We’ve done a few posts on nudist magazines, because we consider them to be related to the racy men’s mags that proliferated during the 1950s. A nudist would most likely disagree, but they’d be wrong—if they were to look inside a typical mid-century men’s magazine they’d very likely see a photo or journalism feature on the naturist movement. Yes, men’s magazine always portrayed nudism as sexual, while real nudists would say sex has nothing to do with it, but the men’s magazine link is undeniable, even if they sensationalized the lifestyle.

One of the countries where naturism was and remains a strong social undercurrent is Germany—in fact, at our local beach, which isn’t officially nudist but is generally accepting of the practice, unclothed sunbathers are almost stereotypically German, though French visitors give them a run for their money. Above you see the cover of one of the most popular naturist magazines of the mid-century era—West Germany’s Humana. Below are thirteen scans showing a lot of naked people having a very nice time—no sensationalism needed. You can see our previous post on the magazine here.

It seems like years ago (because it was), that we posted a collection of nudist magazine fronts and said we’d get back to the subject soon. We’re nothing around here if not true to our word. Above is the cover of Humana, a naturist magazine from the undisputed world center of nudism, Germany. Below you see various nudists innocently doing everyday things, including… well, we don’t actually know what they’re doing. Trying to pretend they aren’t naked, we suppose. Which is pretty hard when you go up to spike a volleyball and your dick is screaming, “No, I got it! Mine!” Anyway, this issue, numbered number 42, dates from 1971. Random scans below, and yes, we have more of these. 

International nudist magazines promoted group nakedness as fun, healthy, and innocent—and even an unavoidable next step in human social evolution. If someone raised their eyebrows at your Campus Jaybird, it just proved they weren’t ready to be free, man. At least you knew better than to invite them on your next nude biking trip. Nudist magazines proliferated throughout the 50s and 60s, and remained popular into the 1970s. The Nudist Idea and American Nudist Leader, both below, feature covers with Diane Webber, aka Marguerite Empey, a former Playboy centerfold who remains one of the most renowned nude models of all time. Also putting in an appearance is Virginia Gordon, another Playboy model, seen on the cover of Paradise. Though the international nudist movement still exists, it is possibly less accepted than fifty years ago. We’re too young here to know for sure, so you’ll just have to ask your grandma about that. What we do know is you’ll be seeing more of these covers from us.