Nudists try to attract younger following

Post by **Roofus** » Sun May 13, 2007 8:08 pm

Here's the naked truth about nude recreation: The people who practice it aren't getting any younger.

To draw 20- and 30-somethings, nudist groups and camps are trying everything from deep discounts on membership fees to a young ambassador program that encourages college and graduate students to talk to their peers about having fun in the buff.

"We don't want the place to turn into a gated assisted living facility," said Gordon Adams, membership director at Solair Recreation League, a nudist camp in northeastern Connecticut that recently invited students from dozens of New England schools to a college day in hopes of piquing their interest.

The median age is 55 at Solair, where a yearly membership is $500 for people older than 40, $300 for people younger than 40 and $150 for college students.

The Kissimee, Fla.-based American Association for Nude Recreation, which represents about 270 clubs and resorts in North America, estimates that more than 90 percent of its 50,000 members are older than 35.

"If a young person is enlightened enough to go to a beach or resort, they'll find that they're outnumbered by people who are not like them," said Sam Miller, 32, a medical student in Riverside, Calif., who is helping to plan a youth ambassadors workshop being held next month in Orlando, Fla. "Oftentimes they won't go back for that reason."

No one is quite sure why nudity, at least the organized version promoted by the AANR and similar groups, is such a tough sell for younger people.

"I think people think that we're all hippies," said Laura Groezinger, 22, of Billerica, Mass., who grew up visiting Solair with her family. "Other people, I don't know the right way to say this, but they think it's more sexual, kind of. They don't understand just the being free with your body and being comfortable."

Money is also an issue. As nudist resorts become increasingly upscale, catering to baby boomers and retirees with plenty of disposable income, they're less affordable for college students and young families.

"There's a financial barrier, and I think it's important for resorts, if they want young people around, to recognize that and cater to them with discounts or free days," Miller said.

Only a handful of students attended Solair's recent college event, held on an overcast 60-degree day that prompted many to bundle up in sweaters rather than shed their clothes. But camp members such as Robyn Maguire, 27, of Manchester, Conn., said they plan to try again.

"I hope to get the word out to younger people that hey, it is OK, and here's a safe place to be, a very accepting place," Maguire said. "Unlike any other place in life, people actually look at you when they talk to you."

Link

Post by **|darc|** » Mon May 14, 2007 2:11 am

I would so do it.

Calavera · Post by **Calavera** » Mon May 14, 2007 1:01 pm

How do these places deal with masturbation?

mkfreak · Post by **mkfreak** » Mon May 14, 2007 2:25 pm

I'm already there. I'm naked right now.

butters · Post by **butters** » Mon May 14, 2007 5:02 pm

Calavera wrote:How do these places deal with masturbation?

I've heard that if you get an erection you get kicked out.

Nico0020 · Post by **Nico0020** » Mon May 14, 2007 5:24 pm

then i can see the majority of men getting kicked out. lol

Here is how i feel about nudists places. Anyone who should have their clothes on, doesn't. Not something that I would want to see.

Post by **melancholy** » Mon May 14, 2007 11:36 pm

WTF, they are charging $150 a year for college students to get naked in front of others? And they wonder why enrollment is low...

SuperMegatron · Post by **SuperMegatron** » Tue May 15, 2007 6:31 am

butters wrote:
Calavera wrote:How do these places deal with masturbation?
I've heard that if you get an erection you get kicked out.

http://www.nudist-resorts.org/gallery/014.html

mankrip · Post by **mankrip** » Tue May 15, 2007 4:37 pm

SuperMegatron wrote:http://www.nudist-resorts.org/gallery/014.html

Wow, that photo gallery sucks. It's mostly dozens of pics of 40+ year old men.

Post by **|darc|** » Tue May 15, 2007 4:52 pm

Fragger wrote:
SuperMegatron wrote:http://www.nudist-resorts.org/gallery/014.html
Wow, that photo gallery sucks. It's mostly dozens of pics of 40+ year old men.

Nudism isn't about looking at hot bodies.

mankrip · Post by **mankrip** » Tue May 15, 2007 6:23 pm

I'm talking about the lack of diversity. I thought these kind of places were visited mostly by whole families, not by lone men.

Also, that gallery really overuses the word "nude", to the point that it seems to be making fun of them.