Berlin recently announced that women can now go topless in the public pools of the German capital, while on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, women went topless last December after residents voted in favor of “gender equality on the beaches.”
The “Free the Nipple” campaign has also returned post-pandemic with topless parades in New York City, Vancouver, Paris, and other places. Women in sheer clothing have become a constant at gala events like the Met Gala, Milan Fashion Week, BRIT Awards in London, Cannes Film Festival in France, among others.
Meanwhile, there are more places than ever to sunbathe, swim, or build sandcastles on beaches where clothing is optional.
Although nudist beaches may seem like a modern invention, it is actually quite an old idea, a product of the prudish Victorian era.
During the 1880s, American poet Walt Whitman extolled the virtues of “Adam’s air bath” – his nude walks and swims along Timber Creek in New Jersey, writing about “the free and exhilarating ecstasy of nudity in nature.”
In that same spirit, the naturist movement took off in Europe and North America during the first half of the 20th century, with city parks, camps, and eventually beaches established for those wanting to experience nature as they came into the world.
One of the offshoots of the social and sexual liberalism of the 1960s was a “free beach” movement that saw a proliferation of nudist beaches around the world.
And its popularity continues to this day, with more and more beaches appearing each year.
Want to experience the feeling of going to the beach completely naked? Here are the nudist beaches in the United States that are among the 20 best nudist beaches in the world:
• Moshup Beach, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts – the clothing-optional area is located under rust-colored sandstone cliffs that were designated a National Natural Landmark in 1966.
• Black’s Beach, La Jolla, California – one of Golden State’s favorite spots for nudists over 50 and was once the only legal nudist beach in the entire United States.
• Little Beach, Maui, Hawaii – Part of Makena State Park, on the southeast coast of the island, overlooks a national marine sanctuary known for its sea turtles, dolphins, whales, and tropical fish. Twisted trees behind the sand provide some shade, and the cove is well protected for swimming.
• Haulover Beach Park, Miami, Florida – The most popular public nudist beach in the United States, Haulover attracts over 1.3 million people to its white sands and warm waters each year.
Source: CNN