FROM HYGIENE ISSUES TO ERECTILE EXURBURANCE, NEWBIE NUDISTS SHARE THEIR WORRIES.
It's no surprise that people have concerns in common regarding nudism. One of our members, Grace J, a registered psychologist and avid nudist herself, respond to them:
Erections & Other Penile Issues
I suffer the usual male-nudist difficulty of having an uncontrollable rover (i.e., erection) when visiting a nude beach. I don't have the problem elsewhere (hot tubs, saunas). What should I do (with it)?
Nine out of ten questions posed by male nudists concern erections. There are several ways to address the issue, non of them arduous.
My first suggestion is to not worry about it. Women witness erections all the time, even on clothing-optional impaired beaches (where men wear suits). Anxiety about having an erection can cause erections. Acknowledge it, then forget about it. It will likely go away (a Buddhist saying).
Cover it, or turn over and it invariably does.
Do women check out men's penises on nude beaches?
Yes, but they also check-out the eyes, the bottom, the stomach, the chest, the shoulders, the arms... The order of inspection varies by woman, but generally speaking, the penis is on the inventory checklist.
A surprising development possibly due to the Internet and its ubiquitous pornography is that the uncircumcised penis is now gaining popularity. I mean, now that we know what it looks like in all of its varying postures, some of the mystery is gone and has been replaced with familiarity. So that's what they look like! I saw my first in-person penis in seventh grade and nearly lost my lunch. Some things just take getting used to.
Generally I have no problem with erections in nudist situations. However, my wife and I recently visited a nude beach (Muir Beach, Marin County). While my wife likes to lie on her towel and read, I'm a walker, so I walk the shoreline, which is not very long in this case. After I got to one end of the beach and was turning around, I noticed a group of very young teens (girls and boys I should say) had arrived and stripped naked. It immediately felt like one of those dreams people have where they find themselves in the grocery store without their clothes on. Anyway, instant erection. The water there is not an option (fifty degrees, often with great whites or orcas inhabiting the shallows). I was stuck facing the hill for about twenty minutes. My question is, I'm by no means a pedophile, but the situation provoked a strong "sexual" excitement. What's up?
Some women I've talked to have shared similar stories with me, where they become extremely aroused when naked around young teen boys. Of course, women don't salute. Chances are, being surprised by a new group of any age (groups are different than, say, a new couple or solo nudist arriving on scene) may have caused this response. Surprise seems to be a part of it, at any rate. What Americans fail to acknowledge is girls in their early teens are considered women in other cultures--they are hormonally charged and bursting with nascent sexuality. You may have simply had a normal "biologic" reaction. Unless you're combing through the teen undies section of the Penny's catalogue on a regular basis, I wouldn't worry. (And if you are, then you should stop!)
My husband's primary interest in nudism is to have other men see me naked. I say "primary" because he also practices body freedom generally. My point is, he really gets hot when other men have a view of my naked body. Is this normal?
A lot of women say this. The male brain (the lizard-brain part, or limbic system) responds to the threat of infidelity by feeling the urge to spread his seed. He's enjoying the arousal generated by an ape-like instinct to be king-of-the-hill. So yes, I'd say it's normal. When it crosses over to obsession, say, where he insists you participate even when not in the mood, well, then he needs a reboot to reality. Fun is fun, but compulsive behavior is a bore.
From an advice blog.