Where did Boys Not Wear Swimming Trunks in 1952?

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Gaybutton
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Re: Where did Boys Not Wear Swimming Trunks in 1952?

Post by Gaybutton »

fountainhall wrote:Korea where open bathing was the norm.
"You don't want to go to a nude beach where some of the men are walking around with a ruler. I stopped going to nude beaches. They always made me park in the handicapped zone."
- Rodney Dangerfield
fountainhall

Re: Where did Boys Not Wear Swimming Trunks in 1952?

Post by fountainhall »

Ha! I should have added open unisex bathing at bath houses and in school sports facilities! Gangwon Province in Korea did propose opening a nude beach back in 2013. I don't think it ever got off the sand. About 30% of South Koreans are pretty devout Christians. 'Nuff said!
fountainhall

Re: Where did Boys Not Wear Swimming Trunks in 1952?

Post by fountainhall »

Dodger wrote:Who said anything about "culture"?
But isn't it in effect an ingrained part of a culture? It used to be pervasive virtually all over Asia. So public nudity amongst men was indeed part of many cultures - just as homosexuality was to quite a large extent. Several Chinese Emperors are known to have been gay. Emperor Ai Ti had several male lovers. When sharing his couch with his favourite Dong Xian he suddenly had to get up but Dong was sleeping on his sleeve. Rather than wake him, the Emperor cut off his sleeve with his sword. "Cut sleeve" is now one of many terms used to refer to gay men in China. A favourite of an earlier Emperor was Long Yang - hence the various Long Yang clubs around the world. Japan celebrated nudity and virtually idealised gay love - first between Buddhist monks and apprentices and then between those in the samurai class and their apprentices.

Starting with the Muslims traders in the 13th century followed later by the European and American colonists, attitudes started to change, thanks in large part to the banks of missionaries that followed in their wake who preached that nudity led to unpure thoughts! The one religion which appears not to have sent missionaries was Islam. As in much of Asia, the peoples of parts of Indonesia and then what is now Malaysia were Buddhist but gradually became interested in the religion of the Arab traders and freely converted over a long period of time.

Although I have no evidence, I have little doubt that boners were sometimes witnessed in public nudity in those days, just as they are occasionally today in non-gay hot springs. It has nothing to do with age.
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Re: Where did Boys Not Wear Swimming Trunks in 1952?

Post by Dodger »

fountainhall wrote:But isn't it in effect an ingrained part of a culture?
I really don't see the cultural link here.

At least from my own encounters - young boys frequently go swimming in the nude when they are out in the country. I've witnessed the same in the U.S. as I have during my travels to Mexico, Europe, South America, Korea, Thailand, etc. Things are more controlled and disciplined in the cities or congested suburban areas. Out in the remote country-side people tend to be much more relaxed and gravitate more toward nature. Swimming naked out in the country in America is just part of growing up - the same as the Thai boys do at the watering hole near Khantaralak.

If swimming naked has cultural links - than I think it is linked to all cultures.
Doug

Re: Where did Boys Not Wear Swimming Trunks in 1952?

Post by Doug »

My brother and I attended the YMCA in Toronto in the 1950s and the pool there required nude swimming. In the summer we went to their camp north of toronto and they would have morning skinny dips before breakfast. As a kid I never thought anything of it.
Jun

Re: Where did Boys Not Wear Swimming Trunks in 1952?

Post by Jun »

Well it's all on a sliding scale & cannot be rationalized.

There are parks in cities like Berlin & Munich where people of both genders sunbathe nude.

It's common for men to bathe topless, whilst women cover up. Even there, as far as I understand it, the minimum size bra covers only the nipples, yet the nipples are similar to what can be found on men. Showing the curvature behind is OK. Where is the logic ?

Meanwhile in parts of the middle East, women have to cover up from head to toe.

Who knows which direction things will move in in the next 50 years, however I think it would generally be better if people had fewer inhibitions about been seen in our natural state.
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Re: Where did Boys Not Wear Swimming Trunks in 1952?

Post by Dodger »

Evan today in the new millennium - nobody would look twice at a woman wearing a two piece bathing suit at the beach - but if the same woman walked down the very same beach wearing a bra and panties people's eyes would start bulging out...mothers would be covering their children's eyes and the fathers would start making vulgar gestures and jagging off. Two pieces of cloth - exactly the same type of material and exactly the same size, with two totally different reactions in society....go figure.

The challenge I had when I was a kid was swimming naked at the YMCA without getting a boner. It wasn't until I was around 12 or 13 that I realized that I was attracted to the same sex. Before that I just thought the cold water was causing my cock to get hard...LOL When I got older (15 or 16) and joined the high school swimming team I had to take my shower after the rest of the team finished their showers and were dressed. To this day I have the hots for a slim guy wearing Speedo's.
fountainhall

Re: Where did Boys Not Wear Swimming Trunks in 1952?

Post by fountainhall »

What annoys me is women going naked at the beach believing that it is their right to strip off as they wish. Again it's a cultural sort of thing where here in Thailand it is definitely frowned upon. Yet it is tolerated in many places. Meantime, let men go naked on the beach (apart from in dedicated nude beaches) and the chances are they'd be arrested! Something is not fair, here!
Jun

Re: Where did Boys Not Wear Swimming Trunks in 1952?

Post by Jun »

fountainhall wrote:What annoys me is women going naked at the beach believing that it is their right to strip off as they wish. Again it's a cultural sort of thing where here in Thailand it is definitely frowned upon. Yet it is tolerated in many places. Meantime, let men go naked on the beach (apart from in dedicated nude beaches) and the chances are they'd be arrested! Something is not fair, here!
Where does that happen ? Admittedly I've only been on beaches in Pattaya, Jomtien, Patong, Ao Nang & Hua Hin so far.
fountainhall

Re: Where did Boys Not Wear Swimming Trunks in 1952?

Post by fountainhall »

In recent years have seen many topless women in Phuket, Khao Lak, Krabi, Samui and Pattaya. They looked European but could have come from any western country or Russia. Totally nude? Not in Thailand, but I was basically extending the discussion to all countries including Australia and Spain. But I also take exception to topless women showing their tits. If tits can be freed to waggle around, why not dicks?
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