Category: Creative naturism

Newsworthy nudity, 2021-2

  1. What it’s like to be a life model and pose nude for strangers (2/12/21)

    In the previous edition of this series there was an article about how posing nude as an artist’s model can be a source of empowerment. That was from a male perspective. This article provides a female perspective. It’s noted that “Disrobing in front of a room full of other people who are intently staring at you is way out of most peoples’ comfort zone.” For experienced naturists this should be no problem at all. But it should also be considered by anyone who’s not deathly afraid of being seen naked by others, because it could enhance their self-confidence, and is often a modest source of extra income. Also, of course, it could entice people into trying naturism.

    One problem for many who may be interested in posing nude as a life model is finding a class that’s looking for models. Anywhere that art classes are offered is a possibility. That includes college and junior college art classes, places offering adult education classes, and sometimes classes at art museums. Two related articles (here and here) describe what’s involved in modeling. It’s noted that the average pay for modeling is about $25 per hour, but that probably assumes at least some modeling experience. However, for anyone who wouldn’t mind working naked, the pay could be a secondary matter.

  2. NAKED a Life Modeling Film about Life (2/20/21)
    Review of the film: Irish Film Review: Naked

    The Irish Naturist Association held a virtual event to view a documentary film and discuss it with the film’s director and his life model. The film is available to rent, but the INA provided a review (second link). There are many interesting observations, but the overall message is that “life modeling is empowering.” As one model notes, “once the threshold of fear was crossed, the idea of posing naked was no longer fraught with difficulties.” There’s a great deal for naturists to think about in these observations. In particular, being open about one’s enjoyment of naturism is also empowering. Another comment from the director recognizes a fundamental obstacle naturism faces almost everywhere: “There is a culture of silence against nudity worldwide in the mass media today, and I think it’s very unhealthy.”

  3. Get Naked Australia founder reveals the best things you can do nude from hot air ballooning to rock climbing (2/15/21)

    Get Naked Australia is an organization known to many naturists worldwide through its social media sites on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The idea originated with Brendan Jones in 2015 and soon became quite popular with young people in Australia who travel to many natural sites in the country to enjoy nudity and be photographed naked. Judging from the photographic evidence, women are well represented in GNA activities, which are quite varied. They include small yacht cruises, rock climbing, hot air ballooning, yoga retreats, camping, and (of course) skinny dipping.

    Such things understandably appeal especially to younger people more than visits to established naturist parks and resorts. The U.S. is desperately in need of young people like Brendan to revitalize naturism in this country. Many young people resist being labeled or regarding their activities as part of a “lifestyle”, and so the idea to just “Get Naked” may have more appeal. (Here’s a similar article on GNA.)

  4. 12 Activities To Try During National Nude Recreation Week (6/18/21)

    This article continues the theme of appealing ways to get naked – other than visiting the more traditional RV parking lot with a swimming pool and clubhouse. “National Nude Recreation Week” is proclaimed (yearly, after July 4) by U.S. naturist organizations to promote naturist activities. To come up with a full list of 12, the article mentions a few rather obvious things (get an all-over tan, skinny dip in the pool) and some stereotypical naturist games involving spherical objects (volleyball, pickleball, golf). So, up to 5 already. Then there are 5k nude races. (Sounds a little strenuous, but 5K is just a bit over 3 miles.) And you can work out at the resort’s gym or practice yoga.

    But other things are possible beyond naturist ghettos. There are World Naked Bike Rides and celebrating World Naked Gardening Day (usually outside the proclaimed week). There’s always naked hiking – anywhere you probably won’t be seen by textiles. And, finally, there are nude cruises – if you can afford them and book far enough in advance. No mention, however, of life modeling or simply having a clothing-optional party for friends in your own home. All-in-all, this isn’t quite Get Naked Australia stuff.

  5. Charlie Max Thinks We Should All Be Cooking Nude (5/26/21)

    Here’s one more thing that’s best done naked. Max is a model and an “OnlyFans creator” – which means she offers NSFW content (for a price). Not having checked that out myself, I can’t say it’s strictly of the naturist sort. But Max does emphasize naturist values in this article. Cooking is certainly another natural activity that can be enjoyed totally naked (with sensible precautions about things that could burn).

    Max makes healthy living in general a priority. In particular, that means “plant-based cooking”. But she also advocates body positivity and nakedness. She argues that food should not only be prepared while nude, but also served and eaten while clothesfree. Max hosts dinner parties for friends while nude herself (with clothing presumably being optional for guests). “Finding comfort, support and acceptance in being nude around my friends allowed me to feel confident in my body,” she avers. Naturists certainly can understand and agree with that.

  6. I tried cooking in the nude (so you can too) (8/4/21, updated 4/25/22, 10/19/22).

    Hannah Cole has a positive response to Charlie Max’s article. However, body insecurities and aversion to cold somewhat limit her enthusiasm, as they also do for many naturists. She nevertheless summarizes briefly many good features of naturism. Hannah notes that “Other practising nude cooks mention they feel more creative and less restricted when crafting meals this way.” (The same could be said of many other creative activities, like writing or even software programming.) She goes on to recount her first fully nude cooking effort – especially how “Being in my house sans clothing was cleansing.” In conclusion she says she’s now “open to a more nude-inclusive lifestyle.” The takeaway here is that finding even one activity one can really enjoy naked opens the door to additional involvement in naturism.

  7. Reasons Why Everyone Should Try Skinny Dipping At Least Once (7/3/21)

    The information here is mainly about why skinny dipping is really enjoyable, but there’s a little advice about what people having no experience with skinny dipping should know. This information usually won’t be new to most naturists, unless their experience being naked is mostly in their own homes. Naturists who already know most of this – if they’re open to discussing the subject with others – may be better able to know what information about skinny dipping they should offer to friends. People with little or no naturist experience but are curious about skinny dipping should find the whole article useful.

    The article’s not long, so just read it for the details. People, of course, should already know about things like using sunscreen and what hazards may exist in specific places. Such information applies to swimming anywhere, from a private pool to a popular ocean beach. There probably should be more advice about good naturist and nude beach etiquette. But mainly the information is about why skinny dipping is such a great pleasure – although naturists can make many good points from their own experience, even if they seldom skinny dip.

  8. Going Bare (7/22/21)

    Here are some further thoughts on nudity from Yael Wolfe. She probably wouldn’t think of herself as a naturist, and isn’t advocating nudity at home as a regular practice (the way a naturist might). But she does write about the value of experiencing nudity occasionally for its own sake. “Learning how to be in my body without making judgments about how it measures up to cultural beauty standards. Without feeling dirty, obscene, and shameful.” Because “It feels like liberation. Painful liberation, but liberation all the same.” In other words, exactly what naturists often advocate as a means for body acceptance.

  9. The Sheffield duo who interview strangers completely naked – and how it’s changed their lives (2/6/21)

    Kat Harbourne and Jenny Eells are BBC journalists who in 2017 conceived the idea of doing a podcast in which they as well as guests they interviewed would be naked. The initial idea was to explore issues around body image (just as Yael does in the item just above). It’s called (of course) The Naked Podcast. Although the podcasts concluded after 67 episodes in October 2020, all the episodes are still available at the link just mentioned. It was also written about on this blog: here.

    The present article, which asks how it changed the podcasters’ lives, appeared 4 months after the last episode. Both Kat and Jenny feel that “doing the series for the past few years has helped them and their own body image.” Kat observed that “you don’t need to look or act a certain way to love your body – you don’t need to be a certain size to be happy.” So here again is a message about body acceptance. Naturists simply can’t repeat that enough.

  10. Florida Beaches Guide – Haulover Beach (7/11/21)

    Haulover Beach, just a little north of Miami Beach, is easily the most popular clothing-optional beach in the state. In part that’s because of its proximity to a large city. But it’s also thanks to the efforts over a number of years by the South Florida Free Beaches organization. Thanks to SFFB, Haulover is one of the very small number of U.S. beaches that have an official clothing-optional portion, and the organization maintains a “Beach Ambassador” program to ensure that Haulover remains a safe and enjoyable place, even for families. Tripadvisor has more information on Haulover.

Bonus from earlier: Are you a Naked Person? (3/10/11)

Alden Wicker believes, “Your comfort with nudity says a lot about who you are.” She explains further, “I’m not asking if you’re a nudist, an exhibitionist, or a Playboy model. I’m just asking if you’re comfortable in your nakedness.” In more detail, “I think your view of nakedness says more about you than how conventionally beautiful you are. … I’m not saying naked people are better; they just approach life differently.” So here’s one more affirmation that getting comfortable with ordinary nudity is a dependable facilitator of body acceptance.

Get more out of naturism – try something new!

Probably most readers will agree that naturism is already pretty darn good. But are there ways to enjoy it even more? Sure, of course there are. Just use a little imagination. Yes, “Variety is the spice of life” is a well-worn cliché. But it’s true. Read on to think about new things to try out by yourself or (especially) with naturist friends.

Here are some reasons you might want to try new things in the way you enjoy naturism:

  • You might be getting a little tired of the “same old, same old”
  • You can meet new and interesting people
  • You’ll learn about new naturist experiences from others
  • You’ll discover new activities for enjoying naturist nudity you’d never thought of

Continue reading “Get more out of naturism – try something new!”

Naturist New Year’s resolutions

Sure, you may already have a list of resolutions for the new year – which, if things go as usual, you may not manage to fully keep. So having more suggestions might not be what you were hoping for. However, since you’re a naturist, or at least may have seriously considered becoming one, there are some important resolutions you should consider adding to the list.

If you’re curious enough about naturism to be reading a blog like this, one of the most important things you could be thinking about for the coming year is how to spend a lot more time being naked. So if it would help to keep things simple, here’s the single resolution that should go on your list:

This year I’m going to step up my involvement in naturist activities.

Continue reading “Naturist New Year’s resolutions”

Recent articles on nudity and naturism, July 1-15, 2020

July was a considerably busier month for naturist material than June this year. Although there was a great deal of pandemic yet to unfold, at least naturists weren’t losing interest. Of course, July is probably the peak month for naturism in the northern hemisphere. So there’s a lot to cover here.

  1. Artistic naturist photography
     
    Artistic nude photography and photographic images of naturism are often considered completely separate categories. The first reference below provides good examples of how the two can be combined. As some of the images there show, images of unclothed people in natural settings make an obvious choice – but not the only one. The second reference is more strictly “artistic” in nature, but it uses naked bodies in abstract ways to communicate a message.


    Note that the language in both of these items is Portugese, but a translation into English, Spanish, or French can be had by selecting the appropriate flag in the top right of the page.


     

  2. Naked Bike Ride 2020: ‘As Bare As You Dare’ But Don’t Forget The Mask
     

    This item and the next one are further examples of how naturists are adapting to the pandemic. Some of the customary World Naked Bike Rides that take place in the warmer months were simply cancelled this year. But many others took place as usual. The ride pictured above was in Spain.

  3. From naked gardening to Yoga sessions at Zoom, see how nudists connect during blockades


    Most naturist clubs and resorts everywhere did not open at the usual time, but many gradually opened one or more months late, and use of masks, social distancing, hand-washing, etc. were at least strongly recommended. Normal use of outdoor facilities, such as swimming pools and tennis courts was generally allowed, with mild restrictions.

    To make up for the more limited options available, naturists also turned to activities like gardening and home improvement. And innovate, forward-thinking naturist organizations – British Naturism in particular – used video conferencing tools to provide entirely new services like panel discussions, virtual “pub nights”, and classes in yoga, drawing, and painting. (More about that here.) Such activities will certainly continue to be popular even when the pandemic eventually subsides. Notably, they can be accessed from almost anywhere in the world.


  4. Nudity in protests
     

    Certain things that occur in “normal” times did not stop even during a pandemic – political protests in particular. In the U. S., in fact, there were numerous dramatic protests across the country in response to various incidents of brutal and totally unnecessary murders of Black men by undisciplined police officers and civilian vigilantes. The protests in Portland, Oregon were especially tumultuous – and led to threatening overreaction against protesters.

    To call attention to the irrational police violence that included use of tear gas and rubber bullets, one very brave – and naked – woman staged a protest of her own. The protester, who goes by the name “Naked Athena”, explained that “being nude in public is nothing new” to her. Although police shot pepper balls close to her, she was unharmed and departed casually after about ten minutes.

    Using nudity in social and political demonstrations and protests is, or course, not especially uncommon. World Naked Bike Rides are a particularly tame example. This case was quite a bit more daring – but it pointed out dramatically the vulnerability of all the protesters in the face of heavily armed police.

  5. Women in naturism
     

    One of the most common questions that naturists and non-naturists alike wonder about social nudity is why more women don’t participate. (Look here for previous posts about this.) As the first of the two articles below remarks, “The answer is multi-faceted.” The problem extends far beyond the issue of having “gender balance” at naturist clubs and resorts. It exists just as much at clothing-optional beaches, World Naked Bike Rides, and other naturist events and festivals.

    It might be tempting to reach for simple answers, such as that women are simply shyer about exposing their naked bodies, at least in the presence of men. But there are complications even in that. It’s tangled up, of course, with the issue of body acceptance – but that’s a problem for men too. And “normal” women’s clothing often exposes more epidermis than men’s clothing does. The first article below, despite its title, doesn’t attempt to go deeply into reasons for the problem. Instead, it offers various suggestions for what can be done to deal with the problem. It turns out that the techniques are basically alike for men and women.

    The second article is a personal account by one woman who actually was quite daunted by the idea of being naked in view of men. This was more a result of being a survivor of sexual assault than of body acceptance. The woman may well never be a naturist, but she has managed to overcome her fear of nudity, in order to be able to enjoy it in situations that are comfortable for her.

  6. Immersion in Europe’s first naturist garage sale
     

    Now here is a genuinely creative idea for promoting naturism – a carefully planned and executed “garage sale” in France, where nudity is required for visitors. (Events like this, except for the nudity, are also known as “flea markets”, “yard sales”, “tag sales”, etc.) This wasn’t some event with a few rows of folding tables in a dusty parking lot. As can be seen from the picture, it was in a clean indoor space with uniform, purpose-made white booths for the display of the merchandise. Rows were even neatly arranged in alphabetical order.

    In countries like the U. S. that lack as many dedicated naturists as France, the event need not be as formal. It should be clothing-optional, but without requiring full nudity. Visitors who do opt for getting naked should be able to have their clothes stored neatly in a secure space. Obviously, nudity-phobic people would stay away. But anyone who might want to glean some insight into why naturists like being naked could drop in – and maybe doff some or all of their clothes as well – for a safe first experience in social nudity. Naturally, this could be arranged by a local naturist group, or even a few naturist friends who want to spread the concept of naturism.

    Perhaps it sounds unlikely a small group could make this work. But suppose an existing naturist campground or resort did this, perhaps even on a regular basis. The general public would be invited. There could be a nominal entrance fee (maybe $5) or maybe none. (After all, many naturist places charge nothing for a first visit.) Food sales might help cover costs. Full nudity wouldn’t be required except, as usual, in swimming pools and spas.

    Wouldn’t this be a great way to attract new members or regular visitors – especially people who are already somewhat comfortable with nudity, at least in private? This is only one of a number of possibilities for naturist places to attract new people. Vintage car shows are held at many naturist places now, but that’s kind of a special interest. How about bake sales, craft fairs, art/photography shows, yoga demonstrations, gardening classes?

    Naturists really need to become more creative in how they promote social nudity.

  7. The History of Nudism: Europe


    People have lived much of their lives happily naked for as long as there have been humans. But many naturists are aware that nudism and naturism as currently understood originated in Europe – mainly in Germany – around 1900. It took almost three decades to spread to North America. But those earliest decades established the basic features of nudism and naturism as practiced today. The couple that hosts Our Natural Blog narrates a 9-minute video that gives an overview of the beginning of contemporary nudism in its early years in Europe.


  8. International Nude Day, July 14
     

    As noted in the report for June, 2020, July 14 was designated as “International Nude Day” by some New Zealanders in 2003 (or thereabouts). (In some countries it may be called “National Nude Day”). One had to wonder how widely celebrated this day would be. The answer, sadly, is: not a whole lot. There was little publicity about it at the time, and apparently only one national naturist organization did much of anything to promote it. That was the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR). They even produced a 1-minute video to make note of the day – although it shows almost no actual nudity.

    That was a little odd, since AANR is mainly a trade association that promotes naturist resorts and travel businesses. Unlike naturist organizations in some other countries, AANR does little organizing and promotion of naturist activities (such as festivals and beach events). British Naturism, for example, often does things like that (at least in the absence of a pandemic).

    Exactly what would people who actually heard about it be expected to do on this day? Presumably, naturists who already enjoyed nudity would do so about as much as they would on any other summer day. But why would a significant number of others who’ve had no experience with social nudity suddenly decide to go naked on July 14? For that to happen, there’d surely need to be wide publicity of the great variety of possible naturist activities that could be enjoyed. Not just a trip to the closest naturist resort, but naked hiking, naked camping, visiting clothing-optional beaches, body painting, or just hanging out naked at home with family and friends.

    The first article below is from NatCon, a regional naturist organization in Cornwall, UK. It does little but note the day, very briefly mention some benefits of naturism, and show the AANR video. Somewhat of a half-hearted effort, but more than most other organizations offered. The second article is from a New York tabloid that begins with a slightly dismissive tone, but says a little about two young body-positive women, one of whom, named Grace, posted some (non-nude) selfies on her Instagram account and posted on Twitter that “Our bodies are a beautiful thing that should be embraced and cherished. … Nudity doesn’t have to be sexual — it can be empowering and a symbol of confidence.”

How to blog about naturism

In the U. S. we have a holiday that commemorates an event in 1620 when (supposedly) some of the first immigrants to this (future) country from England enjoyed a feast together with indigenous people. Besides giving thanks for surviving a difficult sea voyage, the immigrants were thankful for the freedom from burdens on their lives they felt in their old country. Among these burdens was being persecuted for their beliefs and customs – just as anti-nudity laws and censorship in social media persecute naturists.

So this was an exemplary social event celebrating freedom. If you’re a naturist, this probably sounds like something you’re familiar with: the pleasure of sharing with others the freedom from wearing clothes.
 

I’ve been planning to add my 2 cents to this article: Our Best Tips for Aspiring Naturist Bloggers. Just getting to it now. The article has a lot of useful advice, but it started me thinking about many additional things to say. It’s sort of surprising there aren’t many more naturist blogs – because there’s so much good stuff to write about.
Continue reading “How to blog about naturism”

Ideas for enjoying nudity while social distancing, part 2

Many naturists now find themselves having more free time at home because of the pandemic, either because they now work from home, aren’t yet able to go back to work, or simply aren’t able to engage in some of their customary activities.

In the previous article we looked at additional suggestions for activities that can be enjoyed clothesfree at home, based on 6 of the 14 ideas suggested in a Naked Wanderings article. But there are other good ideas to consider that weren’t among the 14 – yet should have been.
Continue reading “Ideas for enjoying nudity while social distancing, part 2”

Ideas for enjoying nudity while social distancing, part 1

Since the pandemic certainly isn’t over yet, many people will continue spending much more time at home than they did just a few months ago. Whether or not that’s by personal preference, the upside for naturists is the opportunity to spend much more of their time naked in their own homes. Sadly, however, many people have suffered a difficult loss of income, so they simply won’t be able to pursue activities that are no longer affordable, such as using gyms, traveling away from home, or even paying for cable channels they like.

Even if people can continue to work from home at their usual job, they may well find they have more “free” time than previously. Not having to commute to work can save a lot of time. Vacations involving air travel will be much less of interest. Many free-time activities – such as shopping or going to sporting events – may also be less available. And many naturist campgrounds and resorts will be unable to have their usual number of visitors. Some will be fortunate if they can even stay in business.

So, like most other people, naturists will probably have more free time than they’ve been accustomed to. That’s good news, and for naturists it means that not only they can be naked more of the time, but also they can try out new activities where nudity is especially appropriate.
Continue reading “Ideas for enjoying nudity while social distancing, part 1”

Recent articles on nudity and naturism, 1/11/20

  • Artist creates exhibition of naked paintings after asking women to ‘send nudes’
    The misleading headline seems to suggest a nefarious scheme to collect nude pictures. But it’s not. The article is about professional artist Sophie Tea, whose conventional paintings on canvas may be seen on her Instagram page. But Sophie wanted to take things a step further. The article quotes her saying “I’ve always wanted to paint women” – and it’s meant literally: to paint on bodies in the same style as she paints on canvas. So she asked for volunteers – and received pictures from more than 1000 volunteers. Those she selected were duly painted and participated in a live exhibition (called Send Nudes) in which “Naked volunteers proudly walked the pink carpet after Sophie had painted them in colourful and abstract brush strokes.” Sophie’s objective? “to create work that was really meaningful” and to help “promote body confidence in women”.

  • 2019 HCA Holiday Campaign was a Success!
     

    Bodypainting, which can be done indoors, should be a popular activity for naturists during the colder months of the year. In the previous collection of articles there was one on the topic, and there’ll probably be more to come in the next few months. There are, already, two in this collection. The second of those spotlights the work of well-known bodypainter Andy Golub and his Human Connection Arts organization. Andy, who’s based in the New York City area, normally works outdoors, and in public. But he’s also active during the winter, and has scheduled work ongoing through January. It will involve “human canvas painting”.  Anyone interested in participating may submit an application here.

  • Spencer Tunick’s Latest Nude Artwork Causes Splash In QLD Hotspot
     

    Spencer Tunick, another artist who does unconventional work using naked bodies, is still finding new ideas after 25 years of making art out of “installations” of large numbers of naked people. (See the article on Tunick in the last collection.) He also enjoys working in Austalia (especially in the southern hemisphere’s summer). Two of his largest installations were in Melbourne and Sydney (4500 and 5000 naked people, respectively). According to the present article, he believes Australians have a “real heartfelt understanding of how important the body is in art”. That they deserve praise “for being body positive”.  And that “Australians are much more body positive and more open than [in] most other countries.” The last is probably true in comparison with the U. S. Even so, Australia’s laws aren’t quite so liberal as New Zealand’s, where there are generally no specific laws against nudity on the beaches. In the state of Queensland, for example, where Tunick’s latest installation was photographed, there’s well-known intolerance of nudity on the beaches.
    More about this event: Spencer Tunick Invites Australians to Bare All on Whitsunday Island

  • Nudists call for Kiwis to join them on international ‘Day Without Togs’
    Here’s evidence of the popularity and tolerance of nudity in New Zealand. A naturist group there, known as Free Beaches, has encouraged everyone in the country to celebrate an upcoming event in January. It’s called the “Day Without Togs”, was reportedly started in Spain in 2007, and will be celebrated on local beaches the last Saturday of January. (Understandably, the date’s not that popular among northern hemisphere naturists.) How many suitable beaches does New Zealand have? You can get a good idea from this Google Map. In our previous collection of articles, there were two related to New Zealand, both based on information from the blogger Naked Kate. Spencer Tunick should plan an installation in New Zealand, if he hasn’t already.
    More: New Zealand nudists invite newbies for ‘Day Without Togs’ celebration

  • Auckland nudists encourage families to join them at pre-Christmas beach event
    That January beach event wasn’t even the first one this season in NZ. There was already one just before Christmas, promoted by an Auckland naturist group. It was called “Barely Three Days Before Christmas”. And it wasn’t the only one – there was another further south on the same day: “If you are down south we will again be celebrating the summer solstice with a nude swim at St Kilda beach Dunedin. 6pm December 22,” according to one person quoted in the article. Actually, why use the solstice to have a special day for a summer skinny-dip in New Zealand? Merely a few extra minutes of sunlight? The same thing must happen every day in the summer there. Unfortunately, the event wasn’t completely without incident. A park ranger did stop to question what was going on, but ultimately did not try to stop it.


  • Strip down in Surrey for heart charity naked walk
     


    Here’s another example of an appropriate use of nudity to draw attention and support to a worthy cause. The backstory is that a naturist, Philip Baker, who was diagnosed with heart disease over 30 years ago but was eventually treated successfully for it, decided to become an active fundraiser for the British Heart Foundation to support research into heart disease. Philip stated that he’s “been a lifelong naturist quietly enjoying my garden in the nude and taking the odd Mediterranean holiday ‘au naturelle’.” What is hoped to be an annual event will be held on the summer solstice (in England) this June. Participants will pay an entry fee of £20 and pledge to raise an additional £100 for the BHF. In return, they’ll be entitled to take either a 2km or 5km walk – naked – (at night) through a very scenic local park. Even spectators are welcome (for a £10 fee). Organizers are hoping for as many as 500 participants.
    More about this: 500 people could walk naked in park so people don’t have a stroke; You can walk through Painshill Park naked but only for one night

  • Be at Peace with Yourself
     

    This is from the Bold & Naked yoga studio in New York City, but it offers good advice that’s not limited to yoga practice. Nudity’s not even mentioned explicitly. However, this is the very first recommendation: “The first step to being at peace with yourself is to accept yourself.” And the fifth is: “accept yourself with all the flaws and weaknesses you may have.” Clearly, this is a major worry people have that prevents them from wholeheartedly embracing social nudity, because of how they assume their body, no matter what it’s actually like, inevitably has flaws and isn’t “good enough”. Naturists know that worry can be overcome by accepting one’s body (which doesn’t preclude taking steps, such as yoga exercise, to improve what’s amenable to being improved). The other recommendations are also very appropriate.

  • Famous Naked Comedy DISROBED Returns to Hollywood
     

    This production was previously mentioned here back in May. You can read that account for more about the play. But it’s a good sign that it’s being done again – on a repeating basis, in fact, on the first Saturday of every month (but not stated for how long). It’s especially encouraging, since the play is based on Barely Proper, by Tom Cushing, which was written in 1931, but not performed on Broadway (in a revised version) until 1970 (to unfavorable reviews). In addition, the audience is required to be naked too. That shouldn’t be necessary, but it may keep out some voyeurs, and perhaps even induce audience members to experiment more with social nudity themselves. And the production last June was favorably received. According to the article that included “racking up rave reviews and winning the Producers Encore! Award along with a nomination for ‘Best Immersive Show’.”

Recent articles on nudity and naturism, 1/5/20

  • Student rides her horse completely naked in film to urge other riders to wear safety helmet
    It’s an interesting development that clean nudity is being used to attract attention to worthy causes. In this case it’s a rather limited purpose: encouraging riders in (competitive?) horse-riding events to wear safety helmets. The general idea is a legitimate use of nudity. Of course, hardly anyone who notices this story is likely to be someone the precaution is intended for. World Naked Bike Rides are a far batter example of this sort of thing. Also many calendars featuring (very) limited nudity are produced in order to donate sales profits for worthy causes. Why should naturists pay attention to any of this? Perhaps because it isn’t necessarily a self-serving “exploitation” of nudity, but rather has the effect of normalizing nudity. (Granted, personal attention-seeking could also figure in this.)

  • Get your kit off: this skinny-dipper is writing a NZ guidebook and is looking for models
     

    It’s summer now in New Zealand, and naturist blogger Kate Uwins, currently residing in Kiwi-land, who has been exploring the country for three years, is putting together a guide book for skinny-dipping there. New Zealand is probably just behind England itself in being the most naturist-friendly, English-speaking place on the planet. Kate thinks NZ “is just the best place in the world to skinny dip. You’ve got about a million beautiful places to go swimming; beaches, rivers, lakes, waterfalls. They’re just around every corner”.  And she points out that “There are no snakes, no crocodiles, nothing dangerous that’s going to get you.” (Not to mention horrendous wildfires.) Of course, visitors should be cautioned to be wary of the explosive volcanic islands. Several other naturist bloggers are currently attempting to support their blogging efforts by offering for sale things like guide books – and this should be considered a good thing, to the extent that it promotes healthy naturism.

  • Midnight bath
     

    Kate’s new blog itself is a fine example of assertive naturist advocacy. In this post she makes a number of good points. For starters: “It is astonishing me how easy it seems to be to get random strangers to get their kit off. Within minutes of meeting people, we are naked together! This is fantastic! … I’m talking about broad daylight, sober, non-sexual nudity that leads to joy, smiles, and great stories.” And: “What better way to escape the craziness of this modern world: the Trumps and brexits, the political madness and the consumerist chaos, than to disappear for a little while, strip off your clothes and reconnect with nature and yourself.” And: “Why is it that we are so scared of others seeing our naked bodies? Are we scared of being laughed at or scared of it turning into something sexual? Is it not possible to be naked and there to be no sexual connotations? Is it not possible to see our bodies as something other than a sexual object?”

    Non-naturists and people still new to naturism may disbelieve such utopian ideas. “Can you, could I, really do that?” Sadly, naturism in the past century hasn’t really advanced much, if at all. Timidity isn’t a winning strategy. We need many more believers like Kate.

  • Metrópolis – Intramurs I. Spencer Tunick
     

    Have you ever been one of the lucky few to take part in a Spencer Tunick photoshoot? Probably not, but here’s a spectacular 25-minute documentary video of a Tunick photoshoot during the Intramurs art festival in Valencia, Spain. Tunick may not consider himself (personally) a naturist, but his work over several decades is certainly a wonderful testament to the beauty, allure, and expressiveness of nudity. The video’s narration is in Spanish, but there’s an accompanying transcription. (It’s also in Spanish, but can be translated using Google.)
    An article (also in Spanish) of the making of the video: El making off de la multitudinaria foto de desnudos bajo las Torres de Serranos

  • Bodypainting. It keeps fascinating me.
     

    Bodypainting is a visual art form quite different from Tunick’s photography – but it’s even more appropriate for naturists. It allows for imagining the naked body in fascinatingly different ways. It must be far more enjoyable for the model than trying to stand motionless in a single pose for an extended period of time. And also, for the “model” (or rather the “canvas”), it provides the exhilarating experience of using one’s body to be a literal medium of artistic expression – like a dancer, but in a very different way.


  • Progressive Social Nudity — A Year in Review
    The New York City organization known as Just Naked describes its intention as “to create nude events that look and feel like any other popular clothed event, but with just naked participants.” The goal is specifically described as “normalizing naked everywhere” – something that most naturists also, probably, see as a desirable goal. The events are basically private parties, held in the NYC area, and organized by participants at their homes or other suitable places. The event must be nonsexual, and everyone’s expected to be naked. In other words, just the sort of ordinary parties any naturist might organize or attend. In order to attend an event, one must purchase a ticket, which presumably keeps the attendance at a manageable level and may compensate the organizer for expenses. According to the article “We held upwards of 70 events this year, sold over 700 tickets, and turned dozens of first-timers on to the benefits of social nudity. And we had a blast doing it!” According to the website, there are currently four events scheduled for the remainder of January.

    However, there’s a problem – a severe gender imbalance problem. The article states “sometime around the middle of summer we noticed that most of our events were skewing 9-to-1 in favor of men. We had women leaving the events before they even started, and most never returned.” So events are now designated as “Open to All” or “Women Only”. That’s rather draconian, however, so another category has been defined as “Femme Fwd” (described at the link), which gives women more control over attendance by men. The details are a bit complicated: “These events will only be available to men who are vetted by a woman who has attended our events.” Some policy similar to this might help with the gender imbalance found at most naturist venues. But in the long term steps need to be taken to make naturist events and venues intrinsically more comfortable for women. One way to accomplish that is for clubs to put efforts directly into promoting naturism to women, so that many more will attend – as well as doing what’s necessary for everyone to have an enjoyable experience.
    Here’s a news article on the club: There’s almost nothing you can’t do naked if you’re in this club

  • Retired Miami Cop Now Performing Naked Ventriloquy Show
    Whether or not you’re particularly talented in some sort of performance, doing it fully naked will probably attract more notice than otherwise. (And I’m not saying there isn’t talent in this particular example.) The type of performance doesn’t really matter – one that’s a serious art form such as making music, dancing, gymnastics, or acting. Or one perhaps a bit easier to master, such as comedy, reading poetry, or ventriloquism. There have been examples (sometimes many) of each sort of performance done in the nude before an audience. Naturists should welcome – and patronize, when possible – much, much more of this, because it’s another way to normalize nudity.

  • How to visit a Milan museum totally naked
    The event is scheduled for January 18, 2020. Unfortunately, it’s already sold out. So even if you reside in the Milan area, you’ve missed the boat. But this is yet another instance of an art museum providing an occasion where visitors may explore the galleries completely naked. Sometimes clothing is optional, but nudity is often required, as in this case. Considering how quickly such events usually sell out, it’s surprising they aren’t offered more often, and by many additional museums. In a metropolitan area of sufficient size, why not once a month – or even once a week? Could it be that naturists or others who’re open-minded about nudity just aren’t that interested in fine art? They should be, given how often nudity is the subject of much painting, sculpture, and performance art.
    Here’s more information, if you happen to read Italian.

Recent articles on nudity and naturism, 10/31/19

While, sadly, it’s now autumn – and getting steadily colder in the northern hemisphere – spring has arrived in the south – together with good weather for outdoor nudity. So we now have naturist stories from Australia, and should see many more until spring comes again in the north.
Continue reading “Recent articles on nudity and naturism, 10/31/19”