Clothes off for take-off - naked Germans take to air

FKK in DDR

After the war, naturism didn't gain popularity in the capitalist west as it did in East Germany, where it took on more social significance. By the 1960s, it had become a mass movement, said historian Hans Bergemann, who in 2000 organized a touring exhibition in Germany on the FKK movement.

``FKK became so popular that in principle no one noticed whether people were naked or dressed,'' Weinreich said of people's casual attitude toward nudists.

FKK wasn't officially allowed in East Germany but was tolerated, said Kurt Fischer, head of the DFK German Naturist Federation. Nudism was an expression of the desire for freedom, he said.

``In the West, going naked was a personal decision,'' Fischer said. ``But in the East, it was a way of life.''

In summer, naked flesh is no uncommon sight in German parks, pools and beaches. According to Weinreich, some 10 million Germans strip to the bare essentials at least once or twice during the hot and sweaty summer months.

The Germans are known to be quicker than their fellow Europeans at letting it all hang out -- a phenomenon that according to Weinreich lies in the history of European nudism, a movement that has its origins in 19th century Berlin.

Germans have always been quicker than their European cousins to take their clothes off. But tempers are soaring on the beaches as west Germans complain that the east German desire to let it all hang out has gone too far. Ian Traynor reports on an age-old clash between freedom and order
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At least since George L. Mosse's classic work The Crisis of German Ideology (1964), historians of Germany have seen the fin-de-siecle as a breeding ground for völkisch ideologues seeking national renewal through a rejection of modernity. Practitioners of the ever-expanding and innovative history of the body have focused on this period, seeing a new emphasis on the body amidst intensified calls for renewal. The nudist movement provides a particular case that combined interest in the body with a concern for the health of the Volk. This phenomenon has not yet received definitive historical treatment. Chad Ross provides this treatment, offering the first in-depth history in English of the German nudist movement.

Ross's history of nudism covers the period from roughly 1900 to 1950, crossing over the historical divides of the Kaiserreich, Great War, Weimar Republic and National Socialism. Ross argues that in these different political and historical contexts, nudism consistently advocated nudist practices as the means to restore health to the body, and to make Germany and the German Volk strong. Ross emphasizes the national nature of nudism as its most crucial attribute, thus associating it with the other contemporary calls for Lebensreform that sought a stronger Germany. While the reader leaves not entirely convinced of Ross's assessment of nudism's significance, the book offers an able account of the nudist movement in Germany.

Does everything have to be in the upright position before takeoff?

Nothing frightens me more than a naked German, with the possible exception of large dogs with angry looks.

Don't generalize, dear! Heidi Klum is German too!

With great interest I notice that gustav writes his response after CJ's she wouldn't fly.

like CJ, i'd rather not sit naked where others sat naked.... i hope they're not leather seats....ugggggh.
it's also always so cold with that damn airconditioning, i can't imagine how is this more comfortable. i never understood the urge to jog naked, or work naked, or travel naked....but then, i never tried. some things i'll just happily live without even though we only have one short life to live

like CJ, i'd rather not sit naked where others sat naked.... i hope they're not leather seats....ugggggh.
it's also always so cold with that damn airconditioning, i can't imagine how is this more comfortable. i never understood the urge to jog naked, or work naked, or travel naked....but then, i never tried. some things i'll just happily live without even though we only have one short life to live