Here is an interesting article from the English edition of the German magazine, Der Spiegel. http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/naked-nazis-book-reveals-extent-of-third-reich-body-worship-a-768641.html, on the existence of a popular, coffee table book of nudes published in Nazi Germany. As something which promoted Nazi ideals of Germanic beauty, it was approved by the totalitarian state censors.

Apparently, the rather sexually conservative world of Nazi Germany, idealized nude photos of perfect Aryan specimens were acceptable. The Nazi state made it quite clear that procreation was the sole purpose of sex. After all, it was important for the Fuhrer to have as many little potential Nazi soldiers to fight his wars as possible. Women existed, therefore, to produce babies, and take care of domestic concerns. And yet, as is usually the case with outwardly sexually conservative states and organizations, there was a strange sexual subculture to the Third Reich. For instance, one of Hitler’s closest associates, and rivals, Ernst Rohm, was a homosexual pedophile. In 1934 Hitler had him executed during his “Night of the Long Knives” purging of National Socialist party rivals. Hitler eliminated him not because he was a homosexual, but because he was a threat to Hitler’s power.

To quote the article:

What did Germans read during the Nazi era? In search of the answer, author Christian Adam surveyed a total of 350 bestsellers from the 12 years of the Third Reich’s existence — making striking discoveries in the process. In addition to well-known propaganda books like Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” and Alfred Rosenberg’s “The Myth of the Twentieth Century,” there were schmaltzy regional novels, science fiction, mysteries, love stories, joke books and cross-media marketed accompaniments to radio programs and films.

The rich variety of reading material likely arose because different censorship offices competed to have the last word on what books publishers could print, Christian says. The paradoxical effect is that some of the books printed seem surprising today. Perhaps the oddest of them all was Hans Surén’s “Mensch und Sonne,” or “Humans and Sun,” a collection of nude photographs that includes lyrical praise of the male member, instructions for yoga-like exercises and even naked skiing.

Lyrical praise of the male member? In Nazi Germany? Interesting.

The article goes on, citing how this nudism from Nazi Germany actually foreshadows later developments in sexuality.

It could be seen as a precursor to the sexual revolution and “Freikörperkultur (FKK),” or “free body culture” of the late 1960s, if it weren’t so blatantly racist, researcher Adam told SPEIGEL ONLINE in an interview.

Adam later stated in the interview:

The book states that, “the love life can never be tied to marriage alone,” and that, “in the past the biggest personalities held as little regard for religious and middle-class values as the masses.” It also says that “free sexual love is therefore accepted in a way similar to how it was among the Germanic forefathers.”

What makes these nudes interesting is that they were approved by the Third Reich censors. They were not underground. Yet, in some parts of the U.S today, and especially by certain religious groups, these images would be considered “porn” and banned from viewing. They would be considered sinful and evil. Having them on your computer at work would probably get you fired. So even the Nazis, like many repressed conservatives today, had this strange conflict between traditional notions of sexual purity and a desire for sexual freedom and exploration, and a desire to view images of nude, physical beauty. Life never changes.