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The untold story of Yugoslavia’s naturist paradise
- Dorothy014 4y ago[dead]
- damian11 4y agoSomebody feeling kinky I sve je dobro i lepo u ovom svetu. Bolje da budemo goli.
- holoduke 4y agoFor most Americans it's impossible to understand naturism. In their world a nipple must be covered. But gore and violence is accepted. Luckily in Europe you still have many places where people have a different mindset.
- moonchrome 4y agoUmmm, I can tell you straight away most people in Croatia don't like nudism or naked people walking around. There are places that allow that specifically - but if you walk around shirtless you'll likely get a fine. Croatia is very socially conservative, so I don't get these contrasts with America. We can't even legalise weed - I'd say largely due to religious connotations/pushback.
- chewonbananas 4y agoPlenty of old men walk shirtless in coastal cities, though.
- moonchrome 4y agoApparently those no shirtless walking signs were not based on any laws so they can't fine you, I just remember seeing that on news. Island cities did put up the signs, which was my point about the local attitude.
- lakomen 4y agoThat is just not true. Maybe in beach restaurants but otherwise I've never experienced this. Hell people even get on busses topless.
- zb10948 4y agoThat's pure conjecture, you don't know that. Yes if you ask someone from continental part, on a typical central european estate, "do you like nudism" ofc the answer will be no. Ask people that live in the towns that have nudist zones under their jurisdiction, that's how you get relevant answers. No, Croatia is not "very socially conservative". It is maybe a bit more conservative than typical EU state which is still way more progressive than American notion of "conservative" let alone "very conservative". Then the thing is that places mentioned in the thread are not conservative at all. Coastal towns are not conservative. I come from Split and I have never ever had any troubles or whatsoever of being shirtless. You know that we only have those fines because of uncultured tourists. Because they think they can enter museum or bank in their swimsuits. Also there have always been undesignated nudist zones everywhere. There's one 20 minutes walk from Split downtown. On the islands, wherever urbanization stops, there could be naked people on the rocks of the shoreline. They just move a bit away, like 200-300m further from the last accessible beach in the area, and sun on the rocks. Every child that has spent more than 2-3 hours in a boat in Dalmatia was bound to see naked human genitalia up front or in the distance.
- StupidOne 4y agoJust to add to this - I'm from Zagreb (Capital of Croatia, former Yugoslavia republic) - we literally have nudist beach a mile or two from strict center of the city (https://tourist.hr/place/nudist-beach-jarun https://tourist.hr/place/nudist-beach-jarun).
- moonchrome 4y ago>Then the thing is that places mentioned in the thread are not conservative at all. Coastal towns are not conservative. Umm they are literally putting up boards that they will fine people walking shirtless on islands. Apparently they can't actually fine them because it's not based on any laws - but it's cities putting up these signs. > Also there have always been undesignated nudist zones everywhere. Designated or not is a technically, how many people out of general population actually go there ? This notion that it's generally acceptable - it's not. When I've wondered into to those places on Pag as a kid it was almost exclusively tourists and the locals would talk about it very judgementally. >It is maybe a bit more conservative than typical EU state which is still way more progressive than American notion of "conservative" let alone "very conservative". A country where we have like 50% of people vaccinated for COVID because of conspiracy theories fuelled by religious community ? Where 86% of population declared as Chatolic ? Where no doctor would perform an abortion on fetus with brain tumor because of call to consciousness (even when it was legal) and a woman had to go to Slovenia ? Croatia is a religious and conservative country, comparing to US pointless, but pretending we're some progressive nudist friendly country is just counterfactual. We have nudist beaches, and people get naked on boats.
- medo-bear 4y ago> Croatia is very socially conservative lol at this. generally former yugoslavia is only superficially conservative. i mean that in a good way. particularly we care about politeness manners and about our image and how we are percieved (again exceptions always exist). but trust me we also know how to have fun and enjoy life. nije prisa ;)
- leaflets2 4y agoHmm that reads quite different from: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32275868 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32275868 just above someone apparently also living in Croatia (maybe another city? other social circles?)
- trh0awayman 4y agoIn my neck of the woods of Europe, you're not supposed to go running without a shirt - and people will let you know.
- SyzygistSix 4y agoThat's a modern take that shows what how puritanical we have become in the last 30-40 years. It's sad.
- leaflets2 4y agoo.O what country is that I haven't noticed (although in Europe, northern) (I run without a shirt :-))
- iso1631 4y ago> In their world a nipple must be covered A female nipple
- hericium 4y agoThere's nothing kinky about naturism. Nude beaches are mostly asexual. Sure, there is some fucky-fucky going on at times but in the bushes not in the open. > There is certainly little evidence of sex orgies or swinging at Yugoslavia’s nudist resorts.
- lakomen 4y agoYes, downvote what you don't understand. Ljepše je biti gol
- cosmodisk 4y agoTo me, naturist beaches fall under the same category as saunas, when you go naked. In most cases there's virtually zero sexuality going on. Sure, there's always exceptions, where people see tits and go crazy about it, but in most cases it's completely different. I'm quite glad my country also has nudist beaches for those who want to be naked there.
- wawjgreen 4y agoon a nudist beach or a nude sauna, i would have a permanent 3erktion--until it were to be resolved. as it is, the models on the ads along streets are already troublesome enough. isn't it my right to live in a world where semi-nude women are not shoved into my face wherever i look???
- s1artibartfast 4y agoI would say no,you don't get that right. The inverse is also true, I don't think it is a right for nudists to expect entirely pure thoughts.
- wawjgreen 4y agoi dont know what kind of disfunctions niydists have but as a normal and healthy man, i can't NOT feel anything even in the presence of a naked flabby sea-lion of a woman.
- stephen_g 4y agoIt’s surprising actually, with normal people, nudism/naturism is generally super non-sexy, especially compared to the kind of models you see partially clothed in ads. Firstly, because most people don’t look like models, but even when you see more attractive people, the context is very different and you get used to it pretty quickly and the weirdness and novelty wears off. Anyone going hoping for sexual satisfaction will probably be disappointed.
- wawjgreen 4y ago
- ako 4y agoI’m currently on a camping in Croatia, it’s so hot even swimming trousers feel sticky and irritating. It would be more comfortable just to be nude. FKK still seems to be booming here, I noticed huge campings, 2000 or more spots, lots of facilities, all FKK. Also spend many holidays as a kid on an FKK camping in Yugoslavia, wasn’t always easy, especially as a adolescent (always bring a towel), but it always felt like a normal family camping.
- einpoklum 4y agoDon't you get sunburn though? When it's really hot I actually tend to cover up _more_ (with thinner, lighter clothing naturally).
- dkjaudyeqooe 4y agoI actually got my backside pretty badly sunburnt nude on a beach and I quickly, and painfully, learnt how you pretty much use it constantly. Also, I've yet to work out the correct edicate for the (very necessary) process of applying sunscreen to your genitals on the beach, especially in mixed company.
- ako 4y agoNot if you use more sunscreen, or sit in the shade.
- iso1631 4y agoGiven that on a US beach you will see people 95%+ naked I don't see how the extra 5% makes a difference to getting burnt. Just follow Mary Schmich (and thus Baz Luhrmann)'s advise - Wear Sunscreen.
- Moru 4y agoThe recommendation is to use clothes, sunscreen is for the parts the clothes don't cover. At least for us swedes with sensitive skin from the long winters :-)
- paul7986 4y agoThere are a few to more nude public nude beaches in the US... - Gunninson Beach in Sandy Hook, NJ - Haulover Beach in Northern Miami - Black's Beach in San Diego (anything goes there) I'm sure there are more! America isnt totally prudish!
- benj111 4y agoWestern mainland Europe is a lot less prudish than the US. In France you get shampoo ads that just casually show a boob, in the day time. And topless sunbathing is common around a lot of Europe.
- ryanmercer 4y ago>a lot less prudish than the US. >In France you get shampoo ads that just casually show a boob If you have to show a breast to sell shampoo, there's something wrong with your culture.
- meigwilym 4y agoI think you're misunderstanding here. From what I've seen of ads like this, it shows a woman in the shower using the product. Any body part shown is incidental and not exploitative.
- ryanmercer 4y agoI've seen "Crazy European commercial" type videos and they were things like two people having fairly aggressive sex and in the very background a crumpled pair of jeans or socks or something was the product being advertised. IIRC it was French or Belgian commercial. Then there were several other commercials in that presentation from various European countries that were on either side of that level of "sell it with sex". A quick Google query didn't find it but this comment came up that is similar >, I remember being stuck for half an hour in a traffic jam in east Beirut with my husband and kids on the way to a mountain picnic. Right in front of us were two giant billboards (both the same) advertising jeans with a man and woman in a sexy pose, and the woman (of course) without a top. I guess by then I was not shocked but did feel it was gratuitous (to sell jeans? or to sell sex?). NSFW WARNING FOR FOLLOWING LINK NSFW WARNING FOR FOLLOWING LINK! https://youlookfab.com/2010/04/09/nudity-and-sexuality-in-european-advertising/#comment-96616 https://youlookfab.com/2010/04/09/nudity-and-sexuality-in-eu... And the article that comment is for has comparable still image ads.
- seydor 4y agoKind of weird that the article considers that places closer to the west are more open to nudism. The west is prude?
- oriettaxx 4y agono doubt for Italy.
- leaflets2 4y agoAre people in Italy prude? Or did you mean the opposite, that there are eg more nudist beaches there (Did you reply to "more open to nudism" or to "The west is prude")
- oriettaxx 4y ago> Are people in Italy prude? yes, no doubt: very few goes to church, but catholic background is really strong. I think the Italian youths are most conservative then their parents
- ur-whale 4y ago> The west is prude? The anglosphere most certainly is. If you need convincing, just look at the pics in the article: not a single full frontal.
- oriettaxx 4y agoas a result, the best location in ex-jugo cost are now still those naturist (mostly belonging to F.K.K.) campings: there is a say: "do you want the best location in the cost, go into a FKK campings" btw, they have the cleanest bathrooms ever (!)
- LatteLazy 4y agoSomewhat rambling rant: I feel like there was this great period from about 1950 to the mid 70s (I wasnt born until mid 80s) where people tried new and different things. Everything from nudism to environmentalism to living in communes to drugs and sex. And now we're all back to doing the same BS things as the next guy and trying to be 1% more efficient than the next guy. Make sure you fit in. Join an HOA because you want your property price to rise as much as possible even though you don't care about lawns and picket fences. Don't have a hole in your CV, how will you explain taking 6m off to backpack Europe in your 30s!? And I just think fuck all this shit.
- FpUser 4y ago>"And I just think fuck all this shit." Yup. Fuck it. Totally agree.
- nl 4y agoIt's never been more acceptable to do things like quit your job and become a digital nomad for a few years. Cannibals is legal in parts of the US, and the richest person on earth is as famous for doing interviews high as the number of companies he runs. And Feeld makes the NewYorker as in a story about how it lets you easily organise threesomes or find a fetish partner. Open your eyes a bit - the world has never been as encouraging of trying different things as now.
- intrasight 4y agoCannibalism legal in parts of US? I didn't know. Never partake myself ;) >the world has never been as encouraging of trying different things as now In some ways yes, but in general no - at least in USA
- sz4kerto 4y agoPeople claim full support for gender equality, etc. At the same time, they find it OK to ban female nipples (but not male nipples), also it's not OK to not wear a bra in offices, etc. Horrible.
- ycombinete 4y agoWe are coy about the parts of human anatomy involved in child creation and care, especially those that change with puberty. People are sexually interested in female breasts from an "ultimate cause" perspective because they feed babies, and grow when a woman is sexually mature. I'm not saying that they should be covered up; but I don't buy the argument that there's no difference between male and female breasts.
- meheleventyone 4y agoI don't think the OP is saying there is no difference between male and female breasts just that restrictions based on those differences are inane. In particular these restrictions are broadly a cultural thing rather than innate and part of the taboo about being naked in some cultures is because they sexualize some body parts to the point of fetish. This isn't universally true, even historically within cultures where it is true now and is often lopsided based on power relationships. For example women often bear the brunt of more restrictive dress codes because they stem from patriarchal societies.
- mimac 4y agoHa! I'm a Slovene with fond memories going to FKK camps in Croatia. Koversada is like a small city where everyone is naked all the time except visiting the shop or restaurant. I feel that FKK culture has a lot to offer to children especially as they see all the varieties of naked bodies which probably helps with self-image in later years. While I don't go to FKKs anymore due to my wife, we still hunt beaches where we can be naked all day.
- hawski 4y agoThat's also my view, although I never had an opportunity to use such a beach. When my outlook on nudity changed I was already married. My wife wouldn't go to a beach like that for example. However I did enjoy far simpler and less fussy changing on Berlin beaches. Do you mean that you are not going to FKK beaches because your wife doesn't want to? At the same time do you mean you go to baches where you can be naked privately?
- mimac 4y agoYes, my wife is very self conscious so nudity is only ok in private settings.
- lakomen 4y agoWhat I always loved about Yugoslavia was the freedom. You couldn't criticize the party but everything else was free. I was 13, at 11am I watched TV and saw a music clip where the content was 2 people fucking and smiling while doing so. They were having fun. You could drive a light motorbike, no helm, no license. The food was natural. You could sleep anywhere without anyone bothering you or having to be afraid that someone would steal from you. I just can't explain the freedom by mere examples. Likewise if you try to tell the young Croats about the freedom, they don't believe you. They're indoctrinated in school with hate for Serbs. How can you tell a blind man the beauty of colors? You had to experience it to understand it.
- rmbyrro 4y ago> I was 13, at 11am I watched TV and saw a music clip where the content was 2 people fucking and smiling while doing so. They were having fun. I hope we can have a civil disagreement on this, without personal resentments. This is indeed freedom, and I don't approve of violent and repressive regimes to change people's behavior. Yet, this is not positive from my point of view. Doing this makes me closer to animals, farther from human. Humans have the freedom to live different from animals. A tiger simply don't think whether the way it lives and kills prey is ethical. Humans can and do. Animals don't have intimacy. They just do their stuff wherever they are. Humans have the freedom to look for and build intimacy. So, although what you described is indeed freedom, it's not the behavior I want for myself. I wouldn't promote it, because it goes against the direction I would be happy to see other humans moving. And I wouldn't like to live in places that go against it as well. That's just my personal freedom of thinking and judging what I see, not that I'll negate it by forcing others to live my way.
- philpem 4y agoIf only more people were able to 'agree to disagree'.
- dalbasal 4y agoI disagree entirely. First, the notion that someone somewhere in society doing porn is bad for the society itself. The desire to shave off societies' "stray hairs" is deeply immoral. It has always has been, but that does not make it right. Second, I strongly disagree that carefree attitudes towards sex/nudity is automatically dehumanising, animalistic or objectifying. Sexuality, the human body, etc. This stuff is deeply human. See: 100 thousand years of art history. Last... what is this animal-human dichotomy anyway. Humans are animals. Is childbirth or breastfeeding "farther from human and closer to animal?" These are as viscerally mammalian as key parties on a Wednesday.
- anthk 4y agoNot so good on climate change, it will damage the skin a lot.
- heeen2 4y agoMy family visited the area almost every summer. The campsite just a few miles away (funtana) we used to go to is now a textile glamping site. I remember that it was more camping with basic facilities, dust paths and few paved roads. Now they have landscaping, a water park and much nicer facilities.
- 2-718-281-828 4y agoThat's the sad case for most camping sites nowadays. I don't get the appeal of this hotel theme park thing where instead of rooms you sleep in a caravan or tent. Fond memories of fantastic simple camping at the south French border.
- avidphantasm 4y agoNaturists must go through a lot of sunscreen.
- iso1631 4y agoSomeone wearing a bikini will cover about 3-5% of their body area, which would suggest that a naturist would use about 5% more sunscreen
- gadders 4y agoI went to Dubrovnik a few years back and did a boat trip around the bay. We went past a (gay?) naturist island and a guy was standing on a headland completely naked like the Colussus of Rhodes.
- DeWilde 4y agoFunny how FKK is also synonymous with brothels in Austrian and Germany. Also, this article have me a flashback of when I was very young and in Dubrovnik, passing by a nudist beach and seeing naked people all around. Was a shock at that age.
- selimthegrim 4y agoI distinctly remember a Nat Geo article circa 1990 discussing this with a photo or two
- freediver 4y agoWorth checking on the same site: "Yugoslavia meets Silicon Valley in post-apocalyptic video game" https://www.calvertjournal.com/articles/show/13034/yugoslavia-meets-silicon-valley-post-apocalyptic-video-game-mars-residing-ultra-rich-use-earth-golf-course https://www.calvertjournal.com/articles/show/13034/yugoslavi...
- shimonabi 4y agoIn Slovenia the most beautiful beach in my opinion is a designated FKK spot. I just go there clothed and so do 99% of other people. My feeling is that even topless sunbathing is slowly dying out. Almost every beach has a remote FKK spot that is out of view.
- strongpigeon 4y agoTangentially related, but I’ve always found Washington state laws around nudity to be surprisingly (for the US) reasonable. The gist of it is that nudity is fine as long as it’s expected/not in the intent to cause distress (i.e. flashing is still illegal). Seattle even has a clothing optional beach! It’s not officially one, but it’s fully normal take your clothes off over there. This article [0] has more about the subject. [0] https://www.kuow.org/stories/it-s-totally-legal-to-be-naked-in-public-in-seattle https://www.kuow.org/stories/it-s-totally-legal-to-be-naked-...
- laurentoget 4y agoI went to FKK camps in croatia in the 80s when it was still yugoslavia - in my memory they were mostly for German/Dutch/Swiss tourists, were way more expensive than the state campsites, had much nicer amenities (toilets and showers maintained to german standard of cleanliness) and were much less crowded.