sperm-count” idea, but I’m not sure many guys are really taking that into account when choosing what to wear, be it on the beach or anywhere else. We all do lots of things in life that we know we shouldn’t – sunbathing, drinking, smoking etc. I have to say I’m a bit surprised women view a man in speedos as “less masculine” because of the sperm-count argument. Do they think that of male strippers too? Would they think they were more virile-looking if they turned up in floppy floral board-shorts? Do women look at buff strippers and say “Well he’s no good – look at his tiny trunks – obviously not much sperm there then!”

At the end of the day, another anthropological principle we can’t ignore, is that, like it or not, traditionally women are the hunted and men are the hunters. Thus a man displaying a lot of flesh is perceived as trying to seek approval from other hunters, who are more likely to be male, and therefore he must be gay. It’s ironic that we weren’t bothered by any of this back in the 70s/80s, but now that we are gender-fluid we are more sensitive to this rather than less.

[Schoolspeedo]

Originally Posted by Fairfax

Your description Torchwatch of the decline of naturist beaches in Britian mirrors the situation here in Australia. Rightly or wrongly every clothing optional beach here is now considered a "gay" beach.

However I don't think its widely recognised that the decline of the naturist lifestyle is mainly due to the invention of modern swimwear. When the naturist movement took off in popularity during the 1920's "swimwear" as it existed then wasn't really worthy of the name. Its no wonder a lot of people thought going naked the best option.

The invention of nylon in the 1950's and especially nylon elastaine in the 1970's changed everything. When people had access to minimal, form fitting garments, that didn't slow you down in the water and dried quickly afterwards the popularity of nude bathing declined.

I tried the nude bathing thing a few times in my twenties but quickly went back to briefs because I found you got much the same feeling of freedom without the social awkwardness of putting your genitals on display. The tanlines and swimwear fashions available were also more appealing to me and many other people.
The people still attending naturist beaches were as you said older couples and people for whom going naked had a stronger sexual element. Basically nudity had become sexualised again.

What frustrates me with todays situation is while women have retained the enjoyment of wearing minimal clothing in an outdoor recreational setting (a sort of "nudist lite") our modern society considers men wearing similar garments to be sexualised like nudity.

I'm not sure how this can be changed. I think part of the problem is while about 80% of women enjoy doing the "nudist lite" thing only about 20% of men would be interested. As a minority they are simply intimidated into conformity.

The only hope I have for positive change is this movement towards "gender fluidity" that's taken off in recent years. Maybe it will be recognised that men have the same legitimate desire to display their bodies as women do.
Until that happens the "good old days" won't return.

Great article. Personally I'd quite happily go nude on a beach, pool or sauna. For me there's a freedom from prejudice or criticism in being nude as everyone is the same; no clothes. With swimwear people tend to dress in a way which they allow themselves to display to the limit of what they dare or are comfortable with and then tends to lead to accusations of exhibitionism or questions over sexuality in those who are comfortable in wearing the very least. I get this all the time from my family and friends, not doubting my sexuality but labelling me in mocking way. My wife is one of my biggest critics, obviously as she's with me most of the time but she often wears the tiniest of thongs, g-string underwear and very skimpy bikinis on the beach!

[TX_Micro]

I don’t believe improvement in fabrics and changes in swimwear styles has much to do with the decline of nude beaches. When I go to any beach not just nude beaches there isn’t a lot of swimming taking place. I for one may get in the water to cool off but for the most part I spend my time reading, walking, or socializing.
I suspect the decline has more to do with society equating nude with sex. After all, that is about the only time most people are nude. I think my observation is supported by the number of post I read about erections when nude.

[Minimalist75]

Torchwatch,
I have heard or read much of what you had in you recent post.
However, on comment is new and surprising to me.

"In mediaeval Europe if you had no money you lost your home, you sold your clothes to buy food and then were thrown out of town to wander naked and helpless on the blasted heaths outside the law"

Do you have any reference of this?