Required to swim nude

Today the idea of swimming nude in a high school gym class seems like something that would absolutely never happen, but in the not to distant past it was the norm for men and boys. Pool chlorination and filtration wasn't as advanced as it is today, and swimwear could cause issues with keeping the water clean. YMCA's, Schools, and other facilities across the United States adopted the policy of men and boys being required to swim nude- the policies were so prevalent that allowing swimwear was actually the exception to the rule. Boys were required to shower and clean their whole body with soap before entering the pool. The American Public Health Association maintained their recommendation until Not all schools dropped their nude swimming policies at that time though.

Historic Archives - Nude Male Swimming. Search this site. Cambridge Research - Sheep's Green. Coal Mining with Females - and Nudity.

The tortured explanation seemed to, er, satisfy the coaches who had to keep watch! Apparently, requiring that boys swim nude when segregated from girls in both public and school swimming pools was very common across the U. I find it surprising that naked swimming in school pools was that widespread, was tolerated in the uptight '50s and is almost never depicted or referred to in movies or books. I also never, ever heard of it when I was in high school myself, just a few years later than the time when it was common

Apparently, in , as part of a freshman requirement for the city college he attended, all male students took a swim class at the YMCA. He remembers the instructor telling them something about it being more sanitary that way. Was his swim teacher some pervy old dude? Or was this requirement legit?