H&E magazine: Mediterranean girls and unfortunate erections

I remember the first time I opened an H&E naturist magazine as it was an experience that has stuck in my mind.

I was in a small newsagents; a discreet but well stocked retailer of adult magazines, and out of all of the titles on display choosing to take down an H&E. I admit to liking pornography and I even recall buying magazines from the same shop, but naturism and natural nudity was already becoming a draw for me.

Picture the scene: a young, tall guy standing alone in a newsagents quietly flicking through looking at the pictures and reading some snippets of editorial. All of a sudden, a large group of noisy Spanish students came in. I remember a pretty girl standing by the side of me and playfully tutting. I was embarrassed by being teased but felt there was nothing to be teased about as it was a magazine about clean outdoor living.....that was until I closed the magazine to return it to the shelf from whence it came to see the cover of a tanned and well groomed Mediterranean looking girl :o

I have bought a handful of H&E's over the years, not for many now I should add, and I always enjoyed the pictures and the articles. However, I remember at least one occasion finding a disconnect between the cover shot of a beautiful young girl and the content which appeared to be orientated towards a slightly older readership. I know the magazine seeks to appeal to naturists of all ages and both genders but I couldn't help thinking the glossy cover with the pretty girl showed the slant - maybe inevitably - being more towards men than male and female naturists equally.

Also, I remember a letter about the sighting of a male erection on a naturist beach and comments from those who said this is unacceptable and those who said its unfortunate but one of those things. At the time, as a young guy who could get an erection at the merest puff of wind, I thought being naked in the presence of others guaranteed an erection, and definitely sided with the 'unfortunate' camp.

I am no longer as young and its only really now that I understand the argument. I know that men can get erections, it can happen at unfortunate times, occasionally I'll admit to having the odd tinkling sensation myself, but erections equate to sex, and naturism is not sexual. For many, there are only naked with others for sexual proclivities and they can not separate the two. What I know is that there is a clear distinction between nudity and sex, but this often take time to grasp. Being able to separate the two comes with maturity, self-awareness and understanding.

I am not sure if my experience in that newsagent or reading H&E taught my those things, they come from life experiences, but they are lessons well worth learning and understanding as far as I am concerned.