- I Never Thought Nudity Was a Big Deal
On a recent trip to Florida, Evelyn and her mother had checked into a hotel. She writes that “After a shower, I toweled off, slipping on a robe to grab the delivery I’d ordered. Then, I’d tossed the scratchy monster on the bed, and naked is how I stayed — and how I will forever prefer to stay.” Clearly, Evelyn is comfortable with her nudity.
But unexpectedly, “I heard a keycard beep and the door-handle said, click”, and, fully exposed, she saw that “a housekeeper stood in my doorway with her arms full of towels.”
The next day, after plenty of time to process the event, she realized “I’d never questioned my love of private nudity. Since puberty, when my parents fought me to wear a bra, I’ve loved the sensation of my skin against the open air. I also assumed, like me, most people didn’t care about disrobing in secret. We’re all born naked and get nude at least once a day. Is it so strange to enjoy our natural state? The answer is, of course not.”
Evelyn’s eventual conclusion: “Somewhere along the line, society decided nudity is weird, and it became the norm to cover up, even off the record. … I couldn’t find one reason why this rule needed to apply to anyone who doesn’t want to follow it.”
Here’s the thing: There are lots and lots of people like Evelyn. Nudity – at least in private – feels normal to them, and they enjoy it. But they know that “society” thinks it’s an aberration – even though that’s just plain wrong. Almost everyone like Evelyn is only a short step away from deciding that naturism is for them. All they need is for someone to come along and welcome them into the fold.
If you’re a lot like Evelyn, but don’t yet consider yourself a naturist, why not? This is your invitation. (Perhaps this blog post will address some of your concerns.)
- The Clothing Optional Retirement Plan
I can’t resist including this article, for a reason noted at the end, even though it’s undated and may have appeared before August. The article’s about choosing a naturist park or resort as a place to retire in. If you’re young, you’ve probably thought little or nothing about retirement. But once you’re near retirement age, you’ll probably think about it a lot. If you’re still healthy when you retire, you may be satisfied to continue living right where you are. But as the years go by, you may want to consider moving – probably to a smaller home. A large home, perhaps with a large yard, is more than you really need, and requires considerable work to keep up – work you don’t feel like doing much longer.
If you’re a naturist, there’s much to like about the idea of retiring to a naturist community, besides having a smaller, more easily maintained home to live in. Here are some other obvious advantages:
- You can be naked most of the time.
- You’ll spend much less time doing laundry.
- You’ll have the company every day of many others – both visitors and full-time residents – who enjoy nudity as much as you do.
- Almost all naturist communities have one or more swimming pools and spas, perhaps a well-equipped gym and a decent restaurant within walking distance, and probably other amenities and recreational facilities as well.
- You’ll be in a gated community with excellent security.
- You can relocate to a part of the country with a milder climate than where you came from.
Are there downsides? Well, if you’re lucky, there may be a good naturist community even closer to where you have family and friends. But more likely you won’t be living as close to family and friends as you were before. And quite possibly, even if family and friends aren’t too far away, many may be uncomfortable visiting a place full of naked people. On the other hand, they might actually be intrigued by that possibility – and even think seriously about becoming naturists themselves.
Now, what was it I found especially interesting about this article? It’s the fact that the article seems to have appeared last year, but at the end it links to a page that lists many naturist places in the U. S. Unfortunately, that page is quite out of date. How do I know? Because that page is on this blog’s website, but hasn’t been updated in about 14 years. So (I’m sorry to say) it can’t be relied on. I won’t link to it, but if you really want to see it, search on this phrase: “Where to be Naked in the U. S.” There are a number of other places you could look for the informaation, such as this Wikipedia page, or this one from the AANR.
- More People Getting Naked During Coronavirus: When Clothing Is Optional, What About Masks?
There have, surprisingly, been a number of articles published that find it strange for naturists to wear masks because of the pandemic. Already noted here was another article about this from the same source. And here are additional examples mentioned in the present article: (1) You Can Leave Your Mask On: Nudists Wear Just One Item in Covid Times, (2) The Ongoing Battle to Convince Nudists to Wear Face Masks, (3) Clothes off, masks on: America’s nudist resorts reopen, (4) ‘You can leave your mask on’: Nudists adapt to Covid times, (5) Getting naked in quarantine: Interest peaks in nudist lifestyle during COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s really rather silly, however, to suppose sensible naturists would seriously object to wearing a mask for protection of themselves and others. Most naturists are health-conscious, practical people who wear shoes or sandals to protect their feet when necessary or some sort of actual clothing when cold. Masks are just another example of being prudent. To imply that naturists don’t exercise good judgment is sort of a put-down.
But this article is a good one, and presents a rather positive view of naturism. For one thing, it cites accounts that some naturists organizations have noticed a surge in membership, attributed in part to offerings of online naturist activities using video technology. Just consider the following reports, from Ireland, as examples.
- Irish Naturist Association sees surge in numbers joining nudist group during lockdown
Here’s the gist of the story:
“A growing number of people are stripping off across Ireland to help themselves cope with the woes of life in lockdown. According to Newstalk, there has been a surge in the number of people showing an interest in joining the Irish Naturist Association. This has been partially attributed to the Covid-19 restrictions in place across the country, with many exploring new ways of letting off steam and enjoying their natural surroundings. The Irish Naturist Association is reporting a 31% increase in new memberships between May and July. Speaking to The Hard Shoulder, member Ciara Boud cited the fact many have more free time on their hands during lockdown to explore such options.”
If you’re surprised that naturism is now popular in Ireland, there are other posts on the topic: here and here. And there’s another article on how the lockdown has stimulated interest in naturism in Ireland: ‘You get accustomed to it’ – Irish Naturist Association sees surge in memberships. That mentions one possible reason for the new interest in naturism: “Maybe people had more time to be online, they’re looking up stuff.”
In other countries besides Ireland the national naturist organization reported a notable increase in membership. Here are some reports from England.
- Nutritionist Non-Confidential: what to eat to look good naked
The nutritional advice in this article isn’t especially unusual, and if you’re concerned about healthy eating – as you should be, whether or not you enjoy being naked – there’s probably not much here you don’t already know. So why take note of this article at all? It certainly starts off in a nudity-positive way:
“Whether you’re an avid subscriber to the Skinny Dip Club or like to dance around your condo in the nude every once in a while, there’s no denying that there are few things that feel quite as exhilarating as flaunting your birthday suit.”
Other than that, there’s really nothing of special interest to naturists. No doubt the main intention was for the headline and first paragraph to grab readers’ attention. Nevertheless, it’s a good sign that an enthusiastic viewpoint on nudity would have the desired effect.
- Naturism as a Way of Living
When measured by time spent naked, naturists occupy a broad spectrum – from “only if I’m in the mood to visit a clothing-optional beach or naturist resort” to “absolutely as much as possible”. It’s all good as far as naturism is concerned. But the ideas and practice of naturism, in general, will prosper the most if the largest number of people gravitate to the “as much as possible” end. It makes sense to say that people toward the often-naked end “have a naked lifestyle” or “embrace living naked”.
Exactly why is this good for naturism? There are many reasons why it’s good for all naturists if there are more people who have a naked lifestyle. Friends and relatives of such people will become more used to seeing nudity, and they’ll understand better why it’s enjoyed. Being naked will be considered more “normal” and less crazy or eccentric by the general population. There will be more visitors to naturist parks and resorts, hence more can afford to open and offer a wider variety of facilities. People will feel freer to dispense with some or all clothing in everyday social situations. There will be more pressure for allowing nudity at least in parts of public beaches and parks. Repressive laws against nonsexual nudity in suitable places will be weakened or eliminated. And so on.
The article cited above makes the case that naturists aren’t merely “naked people”, indistinguishable from other naturists. Rather, they are people who value being free of clothes as an important part of their life. An analogy is offered between naturists and people who value practicing yoga or vegetarian eating. But that doesn’t mean being clothesfree, practicing yoga, or abstaining from meat is something that defines them. Each of these interests will occupy different portions of someone’s life. However, the simple fact that someone openly enjoys any of these things tends to “normalize” that interest to everyone who knows the person. Consequently, the interest can become more understandable and acceptable to everyone else.
- Naked fundraiser at botanic gardens hailed a success
England has many impressive privately-owned gardens, thanks to centuries of wealthy owners of private country estates who devoted part of their leisure time to overseeing the cultivation of stately gardens. Some of these gardens have been open for visits from the public (for a modest fee), and also for private events, such as weddings, parties, and business meetings. A few of these gardens have hosted occasional clothing-optional events for naturists. The Abbey House Gardens is perhaps the best-known of this number.
As noted here, the Fullers Mill Garden hosted an clothing-optional event on the evening of August 9. It was arranged by British Naturism, and a large part of the proceeds from ticket sales was contributed to charity. According to the news article, the event was “hailed as a success”. Sadly, the U. S. has fewer private venues of this sort, since experiencing this kind of splendid garden seems perfect for being enjoyed naked.
