Naturist history – Naturistplace Blog

Have any Nobel Prize winners also been naturists?

Oh, yes, absolutely. I know of several. One for sure was Kip Thorne, who shared the prize in physics in 2017 for work on gravitational wave detection.

How do I know about his naturist inclinations? It’s mentioned in an October 1989 issue of California magazine. (Which ceased publication in 1991, and the name was later taken by a different organization.)

Of course, the original article isn’t available online. I bought a newsstand copy, because Kip Thorne was featured on the cover. That was quite interesting to me, since I owned a copy of one of the standard textbooks on general relativity that Thorne co-authored with two other distinguished physicists, John Wheeler and Charles Misner.

The article is actually about Thorne’s work in physics, for which he was already well-known, almost 20 years before his Nobel Prize. Although the article is about his role in physics, it begins with anecdotes about his naturist tendencies. There it mentions a photograph of Thorne displayed on a wall at Caltech (where he worked). The photograph shows him along with other physicists – but he “is the only one not wearing clothes”. And he admits “That’s the way I typically did physics.”

Kip Thorne certainly was not the only Nobel Prize winner with a positive attitude towards nudity and naturism. In most cases, the winners’ attitudes regarding nakedness were probably held privately. But another important case is Bertrand Russell, who won a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950 and was hardly silent about the subject. In his 1929 book Marriage and Morals he wrote:

“The taboo against nakedness is an obstacle to a decent attitude on the subject of sex… It is good for children to see each other and their parents naked whenever it so happens naturally. There will be a short period, probably at about three years old, when the child is interested in the differences between his father and his mother, and compares them with the differences between himself and his sister, but this period is soon over, and after this he takes no more interest in nudity than in clothes. So long as parents are unwilling to be seen naked by their children, the children will necessarily have a sense that there is a mystery, and having that sense they will become prurient and indecent. There is only one way to avoid indecency, and that is to avoid mystery.”

And also:

“There are also many important grounds of health in favour of nudity in suitable circumstances, such as out-of-doors in sunny weather. Sunshine on the bare skin has an exceedingly health-giving effect. Moreover anyone who has watched children running about in the open-air without their clothes must have been struck by the fact that they hold themselves much better and move more freely and more gracefully than when they are dressed. The same thing is true of grown-up people. The proper place for nudity is out-of-doors in the sunshine and in the water.”

And then there was the 1938 Nobel Laureate in chemistry, Henry Taube. Although the extent of Taube’s participation in organized nudism/naturism isn’t clear, naked use of his backyard swimming pool was the norm. Among Taube’s friends were four other Nobelists: Paul Berg (Chemistry, 1980), Paul Flory (Chemistry, 1974), Burton Richter (Physics, 1976), and Arthur Schawlow (Physics, 1981). All, including Taube, were Stanford professors and (presumably) had no disapproval of swimming au naturel. (Reference: The Naked Nobel Laureates)

Another Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, the New Zealander Alan MacDiarmid, was also a naturist. See: The Nobel-prize winning naturist – Alan MacDiarmid remembered.

Although he never won a Nobel Prize (or even came close), a physicist who’s name is widely known was an avid naturist. That was Charles Richter, who devised the seismological scale named after him.

More than a few well-known authors of fiction were also avid naturists, though not winners of any Nobel prizes (as far as I know). The list includes Robert Heinlein, in many of whose novels, such as Stanger in a Strange Land, nudity was prominently featured. Late in life he had a home in a small California village, Bonny Doon, just a few miles from the popular Bonny Doon nude beach on the coast.

Then there was John Ball, author of popular detective stories featuring the character Virgil Tibbs, such as In the Heat of the Night. Under the pseudonym Donald Johnson, Ball had a leadership role in organized nudism from the 1950s on. That included editing the nudist magazine Sunshine and Health, being president of the Western Sunbathing Association, and authoring the 1959 book The Nudists. He also owned a very large library of nudist publications and was a co-author of the 1970 sociological study, Nudist Society. Perhaps intentionally, Ball’s strong connection to nudism isn’t mentioned in either his Wikipedia article or New York Times obituary.

Strangely, I haven’t learned of any Nobelists in Peace or Physiology/medicine who may have had naturist tendencies. Surely there must be some. If any readers are aware of other naturist Nobelists, please mention them in the comments.

There are no Nobel Prizes in Mathematics. Albert Nobel, a chemist who invented dynamite, was known to have disdain for the subject of mathematics and didn’t consider it a practical science of benefit (like dynamite!) to humanity. Nobel never married but had at least three (female) romantic partners. Rumor has it that part of his attitude towards mathematics was due to one of his partners having an affair with Swedish mathematician Gösta Mittag-Leffler.

However, Bertrand Russell was not only an outstanding philosopher but also a noted mathematician, who made contributions to mathematical logic and co-authored Principia Mathematica with Alfred North Whitehead.

There were undoubtedly quite a few other outstanding mathematicians who were naturists. Many of the world’s best mathematicians lived in Germany before WW2. Given the popularity of Freikörperkultur (FKK, Free Body Culture) in that period, it’s very likely that quite a few of the best mathematicians were active participants.

Newsworthy Nudity, 2022 -2

The History Of Nudism (1/5/22)

Gary Mussel, who’s been an activist for naturism and an official of various naturist organizations, offers a birds-eye view of the history of naturism. Open, unproblematic nudity has occurred frequently in human societies as long as humans have existed, especially in regions with mild climates. Occasional open nudity wasn’t unusual even in various more “modern” urban societies until a couple thousand years ago. Even within the past 100 years or so, bathing naked in rivers, lakes, and the ocean wasn’t unusual (at least for males). But, of course, historical trends such as urbanization and religious dogmatism gradually stigmatized nudity.

However, trends may eventually reverse when extremes are reached. In Europe, the “Romantic” writers lamented the increasing alienation of humans from the natural world. In the U.S., somewhat later, writers like Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau echoed those sentiments. Finally in Germany in 1894 Heinrich Pudor (using the pseudonym Heinrich Scham) openly advocated for naturism in a short tract entitled Naked People. It was optimistically subtitled “A triumph-shout of the future”. 9 years later, the first known nudist park, Freilichtpark, was opened in Germany by Paul Zimmerman.

After the First World War, nudism caught on in Germany, and (partly thanks to German tourists) in France later in the 1920s. Spielplatz opened in England in 1929 – and has operated continuously since then. Mussell traces the further evolution of nudism (and naturism) in the U.S. thanks to people like Kurt Barthel, Bernard MacFadden, and (especially) Ilsley Boone. Boone took over Barthel’s American League for Physical Culture in 1931 and renamed it The American Sunbathing Association. He also bought an existing property, Sunshine Park, in 1935 and located the ASA office there.

Boone was quite a controversial figure. He lost control of the ASA in 1951, and in 1994 it was renamed The American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR). The bulk of Mussell’s historical account goes into many details of the history of nudism/naturism in the U.S. in Boone’s time up to (almost) the present day.

Unfortunately, as Mussell writes, “At AANR, there has been a steady decline in membership over the past decade from a 50,000 peak in 1998 to under 30,000 in 2015.” The number of affiliated clubs has also dropped from a peak of 270 to about 180 currently. Mussell suggests, however, that “even as the number of “card-carrying” nudists may be getting smaller and grayer, nude recreation continues to grow as more people choose clothes-free vacations.” Naturists need to work harder to ensure this isn’t just wishful thinking.
Spielplatz Naturist Club: The secrets of the famous nudist resort hidden in Hertfordshire (1/14/22)

Spielplatz, the British nudist club mentioned above, was established in 1929 by Charles Macaskie and his wife Dorothy near the village of Bricket Wood, about a 40-minute drive from central London. Although it covers only 12 acres, it has about 50 full-time residents and admits naturist visitors during the summer season. Although originally situated in a wooded area, there’s now a small suburban area east of it, and another naturist park, British Naturism’s Sunfolk, next door to the south. Spielplatz is the oldest surviving naturist place in England, and the only one having full-time residents.

The Macaskie’s daughter, Iseult Richardson, inherited the property and managed it until passing it on to her daughter, Beverly Kelly, Spielplatz’s current manager. The place has been a naturist park the entire time. Iseult’s autobiography, No Shadows Fall: The Story of Spielplatz, provides a very personal account of the park’s history. Iseult was born into nudism in 1932 and remained an enthusiast her whole life.

Spielplatz means “play place” in German, and there are many children’s playgrounds so named in Germany. Macaskie intended it to refer to somewhere people could live and enjoy recreation while completely naked. (Related articles here, here, here, here, here, here, here)
A naked history of 100 years of naturism (3/25/22)

Despite its longevity, Spielplatz wasn’t the first nudist park in England. According to this history, that honor belongs to a club called Sunbeam, founded 5 years earlier in 1924. It was located near the town of Wickford, about 35 miles east of London. The “English Gymnosophical Society”, organized in 1922, needed a place for their members to enjoy naturism without fear of legal hassles. Although this was more than two decades after naturism appeared in Germany, Brits were more reticent than less inhibited Teutons. But then, even in France, naturism didn’t gain much interest until the latter half of the 1920s. (France then had stricter laws against public nudity than Germany, and in fact still does.)

“Gymnosophy” was a more “polite” term for nudism – although it was based on the ancient Greek “γυμνός”, which simply meant naked. The initial name of the new club was the “Moonella Group”, supposedly a name associated with the owner of the land where the club met. Sunbeam soon replaced the earlier name to avoid inane puns. Much of the club’s history is unclear, but here’s a very good article based on later research. Apparently, the original location of the club was in use for only two years. Outside of Germany, it seems naturism didn’t really get much traction until after 1930 – when it got started even in the U.S. (by Kurt Barthel and other German expatriates).
Nudist Friends: Why you should want them, and why you should be them. (2/13/22)

If you often enjoy being naked, at least when it’s possible, then before long you’ll probably want to be naked not just when you’re alone. Maybe that’s possible even when certain others are around – hopefully with some family members, or at least a significant other. But also, you may have friends who don’t seem to mind seeing you naked. Even then, you may be unsure they’re actually comfortable with your nudity, but simply being tolerant. The best case, of course, would be having friends who also enjoy being naked. So that’s an obvious reason to want friends like that, even if they don’t actually consider themselves naturists.

With naturist friends, you can enjoy naked activities like camping, hiking, sports, parties, or just watching movies together. But will only one or two naturist friends be enough? They may not always be available when you want to go skinny-dipping, or perhaps none live close enough to visit with often. In general, the more naturist friends you have the better.

The good news is that every naturist friend you have, even if it’s only one or two, can help you find others. Your naturist friends probably know other naturists you’ve never met – so they can introduce you. Even if they don’t know other naturists you haven’t met they may have friends or relatives who aren’t naturists but know one or more other naturists. I’ve written in detail about how this works. Here’s a shorter article with good suggestions. And here’s another article of mine on the same subject.
10 Ways Naturism Is a Healthy Lifestyle (2/4/22)

When you’re discussing naturism with others who don’t quite understand what you like so much about being naked, it’s handy to have a few plausible reasons to offer. Out of this list of 10 reasons, these are two of the best.
- Feeling comfortable in your own skin
  There’s more to it than simply feeling comfortable wearing nothing. It not only feels good, but there are measurable psychological benefits. Keon West of Goldsmiths’ College, University of London conducted experiments with groups of strangers who volunteered to be naked together. He found that “people who regularly participated in group nudist activities were more satisfied with their lives and content with their bodies, but he also found that such overall satisfaction was increased the more frequently these activities occurred! It seems the more often people strip down together, the more comfortable they feel with themselves.” I’ve noted more about that here.
- That Feeling of Becoming One with Nature
  The point is that “there’s no better way to re-establish a strong connection to the natural world than through nudist recreation. It’s a beautiful sensation to have the warm sun and a light breeze accentuate your nudity as you traipse along a backwoods trail or open stretch of beach.” Here’s a video where New Zealand naturists talk about he idea.
Toasted buns: A first-timer on why you should go naked this summer (1/12/22)

People who haven’t tried naturism or even considered it generally enjoy the pleasure of nudity, at least when alone. As one New Zealander thinking about naturism remarked, “I like being naked. Who doesn’t? … there’s an innate sense of freedom and joy that comes with being starkers.” But actually going naked when strangers can see you is almost always scary – even if the others are naturists and used to nudity. But people who haven’t been raised in a naturist family have probably been taught that exposing too much to others just isn’t OK.

A young New Zealander relates how she and a friend decided to be brave and try going naked on a local clothing-optional beach. Having a friend along helps with needed self-confidence, even if the friend doesn’t get naked. The result: both became comfortable being naked fairly soon. Although not all nude beaches (or other naturist environments) are devoid of people who don’t know proper naturist behavior, the best way to find out is to visit them. If the atmosphere doesn’t seem right, then just leave without getting naked. If all seems OK after surveying the situation, the best advice is just “Try it, you’ll like it!”
Women in Nudism: Are You Hesitant? (3/25/22)

After a few years of the Me-too movement, women are generally more hesitant about getting into naturism than at any other time in the past half-century. And they certainly have good reasons for that. Even aside from Me-too, the writer of this article, Kelly, explains, “As a woman, being nude in general used to be hard for me considering all the hang-ups I used to have over my body.” But even after getting beyond that, “Once I started to get comfortable in my own skin, I was still on the fence about nudity out in public.” Kelly also cites “A layer of insecurity that was built upon years of ingesting all forms of media with women who had perfectly curated bodies – all the things in all the right places and no flaw in sight.”

However, after dealing with all that, gathering together enough courage and actually visiting a naturist location like a nude beach, the result is: “That first time, and every time since then, when I get nude at the beach, the world doesn’t stop. The people around me just carry on with their lives, you’re just another nude body amongst a sea of people embracing themselves – flaws and all. People of all shapes and sizes boldly deciding to not be a prisoner to cultural programming that makes nudity out to be a sin, hyper-sexual, or something only reserved for people with movie screen bodies.”

Kelly then offers several pieces of advice that include: (1) Experience being naked at home; (2) Invite an open-minded friend to accompany you in a nude experience; (3) Proceed slowly, one step at a time; (4) Get to know experienced naturists for support and advice.
How a Visit to Nude Hot Springs Helped Me Confront My Fear of Aging (2/1/22)

People beyond middle age can have significantly different feelings about being naked around others. Many in that category have mostly stopped giving a damn about fears of social nudity. If there’s a suitable opportunity and desire to be naked, they “just do it”. But for others – women especially – the fears can be turned way up. Few in the upper age group still have bodies much like they had in their 20s. While many simply don’t care how others see them, many others do care – a lot.

The writer, Ashley, visited a popular California hot springs with a friend who “felt a radical transformation in herself and her comfort within her own body” after a relatively early experience with social nudity. The friend explained: “It’s like anything—the more you do it, the easier it gets… Especially as women, we can feel guarded, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve also realized this body won’t be around forever. Why not enjoy it while it’s still there?”

Initially, Ashley (although still relatively young) feared going beyond simply topfree. But later she encountered a group of older women, mostly in their late 60s, who were “sprawled out on the concrete, completely nude, sharing blankets and a picnic lunch of fruit and sandwiches.” On returning to her friend, she removed her bikini bottom and tossed it aside. She “didn’t even check to see if anyone had noticed.”
Interview With A Single, Male, Introvert, First-Time Nudist! (1/18/22)

Scott had considered himself a “part-time home nudist” since he was in middle school (so probably a pre-teen). Yet he never attempted to visit a nudist resort until 30 years later. He was single at that point and also considered himself an introvert. He was also aware that, at least until fairly recently, many clubs didn’t welcome single males – especially in many parts of the U.S. Those factors almost certainly accounted for waiting so long to seek involvement in organized naturism. Most men like Scott probably are quite hesitant for the same reasons. Consequently, a large proportion of men who enjoy nonsexual nudity either never participate in organized naturism or at best delay doing so for decades.

After coming across an AANR article urging clubs to be more welcoming towards people like himself, Scott agreed to be interviewed about his experience. He offered suggestions for specific things clubs should do to be more welcoming – basically the same simple policies any business or organization should follow to make prospective “customers” feel comfortable and appreciated.

Additionally, he suggested that introverts “should be willing to take some initiative and step outside their comfort zone”. (That should apply to women as well as men.) Participating in naturist activities of any sort – nude beaches, hot springs, life modeling, naturist Meetup groups, naked yoga classes, online naturist events, etc. – provides conversational material when getting to know other naturists. That’s an important step to help reduce anxieties about socializing with naturists. Becoming familiar with the policies and available activities at a particular club before visiting would make embarrassing missteps less likely.
How Rejection Turned Into A Family (2/1/22)

Here’s an even more egregious case of a naturist club turning away prospective members – a typical married couple in this case – for no apparent reason. David and Kassie “were confused and crushed. How could they reject us? We had been perfect nudists, always had been. We abided by all the AANR ethics in a social nudity scenario or situation. We knew how to act. We loved being nude. We loved nudists.” They lived in the Jacksonville, Florida area but don’t identify the rejecting club. Quite possibly the club was a smaller one where most members knew each other well, and their action strongly resembles the behavior of cliquish high school “cool kids”. That shouldn’t happen in the naturist world, but of course it does.

The AANR article mentioned in the previous item clearly discourages that sort of thing. The couple should have complained to AANR, even if they weren’t actually AANR members. But perhaps the offending club wasn’t even an AANR affiliate. There’s a happy ending to the story though. They had no trouble visiting other clubs in their area, including the Suwannee Valley Resort, which claims to be “North Florida’s Premier Clothing Optional Resort”.

The couple decided they “needed a club that was inclusive, whether you are straight or gay or bisexual or lesbian, married, single, or married and solo, without regard to race or religion.” So they started the First Coast Naturists, a Meetup.com based non-landed club. It was founded in 2013. and became an AANR-charted club in 2015. This is a great success story. However, Florida teems with naturists, and starting a naturist club in many parts of the U.S. that lack the climate and population density of Florida can be a much more difficult task.

Bonus from earlier:

The Rise and Fall of a Nudist Colony that Scandalized L.A. in the 1930s (9/15/17)

Very recently I summarized an article about the demise in 2000 of a once-popular naturist club, Elysium Fields, in southern California. It was just one of four naturist places in the area that had folded since 1995. Another one of those was the similarly-named Elysian Fields (usually called Elysia). Its story is recounted in the present article.

Elysia was about 40 miles from Los Angeles’ outskirts and nine miles west of Lake Elsinore. The permanent location of the 139-acre camp actually straddled the border between Orange and Riverside counties. At the time both were ultra-conservative areas, and still are to some extent. The location was chosen in the hope of avoiding law enforcement from either county (as long as both didn’t come simultaneously).

The original owners were Hobart Glassey, a nudist who’d moved to California from New Jersey (where other very early naturist places were located), and Irish-born Peter McConville. Their partnership foundered in 1935, after only two years. McConville remained in control and renamed the camp Olympic Fields. In 1954 Wally and Flo Nilson, frequent visitors to the camp, bought it from McConville, who was in poor health, and named the place in his honor.

Unfortunately, according to the article, “the era of nudism as a radical statement and the camp’s lack of amenities, including electricity, caused membership to decline. In 2000, Flo renamed the camp Mystic Oaks, and changed the camp from strictly nude to nude optional. However, membership continued to sink.” The camp closed in 2007, not long after two other troubled naturist places in southern California also succumbed (and it was followed in 2008 by Swallows Sun Island).

Newsworthy Nudity, 2021-5

In most of the northern hemisphere the naturist outdoor season begins in May and June. So there are some good reports suggesting clothing-optional beaches. And others dealing with general naturist activities.

The UK’s best nudist beaches revealed: Why more Brits will be in the buff this summer (6/11/21)

Public nudity in the UK is actually not illegal as long as it’s not intended to be offensive or alarming. And the country has plenty of coastline (11,000 miles of it by one estimate), with many sandy beaches. Of course, naturists prefer using beaches favored by other naturists. Here’s one listing, with a map, of 42 such beaches.

As a British Naturism spokesperson explains, “There are plenty of beaches that are well-known for being used by nude bathers and it’s great to be surrounded by happy, like-minded people.” The present article has good advice for anyone who wants to try beach nudity for the first time, including a reminder that the British climate is often not ideal for a great naked experience.
It’s Time You Finally Visited One of Europe’s Best Nude Beaches (6/2/21)

Many articles offer their own opinion of what the “best” nude beaches are (usually in Europe). This particular list is useful, since the 9 beaches included are in 9 different countries – not just France, Spain, and Croatia. So if you’re visiting a country not known for its nude beaches, this list may help. If you have the time and wherewithal, you could easily spend an entire summer just visiting Western European nude beaches and spending only a few days on even half of the best ones. With a few, there are accommodations next to the beach where you could be naked most of the time. U.S. naturists should be so jealous. (Or, better, they could try considerably harder to have more clothing-optional beaches established.)

The article explains “Nudity has never been as taboo in Europe as it is stateside. Europe has a longstanding social history behind the practice of nudism, and beachgoing au naturel has become a summer fixture in European culture in recent decades.” There are very brief summaries of the history in Germany, France, Greece, and Croatia (where British King Edward VIII and his mistress visited and swam nude in the 1930s). The article describes 9 beaches it considers the absolute best.
Best Nude Beaches in Greece (5/9/21)

Mainland Greece isn’t actually as favorable towards naturism compared to other Western European counties. According to this article, “Greek people are not used to nudism. It is usually ok if you are sunbathing topless on a remote beach but total nudism exists and is permitted only on some particular beaches. These beaches are most of a stretch of land surrounded by cliffs or high trees.”

The Greek islands, however, provide a somewhat better story even though, as on the mainland, there are no “official” nude beaches. The islands not only attract tourists from all over (and depend on the income generated), but have some popular clothing-optional beaches. Paradise Beach on Mykonos may be the best-known, but there are others. The present article describes some of them. In general, nudity is easiest at the more remote and hard-to-access beaches. Here’s another article on the nude beach situation in Greece.
11 Reasons Why You Should Try A Nude Vacation This Summer (6/12/21)

Most of the 11 are simply reasons for participating in naturism at all. Current naturists are fully aware of them, so only people just becoming interested in naturism or maybe ready to try it need to know the reasons. Then nude vacationing is an obvious next step. Note that if you plan to be naked much of the time, you need to bring very little – perhaps just a credit or debit card, essential medicines, and one change of clothes. This is especially if long-distance travel is involved. The travel fare, lodging expenses, and (perhaps) renting a car probably far exceed the cost of buying other necessities at your destination.

The real question is the type of nude vacation to take. If your budget allows more than the travel, lodging, and food expenses for the trip, then you have the most options. Otherwise you’ll have to make compromises. If cost isn’t an issue, then a destination in Europe, such as France, Spain, or Croatia is ideal. The only problem is the overwhelming number of good choices you’ll have.

If you’re in the U.S. and your budget is more limited, then Florida may be the best bet. It has the longest outdoor naturist season, four clothing-optional beaches, and dozens of naturist places to stay. California has more nude beaches, but the coastal weather is less dependable. If you don’t need a beach, then there are many naturist-friendly B&Bs and small hotels available. However, if you just want to go somewhere you can for a week or two usually be naked, then there are far more options in both the U.S. and Europe.
Reasons Why Everyone Should Try Skinny Dipping At Least Once (7/3/21)

In fact, a rather large percentage of people in the U.S. probably have tried skinny dipping at least once. The Naturist Society has sponsored two or three professional polls that ask about this, and the results were generally 25% to 30% “yes”. But what’s meant by “skinny dipping”? Is it any instance of being naked in a body of water larger than a bathtub? How about a hot tub or an ordinary swimming pool? Is an experienced naturist “skinny dipping” any time he or she is naked in the water at a naturist club or clothing-optional beach? Or is it something that seems completely natural and ordinary to them?

Pretty clearly the point of this article is getting into the water naked when it seems like a risqué or daring thing to do. Perhaps it’s done only alone or with very close friends – especially at night or somewhere nobody besides the individual or group is likely to notice. Or it could happen at a clothing-optional beach when a person decides to get into the water naked if many others are doing likewise.

If that goes well, anyone who tries it will probably find it unexpectedly pleasurable. In the words of the article’s author, when he and his girlfriend first entered the water naked, “the feeling of freedom was exhilarating. Wow. It was as though something had been missing, but now we were complete.” Such an experience probably results in a desire to repeat it, which is what happened in this case. Prevailing social attitudes against open nudity may deter people from pursuing the desire to repeat. But the possibility remains this experience could be a “gateway” into other “naturist” activities.
Have You Ever Been Skinny Dipping? (6/1/21)

Tracey writes from her own experience about “How I ended up skinny dipping and why you should probably do the same.” She says her first skinny dip “changed me in a way that made me happier and more respectful of life. I took off all my clothes and jumped into a lake with other naked people.” She adds, “Skinny dipping is one of those experiences that you will appreciate more in hindsight than it might seem while you are doing it.” But she cautions, “It might scare the heck out of you if you just take the plunge without a real reason to do so.”

She continues to describe her thoughts and feelings about skinny dipping but eventually admits “Skinny dipping can be a scary thing. It might be the easiest way to get arrested, or worse, caught on video. Someone could see you and tell everyone else.” Scary. That scary aspect is precisely why naturists on social media who write eloquently about social nudity and its many virtues generally don’t persuade many of their readers or listeners to take the plunge, get involved with naturism, and eventually make social nudity an important part of their lives.

Why? In general, ideas that seem risky and scary in the abstract – like going naked around other people – are inherently difficult to accept. But almost always, people are more easily influenced by one or more others they know personally and trust. So they’re more likely to overcome doubts and go on to experience the scary thing for themselves. “Social influencers” online, however, almost never enjoy the same degree of trust when scary ideas are involved.
Skinny-dipping With My Girlfriends (7/13/21)

Here’s one more take on skinny dipping, and this one emphasizes the positives. Elle writes: “I love to be naked in the water. It just feels so much better than wearing a bathing suit — perhaps because it’s just more primal. … it’s almost like being transported to another world — one that is less artificial, less consumer-oriented, and more real somehow.” Why is it more real? Most naturists, I think, would agree it’s because clothing is annoying and an artificial, superfluous way of expressing one’s individuality. Nudity, however, shows one’s uniqueness without concealing what we have in common with others.

Elle also offers a good reason that nudity with like-minded others is especially healing and salutary for women: “We felt very in touch with our most natural selves, very female, and very, very powerful. … We were in our element and experiencing the synergy of allowing our most elemental selves to shine through.”
Naturism in Niagara (5/12/21)

This article was already mentioned here. The subject is Sun Valley Gardens (SVG), an early 25-acre nudist resort in Ontario, a little over 10 miles west of Niagara Falls. It was in operation from 1954 to 1982. The article contains a slideshow of 40 images of the place. It was one of the first nudist resorts in Canada.

The text following the slide show provides interesting details about SVG. For example, Karl Ruehle, who founded the resort, was an active promoter of nudism as a lifestyle. Unlike many other early nudist leaders, he wasn’t at all secretive about nudism or his resort. He promoted it with press releases and paid advertising. He even appeared on talk shows and TV programs. Personally, however, Ruehle was eccentric and autocratic.

By contrast, a member of a smaller nearby nudist place who wished to be known only by his first name (Graham) is much more secretive. However, to explain their interest in nudism, Graham and a couple of others gave many reasons they enjoyed a naked lifestyle. That provides background for readers who know little or nothing about nudism.
I was meditating naked every day for a month (6/25/21)

Meditation is increasingly popular these days. since it can facilitate self-control, self-care, and self-love. In this short essay, nakedness is recommended as the best way to practice meditation. The absence of bothersome, constrictive clothing frees a person from irrelevant disruptive stimuli. The mind has expanded freedom to roam where it will when freed from distractions.

Be sure to pick a time when you won’t be interrupted – not because you’re naked, but just to avoid distractions. You don’t need to meditate in the absence of all external stimuli, as long as they’re conducive to comfort rather than – like clothes – unsupportive of it. Feel free to accompany your meditation with pleasant aromas, soft music, or peaceful sounds like those of gentle ocean waves. Pay attention to your body, especially your skin when in contact with nothing but air.
20 Years Later: Remembering Elysium Fields (5/1/21)

Elysium was a popular naturist destination in Topanga Canyon, just north of Los Angeles, for 33 years. from 1967 to 2000. It was founded by Ed Lange, who had accumulated a degree of wealth by the time he was 47, as a noted photographer and publisher of nudist magazines.

Elysium was noteworthy because, although nudity was allowed (perhaps encouraged), it was not secretive and promoted itself as a “Human Growth Center” rather than a nudist camp. So it was similar to other “New Age” establishments such as the Esalen Institute. But unfortunately, Elysium was located in Los Angeles County, whose ultraconservative public officials had fought against nudist clubs since the 1930s. Although Elysium finally won the legal battles in 1993, Lange died in 1995. His daughters inherited the property, but for various reasons, such as dwindling interest in New Age ideas, Elysium was no longer economically viable, so it closed in 2000.

The name “Elysium” figured prominently in ancient Greek mythology even before the time of Homer. It referred to a realm of the afterlife reserved for heroes and others favored by the Greek gods to reside forever, enjoying whatever most pleased them in mortal life. An apt name for a contemporary naturist place.

(Similarly named “Elysian Fields” was an earlier, unrelated nudist place in Southern California near Lake Elsinor. It was founded in 1933 and persisted with a couple of name changes until finally closing in 2007.)

Bonus from earlier:

How a beach becomes nude, and why people like getting naked in public (8/11/19)

What needs to happen for a beach to become accepted as a clothing-optional beach? There really isn’t any standard process through which nudity on a particular beach becomes tolerated, let alone accepted or even officially designated. But this article from New Zealand gives some idea of what can happen.

It’s important, of course, that nudity in public isn’t entirely prohibited, at least under certain conditions. That’s the case in New Zealand, as well as in Great Britain, and even some U.S. states like California. In those examples, public nudity isn’t illegal as long as it’s not considered obscene, offensive, or threatening. (Opinions, of course, vary as to what those terms mean.) There also must not be stronger prohibitions under local laws and regulations. Still, although those conditions are necessary, they aren’t always sufficient.

Generally what happens is, first, that in a region where the beach is located there should be enough people who actually want to be naked on the beach, or at least a certain part of it. Given that, a sufficient number of people should actually use the beach or some part of it naked on a regular basis. If that usage continues “long enough” without serious objection, nudity there will probably become accepted.

But it usually takes some time – if ever – before the beach becomes “officially” clothing-optional. That generally happens only given certain conditions. For example, if naturists are persuasive enough, local officials favor the idea, or (often) because there are tangible benefits, such as tourism, to the local community.

Book review: Free and Natural

The book’s author, Sarah Schrank, is a professor of history at California State University Long Beach, so her academic credentials are good. Likewise, it’s not surprising that the book is a carefully researched, scholarly work that respects academic norms of objectivity towards the subject matter. The 35 pages of footnotes testify to the diligence of Schrank’s research. Her sources go back at least as far as 1889, although many of the references are to contemporary newspapers and similar records that would be difficult, at best, for most readers to examine.
Continue reading “Book review: Free and Natural“