(#3) The Performers Were Not Fully Nude
Even though there were no rules in San Diego about nudity in exhibitions like Zoro Garden, the performers were not actually nude. They were close, though – their uniforms included g-strings and loincloths. Some of the performers also wore barely-there tights that enhanced their figures, but couldn't be seen from a distance.
(#8) San Diego Didn't Have Public Indecency Laws In the 1930s
Although the nudist colony was considered to be shocking and offensive by many locals, there was technically nothing they could do about it. In the 1930s, there weren't any public indecency laws on the books, meaning the runners of the exhibition could do what they pleased. Zoro Garden had been approved by District Attorney Thomas Whalen, who had viewed an "undress rehearsal" before the exhibit opened. He declared it to be "no worse than you would see at a burlesque show."
Nowadays, there are laws in place that make displays like Zoro Garden unlikely in the future. For a 2016 play depicting the historic exhibit, the actors were required to wear "nude suits" rather than perform naked. The new laws state that performers must be wearing at least the minimum amount of clothing that is required by public beaches.
(#11) The Garden Was Named After Zoroaster, Founder Of Zoroastrianism
Although the name Zoro Garden had been "borrowed" from another nudist colony in Roselawn, IN, the garden was said to be named after Zoroaster. Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions, dating back to Persia around 4,000 years ago. Zoroaster (sometimes called Zarathustra) was said to be a prophet who called for followers to worship one god instead of many.
Zoroastrianism shaped the ancient Persian Empire, and is believed to have influenced the development of the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian faiths. However, Zoroastrianism's ties to Zoro Garden end with the name. The side-show promoters were being very creative when they came up with their "Sacrifice to the Sun God" routine, and there were no other religious references.
(#10) A Performance Group Recreated The Zoro Garden Experience
In 2016, a TV and live event series called "Parkeology" did a deep dive into the history and often-overlooked places of Balboa Park. One part of the series focused on Zoro Garden, entitled "The Naked Truth: The Rise And Fall Of America’s Only Public Nudist Colony In Four Acts."
The creators of the play, Kate Clark and Whelton Jones, sought to bring the idea of Zoro Garden into the present. Clark told the San Diego Uptown News, "Reenactments solidify things as being in the past. The plan is to have different modern things incorporated, like, there will be a juice there and some people will be wearing Crocs." Performers also have to wear nude suits, as per new city laws regarding public nudity.
Clark also reflected on the general sense of scandal that surrounds the history of the Zoro Garden exhibit:
Part of this project is about the absurdity of having them in nude suits. Another part involves looking at what was happening during this era that allowed this to occur and asking why that’s not possible now. My hope is that people realize that people have always been weird. So many people have this attitude about "The Past" that people behaved better, and I think this gives an interesting window into a moment of experimentalism in California that was pre-World War II that was taking place during the Great Depression.
(#5) Zoro Garden Was The Biggest Money Maker For The Exhibition
In spite of the controversy that surrounded Zoro Garden, it quickly became the biggest money-maker at the Pacific International Exhibition. The colony featured an amphitheater-like setup, where visitors could enter and take seats on bleachers to watch the nudists go about their supposed daily lives.
Entry to the exhibit cost 25 cents; however, many visitors preferred to use the very conspicuous peep-holes in the wood fence to catch a glimpse of the nudists for free. Later on, the price of entry was raised to 75 cents.
(#9) By The 1930s, Naturism Was A Growing Trend World-Wide
Nudism, also called naturism, was a trend that flourished in Europe before spreading to the United States in the early 20th century. "Nudist cults" began popping up throughout the Midwest in the 1930s, and they received a lot of negative attention.
The country was in the middle of the Great Depression, and Americans were divided over the concept of nude sunbathing. In 1932, for instance, a highly politicized debate raged in Chicago over the right to soak up the sun's rays in public. There were rumors of a nudist colony forming in rural Indiana, while around the same time a colony in Michigan was raided and its leaders charged with public indecency.
One group in Illinois took offense themselves at being called a nudist cult, insisting that they just liked nude sunbathing. In their defense, they told the press, "We are not a cult, not a sect, not vegetarians."
As for the nudists of Balboa Park, the marketing materials for the exhibit claimed that they were "healthy young men and women, indulging in the freedom of outdoor living in which they so devoutly believe." The exhibit was designed with naturism in mind, in spite of the drama the movement was causing elsewhere.
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Have you ever heard of the term nudist? Over the centuries, nudists have also developed many different genres, there were many famous nudist colonies in the world, and even some small towns still admire nudists. San Diego Balboa Park is the largest urban cultural park and one of the oldest public entertainment facilities in the United States, various large-scale exhibitions were held there, and the most notorious is the nudist displays of the 1930s.
Green lawns, fountains, Spanish architecture, and various museums, make many people forget that there was once the most famous nudist colony. If you are also interested in the history of the nudist colony in San Diego, welcome to check the random tool to get more information.
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