Speedos at a nude beach

[Dooley67]

I don't think that anyone should be critical of guys who wear speedos at a nude beach. If you consider the idea of "clothing optional", that means one has the option to be nude or to wear a speedo, in this case, if one so chooses.

About 10 years ago, my wife and I were vacationing in the south of France in a small town called Ramatuelle, right near St. Tropez, where there was a nude beach nearby. I was 57 at the time and had never been to a nude beach, so I decided to go a couple of times. My wife, who is less daring than I, was a very good sport and came along. I arrived in my speedo which I took off, and my wife remained in her one piece, feeling more comfortable that way and I didn't try to convince her to remove her bathing suit. There were people of all ages on the beach, most nude, some women just topless, some men in speedos, bikinis or thongs. There was one large family where the grandparents were nude as were the parents, a girl about 19 or 20 just topless, and a boy, 15 or 16 in a very low cut bikini. I guess the kids were not comfortable being nude in front of their family or each other.

So, my point is, people have the option to do as they wish for whatever reason and shouldn't be subject to suppositions about their reasons. I must say, at the age of 57, I felt very comfortable and free at that beach and wouldn't hesitate to do it again if the opportunity arose.

D67

[Torchwatch]

In the 1980's there used to many families on British naturist beaches, as boys reached puberty they would begin to wear speedos or shorts on the beach not only out of embarrassment at being naked in front of their parents but also as other boys would notice their full body tans in the showers at school and start taunting them about visiting nude beaches.
When boys reached manhood they would begin to loose their inhibitions and again go naked especially with friends of their own age.
When the great paedo hunt of the 1990's began families began to disappear from British naturist beaches, mothers stayed with the children and the fathers moved to textile beaches with their families, all wearing increasingly long shorts. The naturist beaches were left to older childless couples and single men. Many of the single men were gay or became gay, sunning themselves discretely in dunes or among cliff alcoves. word spread that the former family naturist beaches were now gay attracted non naturist gay men some of whom wore speedos.

I am concerned about the story of the initiation ceremony at a health club above. It reminds me of the scene in Tom Brown's School Days where Tom Brown on his first day at school is forced to stand on a table and sing a song by the school bully Flashman. I have no problems with a health club having a naked swimming pool and sauna suite, either all the time or for special sessions, but blindfolds and being publicly stripped in front of a cheering crowd could be damaging to those men who were not willing or aware of what would happen.

[Byron]

As Tom was also burned in front of the fire at the behest of Flashman it was perhaps a somewhat different genre of sadism at Rugby?

[Byron]

Are the islands still nudist colonies at Porquerolles, Port-Cros and Ile du Levant?
I remember long ago they were reached by the little boats from Hyeres.

(PS for Louis - German troops were removed from the islands in August 1944 by US/Canadian special forces - they were a bit stubborn but as Senegalese soldiers were also participants in the operation it was thought preferable not to surrender to them)

[Minimalist75]

I sometimes wear a speedo from the parking lot to the nude beach, sometimes gym shorts. Never both or a shirt. Why wear more than necessary when it's just going to come off when you get there?