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Tuesday, June 9, 2020


I wonder what kind of magazine he's reading.

6 comments:

  1. That was quite a common sight in the England of my youth, left over from Victorian times when male nudity was quite tolerated. There was a place on Hampstead Heath in London where men could sunbathe naked... and along the Thames in Oxford (where it was known as the Isis) and others dotted about the country. A young lad could always get a good eyeful.

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    1. Swimming holes are like that in the States. The problem being States like North Dakota, with the fewest authorities per square mile, also have the shortest summer.

      Don't even try in the Southeast. Those States are really big on "traditional values" as established under the Kennedy administration.

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    2. Florida does have a few public nude beaches, or at least they used to. The rest of the Southeast is a wasteland for nudity unless you manage to find a private facility to join.

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  2. Hippie Hollow is the only clothing optional swimming area on Lake Travis near Austin Tx - unfortunately covid has closed it down till further notice - it has become rather respectable these days but back in its heyday (40-50 years ago)when it was predominately gay, it was really out in the wilderness and you had to be in good shape to hike the trails to get there- some good times were had by all back then!!

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  3. Good to mention the surprisingly liberal Victorian view on nudity. Whilst I'm sure they knew there was a certain amount homosexual activity, social nudity by men in appropriate situations was considered totally normal and healthy. Oh to return to that attitude.

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    1. It's specifically male nudity. Double standards and all that. A few other odd things I learned:

      There was a moderate side to the anti-masturbation nonsense, saying a man needed to release semen to remain healthy, but not too much. So if course most men told themselves they masturbated just enough to be healthy. A lot of bodybuilders and strongman and athletes had a dude or two help them. (This brand of bro science held that these manly men produced semen at a dangerous speed.)

      Homosexuality was everywhere, euphemized as "special friends" or similar of course. Anal sex, however, would be rare until the 1970s. Mutual masturbation was the most common. The educated class also thrust between the thighs in an imitation of Greek pederasts. At the same time, male prostitutes offered blowjobs. Some men received blowjobs and presents (but don't call it compensation) from men. Despite this diversity, everything from this period I can find on studying homosexuality focuses exclusively on anal.

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