Tag: naturist podcasts

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.

Recent articles on nudity and naturism, 8/23/20

Well, it seems I’ve gotten somewhat behind in reporting on “recent” noteworthy articles on nudity and naturism. Personal reasons for that, but no excuses. I’ll try to cover the best articles from May here – but with less detail than usual. You’ll see there are some fairly interesting things. Hopefully, June, July, and August summaries won’t be too far behind.

  1. Utah, California, South Carolina Best Places for 2020 ‘Naked Gardening Day’ Saturday
     

    The World Naked Gardening Day for this year (in the northern hemisphere) was on May 2, and has already been discusssed here. But this article appeared a little later and has additional details. The LawnStarter website has covered WNGD before (last year), when it rated Bakersfield, California, as having “the most conducive climate for getting out and gardening in the buff”. This year it bestowed the honor on Ogden, Utah, based on weather forecasts. But the event is celebrated by naturists in many other countries besides the U. S. For instance, Donna Price (pictured above), from the UK, is quoted recommending everyone to “make it naked and enjoy the liberation”.

  2. The Great British Take Off
     


    WNGD wasn’t the only special naturist event in May. British Naturism designated Saturday, May 16 as the day for The Great British Take Off (GBTO). Here’s their announcement: The Great British Take Off – 16th May. The name chosen for the day may refer not only to taking off clothes but may also suggest the idea that naturism in the UK could be taking off to a new level. Here’s what BN said on the day of GBTO: The Great British Take Off – Today’s the Day! And here’s their summary of what happened: Didn’t we have a lovely time…!

    The announcement got widespread notice in the British press. Most of it was favorable to naturism and not condescending (as it would certainly be in most U. S. media). It’s no accident there were numerous media reports. BN obviously made a serious effort to get favorable coverage – even supplying images to accompany the stories. U. S. naturist organizations don’t seem to make such efforts, or if they do, they’re not nearly so successful.

    Some of the stories:

     

  3. The woman behind “Women-in-Naturism”
     

    Here’s Donna Price again, in her role with British Naturism as a promoter of naturism for women. She’s officially the Coordinator of the Women in Naturism Campaign. We all know about naturism’s gender imbalance problem. It’s to BN’s credit that they don’t just talk about the problem but also have someone who’s responsible for getting things done to address the problem. Simply having a point of contact from whom other women can learn more about naturism is important. Since Donna (and her husband) have only been naturists since 2016, they can explain from their own experience how to overcome the concerns that women have about participating in naturism. Donna has an active Twitter feed, which makes communication especially straightforward.


  4. Naturism goes on in spite of the pandemic
     

    There’s no question about the pandemic having an impact. But it seems to be less severe than in some other areas. Naturally, since most people are spending lots more time at home – especially if they can continue at their normal jobs remotely – they can be naked much more of the time. Since most traditional naturist activities are outdoors (beaches, campgrounds, resorts, etc.) transmission of the virus is somewhat less likely. Many other activities can go on using video – naked yoga and figure drawing/painting classes, for example. And many more people can participate – even from another continent, since travel isn’t necessary. The use of video also means that naturists can spend more time in conversation with each other, and find new friends.

    It should be noted that British Naturism hosts an extensive calendar of online events. Some are free for BN members (but it’s not necessary to live in the UK to join BN). These include things like chats, a book club, and life drawing. Other more intensive offerings – such as yoga, aerobics, and fitness workouts – can be booked for about 5$US per session (for BN members). The schedule is here. Neither of the U. S. national naturist organizations has anything like this, as far as I can tell from their websites.

    Here are some media reports:


  5. ‘Why we decided to do our podcast in the buff,’ say the women behind the Naked Podcast
     

    “When Kat Harbourne told her friends and fellow BBC Sheffield journalist Jenny Eells she wanted to make a podcast that explored issues around body image she jumped at the chance. Even when Kat said they, and their guests, would be naked, she didn’t change her mind.” Jenny explained, “For me being naked isn’t really an issue but I know that’s not the case for everyone and we wanted to try and find out why.” The podcast website is here.

  6. Petition to protest censorship of naturism on Google’s YouTube
     
    The petition, entitled Normalize the human body in its natural form, is at Change.org. I expect most naturists would agree with the notion. The text begins: “Depictions of non-minor persons of any sex either in public or in private in a non-sexual, nude state shall not be prohibited by social media sites or their providers if and when the depictions are intended by their disseminator to be of an artistic, educational, or documentary nature and/or facilitate the formation of an educated opinion…” There have been over 13,000 signers so far. Please take a moment to sign yourself, if you haven’t already. (It’s free, although you can make a donation to help publicize it.)

    The petition was initiated by Hector Martinez of the Mexican Nudist Federation. He had posted hundreds of videos on his channel, which had 1.3 million subscribers and a total of 200 million views. And then “someone” at YouTube deleted the entire channel, without warning or explanation. According to Hector, the videos had been posted since 2016 and observed YouTube’s guidelines for acceptable content. The whole text is worth reading. My own comment, after signing, was:
    “There’s nothing whatsoever wrong with nudity. In particular, nonsexual nudity as practiced by naturists is entirely healthy and wholesome. Not everyone agrees with this, of course, but that does not in any way justify censoring the expressing and documenting of a completely valid point of view.”

    Some other naturist blogs also reported on this:


  7. British Naturism: Sunfolk – an update
     

    This British Naturism project has already been mentioned here. The progress that’s already been made is noteworthy, in spite of the pandemic. The plans BN has for Sunfolk are impressive. This may be the first example, at least in the English-speaking world, of a major naturist organization taking over management of an existing naturist facility. It will be run much like a traditional naturist club, but primarily for the benefit of BN members. During the last few decades a dozen or so landed clubs in the U. S. have folded and converted to conventional textile-only use. Neither of the national U. S. organizations seems to have considered doing what BN has done with Sunfolk. That’s a lot of very unfortunate missed opportunities.

  8. I Think I Found the Missing Nudist Bloggers
     
    In this post I replied to an article on the Sensual Nudist blog: What Happened to the Nudist Bloggers? That led to some interesting dialog (in email and article comments) with Alexis (the article’s author) and other bloggers. Alexis posted an interesting response on her blog, giving a good explanation of her thinking. It’s a long post, so I won’t summarize here – just read it.