Fabulous article on nudity in East Germany. It would be nice if we could take a lesson on how to really enjoy freedom and appreciate our bodies from the attitudes of these founders of an early nudist movement. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
I love the idea of living in a free-nude society, but singing the praises of Marxism because it is nude-friendly is like singing the praises of starvation because it really slims down the waistline. It was an informative and fascinating article, but inferring that there is more freedom in a communist/socialist society is ludicrous propaganda. There is a reason people are flooding into America but had to escape from East Germany before the wall fell.
I feel that author just intends to inform us that the naturism was more over family oriented, non restrictive. Though the regimes at that times are not officially supporting naturism, but were also not restricting. The author strongly confirms that the naturism movement was from the society itself & hence doesn't required official approval. The author is not confirming that there was freedom for all areas of life in GDR. He is just stressing for freedom in naturism. That's what I feel.. I may be wrong.. Please correct me, if I am wrong..
"State surveillance and consumer shortages were no doubt real enough in the GDR, but such shallow conclusions are the product of Cold War propaganda that ignore the opinions of the people who lived there." This statement alone suggests the horrors of communism were propaganda. I lived through the Cold War and have friends who escaped from East Germany. We have a generation that thinks everything that happened before they were alive or conscious didn't happen. The new political call for equity over equality is proof.
I love this excellent article!! It seems all very valid and consistent with my limited experience of FKK in the DDR. I would love to see a similar article covering nudism and naturism in the Federal Republic of Germany during the same years, with some exploration of why nudism is still more widely accepted in Germany than in other cultures currently.
Sadly, I think that you'll find that social/public nudity in Germany is following similar downward trends in participation and wider acceptance to that in similar countries. Former clothing optional beaches becoming either fully textile or used by them more than nudists.
An amazing article..A sincere salute to the author.. The article simply paints the entire history, covering two world wars, cold war, division, reunification of Germany & impact of all these incidents on nudism in GDR. I will surely preserve this article in my very small naturism library..
As a European, it's not always easy for me to explain to North Americans how one of the facts that make attitudes related to nudity here more relaxed it's precisely because it is public. We are all somewhat close to a nudist place (a beach, a lake, a sauna, a park, etc) and, obviously, those are all public and freely accessible.
The historical approach, as seen in this article, helps to explain it. I've been nude in Germany but I wish I had experienced being a nudist in the DDR.
Thanks very much for this comment, David. It is nice to get some validation of some of the findings from someone familiar with nudism in Germany.
Fabulous article on nudity in East Germany. It would be nice if we could take a lesson on how to really enjoy freedom and appreciate our bodies from the attitudes of these founders of an early nudist movement. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Thanks very much, Jeffery. There were indeed a lot of lessons that can be taken from the experience in the GDR. Glad you enjoyed the read.
I love the idea of living in a free-nude society, but singing the praises of Marxism because it is nude-friendly is like singing the praises of starvation because it really slims down the waistline. It was an informative and fascinating article, but inferring that there is more freedom in a communist/socialist society is ludicrous propaganda. There is a reason people are flooding into America but had to escape from East Germany before the wall fell.
Well said. What the government gives us, can also be taken away.
I feel that author just intends to inform us that the naturism was more over family oriented, non restrictive. Though the regimes at that times are not officially supporting naturism, but were also not restricting. The author strongly confirms that the naturism movement was from the society itself & hence doesn't required official approval. The author is not confirming that there was freedom for all areas of life in GDR. He is just stressing for freedom in naturism. That's what I feel.. I may be wrong.. Please correct me, if I am wrong..
I read it as you did.
"State surveillance and consumer shortages were no doubt real enough in the GDR, but such shallow conclusions are the product of Cold War propaganda that ignore the opinions of the people who lived there." This statement alone suggests the horrors of communism were propaganda. I lived through the Cold War and have friends who escaped from East Germany. We have a generation that thinks everything that happened before they were alive or conscious didn't happen. The new political call for equity over equality is proof.
That's a very black/white view of things. It's absolutely possible for something to have good and bad sides. Things are complex.
I love this excellent article!! It seems all very valid and consistent with my limited experience of FKK in the DDR. I would love to see a similar article covering nudism and naturism in the Federal Republic of Germany during the same years, with some exploration of why nudism is still more widely accepted in Germany than in other cultures currently.
Glad you found it useful, Thomas. When did you have the opportunity to experience the FKK culture in the GDR?
Sadly, I think that you'll find that social/public nudity in Germany is following similar downward trends in participation and wider acceptance to that in similar countries. Former clothing optional beaches becoming either fully textile or used by them more than nudists.
I don’t know about this. If a government can give us the God Given Right to be Nude, then it can also Take it away from us.
In My Humble Opinion A Feature Leangth Movie Or A Television Series About The FKK And Its Effects On East Germany And The World Would Be Brilliant.
Agreed. That would be pretty insightful and poignant.
Excellent researched article, a good read
Thanks for this very interesting and informative article.
An amazing article..A sincere salute to the author.. The article simply paints the entire history, covering two world wars, cold war, division, reunification of Germany & impact of all these incidents on nudism in GDR. I will surely preserve this article in my very small naturism library..
So interesting
That's a great article.
As a European, it's not always easy for me to explain to North Americans how one of the facts that make attitudes related to nudity here more relaxed it's precisely because it is public. We are all somewhat close to a nudist place (a beach, a lake, a sauna, a park, etc) and, obviously, those are all public and freely accessible.
The historical approach, as seen in this article, helps to explain it. I've been nude in Germany but I wish I had experienced being a nudist in the DDR.