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Comment by blt | Hacker News Reader

A bit disappointed that the author quoted so many people speculating on the thought processes of young people, but did not ask any young people their feelings. (or asked but chose not to report)

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It's just the usual newspaper argument linking X to rise of technology-bad. As a young Euro myself I love nude beaches, but rarely went there with friends my age; I think the most common answer was "It's something for old people". Second most common I something about body awareness/fear of being ugly, which is more common in my generation and young people in general. Of course, nobody I talked to mentioned fear of becoming an unintentional pornstar.

I think this is the answer. Both your points are two aspects of the same idea. It's something for old people because old people have the maturity needed to be comfortable with their own body in public. Younger generations are victim of the fake beauty standards promoted by social networks and maybe porn and are a lot more self conscious. Online nudity is filtered, fake, staged, edited... when you go to a nude beach there are no filters, no perfect lighting, no make up, just the bright sun that highlights all your imperfections for all to see.

To be fair, I think it's much less likely that some creep is going to try to record an old person and post it on the internet as opposed to an attractive younger person...

I don't think the individuals know why the norm exist. It is probably an emergent phenomenon and not something that each individual thinks about or even decides for themselves. I am one of these young people and I just never thought about it. On this particular matter I just do like everyone else because I have no reason to deviate from the norm.

Tbh, I do not see why nudism is attractive. Just does not appeal to me. However on a couple of occasion I did go skinny dipping, but more out of the necessity of not having planned for the swim, rather than out of some life philosophy that my penis must be in view of others.

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