# Question for the ladies; regarding clothing on a nude beach. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 15, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161 "2005-11-15T15:09:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/1 "2005-11-15T15:09:27Z")
…Or semi nude beach. The following hypothetical question; If you had to choose to cover up one part of your body, the top half or the bottom half, which would you choose? IOW, you could wear just ONE piece of clothing, the bikini top or the bikini bottoms, which would you wear and why? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/2 "2005-11-15T15:37:44Z")
Isn’t this easy? I’d cover up the bottom half, of course. Showing off my boobs is one thing…showing off everything else is much, much harder IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/3 "2005-11-15T15:45:39Z")
Same here. And frankly there’s some places you don’t want to get sandy. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/4 "2005-11-15T16:06:17Z")
I’m sort of thinking that boobs tend to vary wildly in size and that the lower half tends to be more of the same from body to body, so having the lower half exposed may be safer (or more modest) for those who may have larger/smaller/unusually shaped breasts. No? ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/5 "2005-11-15T16:14:36Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > I’m sort of thinking that boobs tend to vary wildly in size and that the lower half tends to be more of the same from body to body, so having the lower half exposed may be safer (or more modest) for those who may have larger/smaller/unusually shaped breasts. No? No. I speak for the world’s population of women when I say that most of us do not think that way. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/6 "2005-11-15T16:17:40Z")
> [@Mehitabel](#): > > Same here. And frankly there’s some places you don’t want to get sandy. I am a partial nudist. I only wear panties, sandals,and glasses in my house. The reason I wear panties is because I don’t care to have cat hair, among other things, getting stuck in delicate places. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/7 "2005-11-15T16:19:17Z")
Not that I’m a woman, but if I were, I would also go for the bottom half, then flip over, and voila, nothing showing at all. Hell, I see plenty women doing this on clothing required beaches. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/8 "2005-11-15T16:23:42Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Not that I’m a woman, but if I were, I would also go for the bottom half, then flip over, and voila, nothing showing at all. Hell, I see plenty women doing this on clothing required beaches. You can tell you’re not a woman with that answer! If a woman didn’t want to show anything, she would take off her top and then turn over. Your way means she’d show her butt. Or did you mean when you said “I would also go for the bottom half” that you’d leave the bottom half on? I took it to mean that you’d take it off. If you meant leave it on, well then disregard my whole post. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/9 "2005-11-15T16:27:26Z")
Aren’t all beaches semi-nude beaches? I mean, the ratio of skin to clothing is pretty good if women are wearing two-pieces, and guys usually just wear the one, so most people there are going to be semi-nude no matter what… :dubious? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/10 "2005-11-15T16:28:01Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > I’m sort of thinking that boobs tend to vary wildly in size and that the lower half tends to be more of the same from body to body, so having the lower half exposed may be safer (or more modest) for those who may have larger/smaller/unusually shaped breasts. No? No way. I can’t really explain why, but then again, it seems obvious to me. Your breasts are your breasts. Just look - when girls get mischievous, they flash their breasts, and this is not solely because they are easier, it’s because psychologically it’s less of a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Ludy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Ludy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/11 "2005-11-15T16:33:55Z")
Definitely keep the bottoms. Boobs are a dime a dozen, that barely gets a PG rating anymore, but as soon as a girl shows off her, ahem, naughty bits the rating skyrockets. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/12 "2005-11-15T16:59:45Z")
A guy, but I wouldn’t expect much variance from this position: showing off the hoo-ha is skanky unless you’re showing off everything else as well. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/13 "2005-11-15T17:07:38Z")
Besides, I don’t really get the point. Follow me here. A young woman walking down the beach wearing a little bikini bottom and maybe a sarong, with nothing on the top, is damn sexy. A woman walking down the beach with a bikini top and nothing else is…weird. What happened to her? Did someone take her botom? Did she forget? The only way this would remotely work is a t-shirt and nothing on the bottom. But then it would be mostly covered, with just flashes. And, as others have said, you men don’t understand the biggest problem of all. At some point I’ve got to sit down, right? And there’s sand and bugs and critters and seaweed and oh look, right between my legs, right where I’m sitting, my body is open to the world for anything to crawl into . **YUCK**. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/14 "2005-11-15T17:40:12Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > …it’s because psychologically it’s less of a big deal. Is it? Or is it just because it’s easier. I remember being mooned by a bus full of bachelorettes during a ride down to the bars. They didn’t flash us, they actually pulled their pants down and flashed their nether regions. You can sort of _naturally_ cover up your downstairs area, as long as you don’t bend over too much. When your top is off, all bets are off, everyone can see the goods. I wonder if guys would feel the same, that is, would they prefer the gals to wear the tops or the bottoms. I would rather you gals went topless. Does that mean that seeing breasts turns me on more than seeing your ass? Probably, but not in all cases. Knowing that you may turn more guys on going topless, would that change your answer? ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/15 "2005-11-15T17:43:12Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > **They didn’t flash us** , they actually pulled their pants down and flashed their nether regions. Should read, “They didn’t flash their breasts…” ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/16 "2005-11-15T17:51:47Z")
The only time I’ve seen a woman wearing something covering her breasts at a nude beach (and I’ve seen thousands of nude women at beaches, resorts, clubs, etc.) was when she was recovering from radiation therapy for breast cancer and couldn’t get the area exposed to the sun. As to getting sand, seaweed, etc. in sensitive places - have you ever heard of a new invention called a “towel?” They’re very, very handy (and required for sitting on at any nude place off the beach). ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/17 "2005-11-15T17:58:44Z")
> [@missbunny](#): > > Or did you mean when you said “I would also go for the bottom half” that you’d leave the bottom half on? I took it to mean that you’d take it off. If you meant leave it on, well then disregard my whole post. Yes, that’s what I meant. I would opt to keep the bottom half opf the suit, forgo the top half, and flip over, if I were that concerned about people seeing my jugglies. ---
**Author:** ![Aangelica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Aangelica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aangelica)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/18 "2005-11-15T17:59:25Z")
Towel or no towel, if I’m picking a body part to risk sunburn on, it’s the breasts hands down. Easy call, that. I’m so not going into creepy crawlies that infest all outdoors places. Ants, sand fleas, various flying critters. Just…no. Plus I agree with the notion that a topless woman is sexy, whereas a bottomless woman just makes me wonder what in hell happened to her that she lost her pants. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/19 "2005-11-15T18:02:00Z")
I’d keep the bottoms on, for all the reasons listed by actual females above. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161/20 "2005-11-15T18:02:49Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > Is it? Or is it just because it’s easier. I remember being mooned by a bus full of bachelorettes during a ride down to the bars. They didn’t flash us, they actually pulled their pants down and flashed their nether regions. > You can sort of _naturally_ cover up your downstairs area, as long as you don’t bend over too much. When your top is off, all bets are off, everyone can see the goods. > > I wonder if guys would feel the same, that is, would they prefer the gals to wear the tops or the bottoms. > > I would rather you gals went topless. Does that mean that seeing breasts turns me on more than seeing your ass? Probably, but not in all cases. How can a totally naked woman cover up the downstairs area? You mean by holding her hands over her crotch? Regarding your bus full of bachelorettes: did they flash their front at you, or did they moon you? There is a difference. Also, they were probably drunk and full of bravado by being in a crowd. Just because a guy, even, moons a carful of girls when he’s with his buddies doesn’t mean he’d do it also just walking down Main Street. > [@](#): > > Knowing that you may turn more guys on going topless, would that change your answer? No, and again I shall speak for nearly all of womankind: no. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-ladies-regarding-clothing-on-a-nude-beach/331161.md?page=2)