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Name: The First "Clothing-Optional" Event in America
Authors: Danielson, Olaf
Published Date: 10 Jun. 2025
Indexed Date: 10 Jun. 2025
Web Link: https://www.planetnude.co/p/the-first-clothing-optional-event
Index Status: Complete
Original Language: English
Genre: Non-Fiction
Citation: Danielson, Olaf. “The First 'Clothing-Optional' Event in America.” Planet Nude (Substack), 10 Jun. 2025, https://www.planetnude.co/p/the-first-clothing-optional-event

Summary

An investigation into the origins of the term "clothing-optional" reveals its military origins and its first documented use in the US press in 1913, not implying nudity. The term's definition changed when William Wrigley Jr. used it to promote a swimsuit-optional race in 1926, marking the first clothing-optional swimming marathon in America.