Dear Erik,
Although we have several first class
publications in the United States, several of us feel that the nudist movement
strongly needs the type and vein of publication you are producing. Specifically
many of us feel that too many American magazines are yielding to the financial
pressure to sell sex and sexuality along with nudism. I have talked to
publishers who explained that glamour photos of good looking females are what
“sells” the magazines. Then, once the prospect has bought the magazine it is
hoped he will read the text which is under and around the other photos of sexy
and beautiful women. This all may be the practical way to sell nudist
magazines, but it all sounds a little comprising.
With all this several of us quietly cheer when we see the official organ of the INF come out with photojournalism… not glamour and sensationalism. Sadly we have very few good reporters within the nudist movement in the United States. We have several glamour photographers in the movement apparently only for the financial gain. Those furnish glamour photos only which sometimes I think is less than no good at all for nudism. I have a background in reporting factual material. This along with photography for illustration is what I brought when I came into nudism. I feel that what nudism needs, publication wise, is to sell nudism… not to sell glamour, or anything else that is not truly nudism. Outsiders coming into American camps for their first time often have the idea that they are going to witness something like Hollywood… sans clothes. When they see the average housewife, a bit tired and sagging, and the average husband, bald and paunchy, they get a letdown. This is not the Nudism they saw so gloriously displayed in their favorite magazine!
Also, by our approach through our magazines we are attracting some pretty distasteful characters; ask any gatekeeper!
John Basham
(Source: Sun and Health, International
Edition, May 1964)
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