Based on what we saw, the supposedly serious Germans are as capable of wild partying as any other people you care to name. We are highly intrigued by their blasé approach to nudity. In fact, when someone recently claimed to have unearthed a nude photo of a youthful Angela Merkel parading her bush around a summery German seafront, the news was greeted in her home country with a collective shrug. Even if it were true, Merkel would have been merely part of a longstanding nudist tradition. That tradition was well represented in print. Through the 1950s and 1960s reams of naturist publications such as Sonnenstrahl, O Humana, and Unser Dasein appeared in West Germany. The above cover is from Sonnenfreunde (Sun Friends), one of the earliest and most popular of such magazines, launching way back in 1949. We have a few scans below, and if you think you see Angela Merkel, well, we disavow any such suggestion. 

It seems like years ago (because it was), that we posted a collection of nudist magazine fronts and said we’d get back to the subject soon. We’re nothing around here if not true to our word. Above is the cover of Humana, a naturist magazine from the undisputed world center of nudism, Germany. Below you see various nudists innocently doing everyday things, including… well, we don’t actually know what they’re doing. Trying to pretend they aren’t naked, we suppose. Which is pretty hard when you go up to spike a volleyball and your dick is screaming, “No, I got it! Mine!” Anyway, this issue, numbered number 42, dates from 1971. Random scans below, and yes, we have more of these. 

This August 1960 calendar shot shows Diane Webber, sometimes known as Marguerite Empey, whose specialization in nudist and health publications made her one of the most photographed models of the sixties. We have some interesting items featuring her we'll share later.

We talked a bit about the nudist movement before, and mentioned that the concept of nudism as a healthy lifestyle choice really took off during the pulp heyday of the 1950s. Above you see the August 1962 edition of American Sunbather. One thing you’ll notice—other than the cover model risking serious splinterage by posing on a tree stump—is the stamp of the American Sunbathing Association. The group still exists, surprisingly, albeit under the name American Association for Nude Recreation. But it’s the same org and they’ve been around since 1931. 

We wrote in that previous post that we thought nudism was possibly less accepted now than fifty years ago, but based on a visit to the AANR website, we retract that. The site quotes a USA Today poll result claiming that 15% of Americans “would consider a resort that offers a nude recreation experience or a clothing-optional beach experience” a very desirable part of a vacation. Of course, the key words in that poll question are “beach” and “vacation.” People will vote for anything having to do with those, no matter how weird it may be (consider that a little free advice for 2012, Sarah Palin).

Still, one in six Americans is willing bare all in front of strangers? We think this is a prime example of the chasm between polls and reality. Because while many people say they would strip in front of strangers, most get cold feet when it comes actual time to do the deed. We know whereof we speak—anytime we ask a girl to strip she flat out refuses. Usually while kneeing us in the groin at the same time. But now we’re going to join the AANR, receive a couple of membership cards, and make our requests in an official capacity: “Ma’am, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to strip—it isn't just natural and healthy, it’s the law.” More totally healthy AANR-approved nakedness below.

International nudist magazines promoted group nakedness as fun, healthy, and innocent—and even an unavoidable next step in human social evolution. If someone raised their eyebrows at your Campus Jaybird, it just proved they weren’t ready to be free, man. At least you knew better than to invite them on your next nude biking trip. Nudist magazines proliferated throughout the 50s and 60s, and remained popular into the 1970s. The Nudist Idea and American Nudist Leader, both below, feature covers with Diane Webber, aka Marguerite Empey, a former Playboy centerfold who remains one of the most renowned nude models of all time. Also putting in an appearance is Virginia Gordon, another Playboy model, seen on the cover of Paradise. Though the international nudist movement still exists, it is possibly less accepted than fifty years ago. We’re too young here to know for sure, so you’ll just have to ask your grandma about that. What we do know is you’ll be seeing more of these covers from us.