Brad wrote:
I agree that if there are not enough other nude people, going nude, even if legally permissible, is very awkward and not erotic for me. As you say, having a "core" group of other nudists which are in large enough numbers establishes it is customary and acceptable to be nude. If everyone present understands that nudity is acceptable at a particular beach, it makes one that goes nude feel accepted and it being someone "normal", even if it is an erotic sensations. But being a lone nude guy (or one of say, 2 or 3) in a larger crowd is not exciting as you feel everyone is looking at you as though you're a weird pervert doing something socially unacceptable.
That reminds me of something that happened to me over 30 years ago. I was on a legal clothing optional beach. Many c/o beaches in Australia are unofficial, but being nude here was perfectly legal and I was at no risk of arrest or other legal penalties. I was there with a girlfriend who got nude for at least part of the time.
There was a good mixed crowd of mainly nude people of both genders and a few clothed people, remember this was over 30 years ago.
As I often do, I went for a walk along the beach to the end of the nude zone and back, my girlfriend remained with our towels sunbaking. We were set up near the walkway to the car park as most people do and my walk to the end of the beach was about two kilometers (roughly a mile and a half return trip for the non-metrics). I was in no hurry and probably took half an hour. There were very few people along the beach where I walked.
As I returned to the more populated area near where we were set up I began to notice that while I was gone for some reason things had changed. Everyone was clothed. I was the only naked person on the beach and I was still 100 metres from my clothes. People were staring at me, even though they must have known the beach was c/o. The most nerve-wracking thing was wondering WHY all the other naked people had suddenly decided to leave and where all these clothed people had come from. Was I missing something here?
Anyway, I walked the 100 metres back to our spot head held high, at a nice steady relaxed pace but I have NEVER been so thoroughly stared at in all my life. Nobody said anything to me and I did not hear anyone say anything about me to the people they were with. They just all stared in silence. I have never had that dream people talk about of finding themselves at school or wherever naked but that's probably how I felt at the time.
My girlfriend was fully dressed when I got back to our towels. She had no idea what happened either, but she noticed that the beach was transforming from mostly nude to mostly clothed while I was gone, and she had gotten dressed because of it. I got dressed too and we left.
I had never seen a beach change in character like that before or since. Just one of those inexplicable things in life, I guess, but I survived it.