Being nude with someone besides a sexual partner

No no ... I said they look odd to me when they're NOT erect. I know about the peekaboo. I'm not passing judgement ... just making a comment.

 

No, he said it's not unusual. You seem to have a blind spot for the word "not".

 

The US circumcision rate has indeed gone down in every decade since the 50s, and is now below 50%.

 

ndln mentioned having friends with whom he has never had a conversation in which they were fully dressed. This is the situation at most health-club locker rooms. I found that I was making friends of the other men who went there, as we sat naked together in the sauna and steam. In fact, our shared nakedness was a basic part of our relationships.

Then, whenever I would encounter one of those friends out in the "real" world, it seemed a bit awkward, and we had trouble communicating as well as we had done when we were both naked. It seemed as if our friendships depended on the situation in which we were naked together.

Conversely, I have close friends with whom I have never been naked, and a few times I have encountered one of them in the shower and locker-room area. I found that we were always uncomfortable being naked together and would usually go immediately to get dressed, or at least cover-up.

In either situation, whether it is shared nudity, or the absence of such, it is difficult to shift from one practice to another and maintain the relationship as it had been.

Does this compute with anyone else?

 

For me it's not been quite as you described. When I've met people who I know from the sauna or steam room I used to go to, having a conversation in public without mentioning how we know each other can be difficult. Especially when I explain why I don't go there anymore.

Years ago I remember an argument being put forward that when we are all naked some of the class distinctions that exist in society disappear. When you meet people you've only ever seen with a towel on or nude before, who are clothed, some of those seem to reappear in a way.

 

nldn, you are exactly right, that when everyone is naked class distinctions do seem to disappear, especially when there were no known distinctions before. I have seen men in the locker rooms who were well "respected" persons in the community, but naked much of their reason for being respected disappeared. This is especially true for men who are not so "well-endowed" despite their social status. It is hard to be a snob when the guy standing next to you is so much better-hung!

It is a truism of group nudity that we tend to judge each other more because of our bodily features than anything else.

 

i usually sleep naked. and whenever i had friends over, i'll just strip down as usual and sleep naked. sometimes they'll also sleep naked, and sometimes they don't.

 

My main experience has been in hotels with spas where you feel stupid clothed when everyone else is naked. Both myself and my other half have always found it relaxing and comfortable.

 

My housemates and I have been nude in front of each other before. I live with 6 people, and they are all couples exluding me. It never felt weird as we all feel comfortable in our own bodies =)

We weren't born with clothes on

 

I don't really buy into this whole concept of nudity removing class boundaries.

Nudity just provides different ways of people grading each other, you mention it yourself in your post, with men judging how well endowed one another are.

 

It's just a shame that even after the clothes come off, we have to find some way of determining a value-ranking system, even if it's based on the length of someone's penis. Really? Can we just move past it, guys?

 

my girlfriends and me dont wear clothes in the backyard pool so yes we've seen out bodies nude, but no men have seen me nude since i married except for my moms bf hes pervy.

 

I agree.

 

I have also found that people tend to be more "authentic" when they are nude together. There is an inclination, once you have bared your body, to bare your soul also. I was once in a nude encounter group, in which we discussed all sorts of personal problems. I definitely felt that there was a deeper level of honesty and trust than there would have been if we were fully clothed.

And, at nudist clubs, I have found it easier to make friends, if only temporarily, because of our shared nudity. I have been amazed at how quickly a small group of nudists, even a mixed group, can get down to talking about their true feelings while sitting around naked! There must be something about shared nakedness which brings out the best in those involved.

 

I think that's probably the effect and not the cause. What I mean is .. people who are inclined to be open about their inner feelings are more likely to be ok with being naked with a group of people, not the other way around.

 

Caliente, you make a very good point. I would go further to guess that neither the ability to be open, nor being comfortable with group nudity, is exactly the cause or the effect.

I would say that the cause is having a healthy self-image, which results in being able to be open and honest with others, as well as being able to enjoy shared nudity.

 

yep yep...often actually. Friends pools, nude beach, hot tub at the rents and then beyond that a have a few photographer friends so Ive posed for them from tiem to tiem and art class stuff and yea just in general with roomates and friends over the years. Nudity isnt and doesnt have to mean sex is about to happen, not at all.

 

Well said...

I am too, frequently, socialising with nudist & non-nudist friends, garden parties, pool parties, spas, mixed saunas and jacuzzis, on nude and clothing optional beaches, life modeling for students, nude modeling for various artists. As a naturist I'm always nude at home and neighbours and visitors just accept it as my lifestyle.

 

I have been to mixed public saunas, the first time was with my then girlfriend but since then I have been on my own and I now go with a female friend who I also sunbathe nude with and sometimes hang out nude with her in her flat.Its been the last couple of years as previously she only went topless, but she's finally come around to it. It's a very liberating experience going nude with some who is not your partner