When Frank and Susana Kestler were living in Florida, they practiced naturism on a regular basis with some enlightened colleagues. They were reluctant at first, but after a weekend "tryout" sponsored by their friends (who were members), they became active participants in the "anti-textile" way of life. There were many sunny days in Florida that made naturist exposure to the elements a pleasurable experience. They took advantage of the weather and proximity of the nudist colony to satisfy their desire to shed their clothes and social inhibitions at the same time.
Their story is an interesting tale of random encounters and scholarly endeavors meshed together. It all started on a French beach in the South of France during a summer vacation.
Neither had been raised in an open-minded household, but naturism became for them a "secretive" way of life after some very liberated and professionally important friends introduced them to the nudist (or naturist) style of living in one of the nudist colonies in central Florida.
It wasn't the first time they had sampled public nudism; in fact, they had spent part of a summer vacation traipsing around in the buff or "all together" at Cap d'Agde in southern France just after graduating from college. It was a life-altering experience.
Nudism would eventually become a refuge from the complexities and stress of their academic lives. They were a loving and talented couple, seeking a way in central Florida to replicate the intensity of their slightly wayward youth abroad. Here's their story:
Oddly enough, as mentioned above, they had met on a nudist beach in France. It was an experience that Frank would never have imagined in America. He was from southern Georgia (a small town not too far from Savannah) and Susana was a graduate of Wellesley College in the Boston area. They met when studying abroad in France--they were both Fulbright scholars in Strasbourg, France, right at the German border. They were hard-core Francophiles who wanted to experience every aspect of French culture...both the bawdy life style of the Mediterranean coast and the unforgettable masterpieces of French history and literature.
Their initial encounter took place on the Riveria, or the Côte d'Azur, where they were vacationing with friends. Frank was traveling with German-speaking classmates from Strasbourg who were naturists...members of the FKK (German Nudist Association) and who were very open to going nude on European beaches and even at public parks where it was permitted in Germany.
One day, during their summer holidays in the South of France (
le Midi
), Rudy Heinrich, who came from Stuttgart, invited his American friend, Frank Kestler, to visit Cap d'Agde, which was a well-known nudist beach and famous for its moral laxity and public display of sexuality. Other beaches in the area were more receptive to family life and limited any flagrant display of nudity. Normally there would be a prominent sign announcing:
le nu intégral est obligatoire au delà de ce point
...or no clothes, butt naked please beyond this point.
Clothing was optional on many beaches along the Mediterranean coast. Sunbathers could choose to wear a bathing suit (
un maillot de bain
) or--if female--to go bare-breasted. Some, more audacious, did wander around completely nude, together with those wearing a bathing suit, but this was not common.
Coming from southern Georgia, but being somewhat daring at twenty-three years of age, Frank accompanied his buddy Rudy Heinrich into the "
nu intégral
" area at Cap d'Agde, equipped with a bathing suit (as a back-up), a bottle of sun screen, a large towel, bottled water, and beach blanket. He was also wearing a broad-brimmed hat to protect his head. He was fair-skinned and blond; as a result, he fervently hoped that sun screen would not let the rest of him roast in the summer sun.
He didn't know what to expect. Rudy assured him that it was like a huge outdoor party of sun lovers. Just enjoy yourself! You'll meet some good-looking girls!
Rudy Heinrich was used to taking off his clothes in public and he paraded around with a fashionable ease, jumping into the water and then stretching out on the sand, exposing himself to sunshine and curious stares.
Rudy had carefully applied sunscreen to all portions of his body, in particular his pubic area. Frank, who was circumcised, noted that almost all European males were not "snipped." Many of them were tanned to a deep brown color and seemed fashionably trim. Very few naturists were heavyset or obese. They felt very much at ease in the nude or "bien dans leur peau."
As they were soaking up some rays at Cap d'Agde, Frank noticed a group of young women strolling by
au naturel
. He was surprised to see how relaxed everyone seemed. There was no sign of shyness, no one tried to cover up body parts, and they were not particularly interested in Frank Kestler or Rudy Heinrich.
One of the girls was, by her accent, an American, although she spoke very fluent French. Her companions seemed to be native speakers. Being a young man, he also noted that the American beach walker was very attractive. She had large breasts that swayed as she walked; the French girls had smaller "nichons" (breasts) but very round hips and shapely legs.
The American girl was much taller with long legs and an athletic body overall. She had probably been a volley ball player in college or some other type of athlete. She looked a little older than an undergraduate, e.g. a third-year abroad American student who would be studying French culture in all its various aspects.
None of them were shaved in the pubic area. At that time, it wasn't something that European women did. They had a very natural appearance all over their bodies. A few didn't even shave their legs or armpits.
Later when he thought about it, Frank didn't know why he stood up, very nude, and approached the American girl as though walking toward her on an American campus. He remembered saying something really stupid, even embarrassing: "Hey, I hope you don't mind if I walk with you a while. I'm an American, studying in France. I haven't seen someone from back home in a long time."
The American girl...whose name he later found out was Susana...looked at him in surprise. She answered in French, "
Eh bien, je suis contente de savoir que tu fais tes études en France, mais moi, je me promène sur la plage avec mes copines maintenant
." (It's nice to know you're studying in France but I'm with my friends now walking along the beach).
Frank, copying the cruising habits of the French guys he knew, persisted, "
Je m'appelle Frank . Comment est-ce que tu t'appelles
?" (I'm Frank. What's your name?).
Susana gave him a funny look and turned away. Her French friends began to giggle.
"Celui-là, c'est un mauvais dragueur
." (He's not very good at this, is he?).
"Eh, mon pote
," they called out, "
nous nous promenons. Laisse-nous un peu tranquille, veux-tu?
