"What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact
that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful
that the garment with which it is clothed?"-
Michaelangelo
I Would Like to be a Nudist BUT...
I AM OVERWEIGHT, CAN I STILL GO
NUDE?
Does it matter? Let's be honest in
western countries most people are overweight. What you look like to
other naturists is of little interest to them. The fact that you may
have scars or limbs missing is accepted. A fellow naturist will look
you in the eyes rather than stare at your body. This you will quickly
realise.
MY PARTNER DOES
NOT SHARE MY ENTHUSIASM
This will always be an initial
problem. You are proposing a radical change in your lifestyle. Your
partner may never have thought of becoming a nudist and your
suggestion to do so would startle him/her.
He/she may have heard all sorts of
rumours and misconceptions about what happens at clubs or on the
beaches. It could be that he/she may have had a puritanical
upbringing.
Whatever the causes of the lack of
enthusiasm extreme care is necessary in supporting your case. From the
outset it is important that sincerity, honesty, and respect of your
partner's feelings remain the basis of your case.
According to a survey conducted by
The Naturist Society, it is usually the male partner who suggests
giving naturism a try.
It has been noted however that, once
they actually experience social nudity, women become very enthusiastic
club members. They quickly realise that the naturist environment is
safe to both themselves and, more importantly, the children, and enjoy
their new freedom, the friendliness of other nudists.
I MAY SHOW MY
EMBARRASSMENT
Men are afraid that they will have an
erection in the presence of female company. Women have concerns about
menstruation, erect nipples and flushed cheeks.
These are valid and understandable
concerns to each individual. They are also over rated. It is in fact
unlikely that this will happen. A naturist environment is not a sexual
one in spite of the nudity and mixing of genders. I have been a club
nudist for many years. During that time I have never seen anything
that would cause embarrassment to the individual or others.
Should a man feel roused he can cover
his modesty by laying on his stomach, taking a shower or swim, or
covering himself with a towel.
If it is 'that time of the month' for
a woman, there is no requirement to strip off completely. Clubs have
toilets in which steps can be taken to rectify one's appearance.
WE HAVE A YOUNG
FAMILY
Fantastic !! How often do you see
your own children running about the house or sharing the bath?. Are
they concerned about their nudity there?
Young children thrive in the naturist
environment. It stirs the heart to see children enjoying themselves in
club play area, or in the pool with mum (or dad). Kids mixPeople Naturally
with other children and, whether at a club or on a beach, will enjoy
just being themselves. Nudity does not worry them.
Just as importantly children are safe
in a naturist environment. We are all very conscious of the harm that
unsupervised children can experience and are constantly vigilant.
DO NOT KNOW HOW
TO GO ABOUT DOING SO
This is easy. Take off your clothes
and relax in the privacy of your own home. Feel the freedom of being
natural, enjoy each other's company, and discuss social nudity between
yourselves.
Various countries have their own
National Naturist Councils. They are there to help you. Write to or
telephone one and ask for an `Information Pack' to be sent to you.
Information Packs are tastefully
printed and will give you all the information that will enable you to
start learning about the naturist lifestyle. They will answer the
questions that have inevitably arisen either in your own mind or
whilst discussing the matter
Short Reading About Nudist Culture
Have you ever met a nudist? You almost certainly have, because they are among your friends, neighbors, and co-workers, though you are likely not aware of it. Nudists generally don't go Nude where you might see them, nor do they tend to advertise their presence. They aren't wild-eyed radicals, either, just very ordinary-seeming folks when they have clothes on. They often don't admit, even to close friends, that they really like not wearing clothes.
Because, in most "advanced" societies, the Youngs around nudity are even stronger than those around sex. People in casual conversation or on national televison may happily ramble on about the details of their sex life. Nudists have generally not been so open, even though by conservative estimates, several million people in North America enjoy certain kinds of recreation (like swimming) in the nude, or simply like being Nude when at home.
This secretiveness is changing, however. People have been talking about recreational nudity on the rec.nude newsgroup for many years. (It was one of the first newsgroups in the early days of Usenet, because computer people seem to be likelier than average to enjoy nudity.) And now many personal Web pages are appearing, announcing the owner's interest in Nude and candidly advocating its advantages over "clothes compulsiveness". I keep pretty good track of this, since one goal of my pages is to catalog all the Web sites - around 500 of them - that have something of interest to people who like to be Nude. It's now quite easy to meet nudists on the Web if you want to fathom why anyone would rather not wear clothes.
What do nudists put on their Web sites? Occasional pictures - generally the kind only family and friends could like - very disappointing to porn hounds. Stories about adventures au naturel. But often: essays that try to explain Why. Nudists feel they've been badly misunderstood by mainstream society.
With some justification. Misinformation in mainstream media often receives the blame for the Young on nudity. For instance, many nudists, prefer to be called "naturists", and they refer to their philosophy as "naturism" rather than "Nude" - because being Nude is natural. We were born that way. The underlying philosophy is acceptance of the body just as it is.
One of the two main nudist organizations in the U. S. is known as The Naturist Society ( http://www.naturist.com). Yet most outsiders have never heard of the terms "naturist" and "naturism". If they have, the assumption is of having to do with watching birds or collecting bugs, confusing "naturists" with "naturalists". Also, naturists never refer to places where they gather as "colonies". "Parks", "camps", or "resorts", please. The American Association for Nude Recreation (http://www.aanr.com) wants to emphasize the recreational connotations of these latter words.
In fact, naturists have in the last few decades been able to enjoy the outdoors in public (though usually remote) beaches, rivers, and forests. Word about the best places to go, or to avoid, spreads rapidly over the Net. This has led to a predictable backlash from the "family values" crowd, who have mounted an aggressive effort to stamp out nudity everywhere. Such people would be astonished to learn that there are many conservative religious folks who like to be Nude with others, and see no conflict between that and their religion. Religious naturists even have their own organizations and Web pages.
But most irritating to naturists is the mainstream tendency to confuse nudity with sex. Adult naturists enjoy sex as much as anyone else, but that isn't the reason they like not wearing clothes. What they do like is the comfort, relaxation, stress reduction, and feeling of freedom that being Nude offers, as well as the camaraderie and openness they find in socialing with others of similar mind.
Most of the problems that naturists have to contend with stem from this misconception that naturism is a sexual interest. It incurs the wrath of conservative religionists, it deters families and body-conscious young adults from participating, and it attracts people whose interest actually is sexual. On the Net, this confusion has hampered networking among naturists. Yahoo! usually ignores requests to add naturist sites to their index. Excite classifies nudist sites as an "X- & R-rated Subtopic", along with prostitution and strip joints. This is badly mistaken, but Excite has ignored protests. Some other search engines don't even index nudist sites because "Nude" is assumed to be a code word for sexual content.
In spite of such problems, naturism, as a lifestyle and a philosophy, is definitely coming out of the closet, thanks in part to the Net. So it's no longer difficult to find people who like to talk about just why naturism deserves not to remain a well-kept secret.
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