NATURIST EDUCATION FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF NATIONWIDE ROPER POLL ON SKINNY-DIPPING AND NUDE SUNBATHING

This is a misunderstanding. 400 or 200 years ago, indeed people used to wear clothes, and certainly in public. While it was uncommon to bathe in a river lake, and even more in the sea, those who did it were doing it naked.

Sea bathing started in the first half of the 19th century, and at that time it was done naked. Bathing costumes came later, and became a must in the high class in the Victorian era.

Popular or family beaching started slowly at the beginning of the 20th century, and nudity was common, certainly as the people were fairly isolated. It's only when paid vacation started that the beaches became more crowded and that beachware became mandatory.

But till then the discovery of sun and wind for health were associated with nudity.

During the 1920's, it seems that women started wearing panties but left their breasts uncovered - when beaching became a fashion rather than healing.

During the 1925-1935 period, there were numerous "open air" schools where the children were generally nude.

So, the historical trend has been to get avay with nudity, rather than to having it progressing. The 1968-1975 era was just a pause in this trend. At that time it was commonly expected that full nudity would be the norm in 2000.... and we know that it was far from being the case.