WATCH: What It’s Really Like Inside a French Nudist Colony

[Davin]

Ever wonder what it’s like inside one of those nudist colonies? Well, wonder no more! A French naturalists retreat opened it’s doors to cameras for the first time, for our edification.

https://www.yahoo.com/travel/watch-w...-sh&soc_trk=tw

[atalanta]

This is a very sloppy post. Cap d'Agde is not a retreat for naturalists. I recommend the use of a dictionary.
And as to opening its doors to cameras for the first time!...there have been thousands of photos and videos of this place all over the web for decades.

[nudeyooper]

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And as to opening its doors to cameras for the first time!...there have been thousands of photos and videos of this place all over the web for decades

Agreed. There have been many other stories from non-nudist media that have done a better job of really presenting Cap d'Agde and other communities and resorts in a more positive and what I consider more accurate light. Just wish I could have been there so I could laugh a bit harder at that story.

[usuallylurk]

Must have been a slow news day.

Ever wonder what it’s like inside one of those nudist colonies?

Yeah, I did.

So - you know what I did? I went to visit one. If anyone really wants to know what goes on at a nudist facility or group (we don't use the word "colony" but the media somehow loves it) .... TRY IT OUT FOR YOURSELF. Go visit one.

[Agde]

Hear, hear, Lurk! Just try it. Cap d'Agde of course is currently busy trying to shake its swinger reputation and get back to the more easy-going atmosphere when I was a kid. Anyhow, I figure the doors of "nudist colonies" [sic] are not meant by us to keep people out, but rather required by the hoi-polloi to keep our cheerfully subversive propriety and common sense out of sight...

[usuallylurk]

Agde

The reasons for the gates and fences are, as you say, to keep our activities behind closed doors and fences. They are also there to respect OUR privacy, sometimes add to OUR enjoyment, and security and comfort.

Unless you have

a) ill intentions (gawking, sexual activity)

b) a past level of misbehavior - either at a nudist gathering or in the world at large

c) complete social ineptness where you cannot carry on a brief conversation with other adults; take note that the screening process actually begins on the first contact - that first e-mail, that first phone call.

d) extreme fear of being nude

e) lack of self-independence, you're controlled by others. Example = an adult male who believes he cannot do anything without parental consent, and I've run into quite a few on the internet. I cannot imagine being 22-25-30-or older, and reading 'if my parents let me go", or "I don't know what to tell my mother about this".


.... there are elements of our world open to anyone. Yes, some doors will be closed to single males; some doors will be closed to a married person whose spouse shows no interest or vehemently object; and there are economics at play - where, if you have to travel to a nudist park by car and you don't own a car, etc.

But our world is largely "open" -- even the world behind that fence. We just want to talk to people before we open the gate to them. And that's for our own protection and to preserve our nudist space as a comfort zone.

It's just that - nudism isn't for everyone.

[Agde]

Well, misbehavior isn't welcomed in any social group, and it is true that naturists have higher than "normal" standards for inter-personal respect. There is certainly comfort in knowing that everyone in a particular place shares those high standards.

But I have always found that it is worth taking a chance with newbies, being clear about the expected etiquette, being accessible for questions, and being forgiving (but vocal) about any transitional faux-pas. Some of the most unlikely newbies (eg. "extreme fear of being nude" or potential gawkers) have actually transitioned the quickest, in my experience, like there is some sort of light-switch of attitude. The "public" is a newbie.

Let people get experience with naturism and adjust, let them see that clothing is superficial, let them feel the safety and inter-personal vibes, let the cameras in to flush away misconceptions and publicize naturist values.

Naturism has now been an isolated social experiment long enough. If we are open and clear about our values, people can already know "what it's really like" and they will either assume the best (maybe even seek us out) or avoid us as incompatible with whatever "thrill" they're seeking. Either way, real and metaphorical gates can be opened and protective fences lowered.