From the archives: Some advice on stripping

There have been some glorious celebrations of human flesh in the newspapers this week – who could resist poring over the pictures from the Victoria’s Secret catwalk show, or taking a few minutes to study Madonna’s page three shoot? Of course they’ve also spawned an awful lot of articles containing words like empowerment and objectify, so it’s refreshing to see how reasonable The Spectator has always been when it comes to nudity. Take this article from 1932, when local courts were occasionally fining people for walking to the beach in mackintoshes with nothing on underneath but their bathing suits.

It is time some general working philosophy was evolved…there is more prurience than principle in most of the annual outcry about the inadequacy of the costumes at this or that popular resort.

A generation ago unfortunate feminine bathers disported themselves in serge skirts and stockings. Half a generation ago mixed bathing was something between a scandal and a revolution.