Naked: A Cultural History of American Nudism

by Brian S. Hoffman

In 1929, a small group of men and women threw off their clothes and began to exercise in a New York City gymnasium, marking the start of the American nudist movement. While countless Americans had long enjoyed the pleasures of skinny dipping or nude sunbathing, nudists were the first to organize a movement around the idea that exposing the body corrected the ills of modern society and produced profound benefits for the body as well as the mind. Despite hostility and skepticism, American nudists enlisted the support of health enthusiasts, homemakers, sex radicals, and even ministers, and in the process, redefined what could be seen, experienced, and consumed in twentieth-century America. Naked gives a vibrant, detailed account of the American nudist movement and the larger cultural phenomenon of public nudity in the United States. Brian S. Hoffman reflects on the idea of nakedness itself in the context of a culture that wrestles with an inherent sense of shame and conflicting moral attitudes about the body. In exploring the social and legal history of nudism, Hoffman reveals how anxieties about gender, race, sexuality, and age inform our conceptions of nakedness. The book traces the debates about distinguishing deviant sexualities from morally acceptable display, the legal processes that helped bring about the dramatic changes in sexuality in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the explosion in eroticism that has increasingly defined the modern American consumer economy. Drawing on a colorful collection of nudist materials, films, and magazines, Naked exposes the social, cultural, and moral assumptions about nakedness and the body normally hidden from view and behind closed doors.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

343 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2015

Reviews

[Charles Daney · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather disappointing book. To begin with, although the author is a PhD historian, and apparently did extensive research on the subject, there are a few glaring mistakes. Most egregiously, the name of Kurt Barthel – a German expatriate in the U. S. who was the principal figure to bring European nudism to the U. S. (in 1929) – is misspelled throughout the book (including the index) as "Kurt Barthal". The surname of another important historical figure – Victoria Woodhull, an early feminist and the first woman to be nominated by a political party and campaign for the U. S. presidency (1872) – is misspelled "Woodall". And then there's Polly Klaas, who has nothing to do with nudism but whose brutal murder in 1993 received dramatic national attention – her surname is rendered as "Klaus". Another historical mistake is the identification of U. S. Representative Martin Dies of Texas (in office 1931-45) as a member of the Republican party. (From after the period of Reconstruction until the 1960s, hardly any Representatives of Southern states were Republicans.)

Perhaps these mistakes were mere carelessness, but one has to wonder what other mistakes exist in the historical account. However, the account itself is quite detailed regarding the topics that are covered. Unfortunately, the topics are rather limited in scope to the legal struggles of nudists in the U. S. and speculations about the cultural and sociological reasons for the considerable hostility towards nudity and nudism in the U. S. Those are indeed important topics, but there is so much more that could have been covered. Such as: many people who aren't mentioned but were important nudist/naturist leaders, information on some of the more important nudist clubs and resorts, people outside the nudist community per se who attempted to relax the stigma attached to nudity (e. g. hippies of the 1960s and 70s), and so on.

Although the book concludes with an Epilogue entitled "Nudism in the New Millennium", almost nothing there or elsewhere in the book has anything worthwhile to say about nudism after the mid-1990s.

One further minor but irritating detail is the monotonous, reflexive use of the term "heteronormative" in critiquing U. S. sexual attitudes and norms. While cultural antipathies towards LGBTQ people are certainly a stain on U. S. public attitudes (which stain, it must be said, has substantially diminished in recent years), it's difficult to see the straight/gay division as a major factor in attitudes towards nudism and nudity. Indeed, much less has changed in cultural attitudes towards the latter, in contrast to the rapidly improving acceptance of the former.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed and meticulously researched, this history of the US nudist movement from its beginnings in early 20th century until today is also an exploration of the wider cultural, social and legal aspects and implications of public nudity. Hoffman also discusses morality, sexuality and pornography within the context of nudity and the controversy the subject still provokes today. The book is a fascinating study of a fascinating subject, but the style is rather dry and academic and it’s unfortunately not exactly a gripping read.

[William Koon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hoffman uses the word “heteronormative” twenty-three times in his text. That tells you all you need to know about this book.

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author was raised by nudists which led to this exploration of the 20th century movement. Nudism remains one of the great taboos in US society and as such the book anchors the debates about the naturist culture in the context of the greater liberation of sexuality in the US, juxtaposed against the rise of the modern right.

Enemies of the nudist culture included politicians whose waning influence led them to look for a cause, such as Al Smith in the 1930s and Martin Dies in the 40s. Society relaxed its stance on the nudist culture in the 60s and 70s but fears of corrupting children led to a reaction against the subculture in the 1990s which continues today.

An academic work meant to illuminate the legal and social mores of US society the research is rigorous and the few illustrations tame — especially in the age of shows like Bridgerton!

[dejah_thoris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent history on a taboo topic and subculture. Covers the early enthusiasm brought over from Germany to reconnect with nature and improve mankind to the mind-bending use of nudity for social upheaval.

Hoffman also does a great job interrogating the limitations of nudist society with its emphasis on the white family and its need to differentiate its publications from pornographic material. Of course, increasing circulation during the war years depended on erotic content. So, there was always an uneasy balancing act between showing off the pleasures of the lifestyle without attracting the wrong people, i.e. single men.

Definitely worth reading if you want to learn more than your local camp's history.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad I finally got around to reading this whole book. Does a great job of detailing the history of nudism in the US, and does so in a deeply analytical way. A good portion of the content has to do with legal battles (shocker) around nudism and its regulation, and unless you’re really into law those sections are a bit tedious. Luckily, you can pretty much just skip over them. Hoffman provides a great starter analysis of the regulation and control of race and sexuality in the US- you really don’t need to be versed in Foucault or anything to understand the arguments he makes. I think this book would serve as a great starting point for scholars interested in digging deeper into the racial and sexual political implications of the nude body in US culture.

[Steve Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good look at the history of American censorship for the previous century. Well researched and pretty honest about all aspects of the movement or hobby or however you wish to label it. Pretty dry, but I think that's for the best.

[Chris McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history about a subculture that helped to advance various civil rights and freedoms we may now, more broadly, take for granted.

[Izaiah Dawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr.Brian S Hoffman is my AP US History teacher and as the student I am I purchased the book to see how important it was to history.He describes American issues in the best,most accurate way . This book although awkward at times, if read with a history mind-set it will change your view of Americanism and American civilization. I highly recommend that every historian and future historian read this book-It is worth the money.
As an side note: just because he's my teacher doesn't mean I have a bias.