Help!! I'll be traveling to Nice, France in September. My 13 year old daughter and I will be traveling together since my wife wants to stay in Paris with friends. <BR> <BR>I need to know how I can find out which beaches or areas of beaches are NOT NUDE or are NOT CLOTHING OPTIONAL. <BR> <BR>I've been told the entire Riviera is clothing optional. If that's true there has to be some areas where people still wear swim suits.

Bill, I don't think they are "clothing optional", but topless, yes. You may have some difficulty finding one that is not. I think if it was me, I would just explain to my daughter the difference in the culture and what she should expect so she isn't surprised. I would also explain that it is healthy and normal and there is no sexual intent. She is going to see a lot more nudity in Europe than in the US on magazine covers, billboard advertisements, tv, etc.

Bill, I don't think they are "clothing optional", but topless, yes. You may have some difficulty finding one that is not. I think if it was me, I would just explain to my daughter the difference in the culture and what she should expect so she isn't surprised. I would also explain that it is healthy and normal and there is no sexual intent. She is going to see a lot more nudity in Europe than in the US on magazine covers, billboard advertisements, tv, etc.

I agree with John that it is preferable to explain to your daughter the difference in culture and not make a big deal out of it. We've taken our kids to many places in the Caribbean, Mexico and France where it is customary to go topless. Sure, there was some silliness at first, but they became accustomed very quickly, and now we don't give it a thought. It is usually very subtle. <BR> <BR>After March's trip to see Michelangelo's David for the first time, my 7 year old son wanted to buy a replica to show his 2nd grade class back in Minnesota. He found it more difficult to understand why that wasn't appropriate, than to understand why people would want to swim without a top! <BR> <BR>We found a "bust-only", no pun intended, of the David, and he was content with showing this to his class.

P.S. I personally think the David is totally appropriate to show a 2nd grade class, but my son's school is thick with Euphorians who think such a thing might offend someone.

OK, Joanne, I'll bite, what's a Euphorian?

Oh, I forgot, Helen, that "Euphorian" is a local term. From the great state of Minnesota, where the pro wrestler Jesse the Body Ventura became Governor, and where Garrison Keillor discovered Lake Woebegon, we have a community called "Garage Logic", where the mayor has created the word Euphorian for people who believe that the world needs to be absolutely politically correct at all times. It's actually just our way of calling for a little common sense and tolerance....

Bill, in France ALL beaches (an public outdoor swimming pools, for that matter)are topless. There also are nude beaches, either "official" (i. e. in camps behind barbed wire, very nice ! ) or tolerated. Those, as in any country, are difficult to access, by steep and narrow paths, so, don't worry, your daughter won't be exposed to nudity by surprise. <BR> <BR>In general, it is true that showing breasts on commercials or movies in France is not an issue, and that France is a more sensuous society than the States ; but you'll be exposed to much less violent images, which might be a relief to you (and to your daughter).

I don't fully agree with Vincent. Nude beaches are not always difficult to access. If you don't want to see completely nude sunbathers, you should avoid the Plage de Pampelonne and Plage Tahiti in Saint-Tropez.

Bill, I don't know if you are American or not, but in general, it is never difficult to pick out the Americans on a beach in Europe. They are the ones gawking, making a big deal about topless sunbathers. Americans are the ones who have yet to understand that breasts (and the human body for that matter) are not necessarily sexual, but a part of nature. Last summer, I travelled to Spain with my husband's soccer team and their spouses, and was mortified to witness the reactions of the group when at the beach. As everyone has suggested, just explain the cultural differences to your daughter. She'll probably handle it better than you think.

Vincent, I would take breasts any day over violence!

When my daughter was a young gymnast, our club hosted a team (girls aged 10-17) from Germany on a trip to DC. One hot day, we took them to the local swimming pool. Our local parents jumped up en masse when the little German girls - amost every one of them - began to remove their tops. In turn, the next summer when our kids went to Germany, the girls weren't terribly upset to notice that nudity doesn't get quite the reaction over there as it does here. (But they didn't feel any need to disrobe, themselves.) National modesty remained intact.

Dont worry about it. It's life.

<BR>Bill, relax and enjoy your vacation. Don't led that discourage you from going to the beach, just explain to your daughter that the culture is different in France. Also, try looking for beaches with less nudity before you take your daughter out on the beach.

Good luck!

When taking children somewhere where we expected to see anatomy, etc., we thought that the kids would be a bit embarrased. I was reassured when, after viewing a nude statue in a museum, my kids looked up at us and said "mom....parts are parts." Out of the mouthes of babes.... I think we all should relax.

Heck, I can remember when there were near-riots when the first man appeared on the beach without a swim top. And when Clark Gable did not wear a top to his underwear in "It Happened One Night," well, let me tell you that was a scandal! Time staggers on.

There's an old saying "When in Rome live as the Romans. When elsewhere live as they live elsewhere." ---St Augustin. If you're going to go there, you must expect what you can expect to find... One can only wonder what a child would presume if her mother perfers her "friends" in Paris rather than spending time with her. All in all, you get what you get when you go there. If that's not what you have in mind, you should select another destination. On the other hand - what's the big deal? Folks are there to relax and enjoy themselves. If that's not where you want to be - just go someplace else!

Huh? <BR>

When my then-17 yr. old daughter & I visited the Porquerolles (island) off the Provence coast last June, her reaction to the men in their teeny tight bathing suits was much more pronounced (as in "ugh") than her response to the topless women. She merely thought it funny that ALL women seemed to prefer topless. The ones my age (let's say fortyish) who wore one-piece suits, just rolled down the top. We agreed that our favorite family group was the man and woman, pretty much as described above, who sweated in the sun while their beach towel, shaded by a large umbrella, was occupied by the dog. Vive la France!