I thought i'd blog about clothes!
Enjoying being clothes-free doesn't make this taboo, although I've found it remarkable how some militant or long-time nudies can't seem to bear mentioning them in any context other than the relief felt when they remove them! A hardy few appear to want to go to any length to stay bare.
Stephen Gough, the infamous UK 'naked rambler' I wouldn't include in this category, since he isn't nude for the sake of a chosen lifestyle but as a defender of civil liberty. In fact it has been noted that indoors he is dressed more often than you would suspect. However there are a small number of nudies who seem to want to remain undressed to the very limits of tolerance, both societal and environmental!
One example recently had me out in the garden looking for Geminid meteors. Frost was on the ground and a chill breeze was blowing. The temperature hovered around freezing. I was wrapped up to the nines in fleece, but even then could only stay out for 15 minutes at most. Back indoors I mentioned my tally on an online forum. Almost immediately a reply came back from a man preparing to go out to look, and he was absolutely not going to be dressed. It made me chuckle.
I don't mind clothes. Certain types irk me more than others. I don't like the feeling of waist-bands or belts, but woolly jumpers, loose sweats, t-shirts are just fine. I'm loving the trend toward all-in-one garments. The onesie is a fab idea. When the situation requires clothes, I get dressed. Keeping warm trumps nudity. Common sense trumps all. Sorry militants!
Advocating being clothes-free to me is about promoting freedom of choice. I would happily be unclothed in a room of clothed people if I knew I had the right and respect of all there. Respect is key. One of key benefits of the clothes-free lifestyle community is the respect shown towards each other. However, the respect towards Joe Public needs some work.
Clothing isn't a dirty word. Replacing 'clothed' with 'textile' in clothes-free circles is just daft. It just makes folks appear as though they are scared to say the word! It is self-defeating for those wanting to normalise simply nudity and gain the all-important respect. It exposes the them-and-us situation, the wedge, that keeps the stereotype alive of naturists being anti-clothing, and aloof of society behind their 'hedges'. That the director of the recent documentary at Spielplatz naturist club chose to focus on an individual enforcing a rigid 'no clothes' policy is testament to this.
If there was one bit of lateral thinking that I would offer to naturists wanting to educate others and connect with society in a way that would change Joe Public's stereotype of naturism, it would be to talk about clothes rather than eschew them. It's not going to make naturists 'less of a naturist' by doing so. Perhaps meeting in the middle is a better strategy than British Naturism shouting at people to take all their clothes off in a way that implies little flexibility.
Being a scientific nerdy kind of guy, and a naturist, I thought it would be interesting to look at the history of humans and clothes. The last two thousand years or so during the rise of monotheistic religion is pretty well known. Directed modesty has led to the social convention of being clothed in virtually all circumstances. I want to go back further than that though, to look at when and why clothing arose at all. I'm off to do some reading...and will be back to blog further...
Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Tuesday, 23 December 2014
A Christmas wish list
For Christmas this year I would like when nude:
Happy holidays!
- To be able to open my front door to a stranger in full confidence that I am within my right to do so, that the police would support me, and that the stranger would fully respect my state of dress without comment or aversion.
- To be able to walk freely in an area where the number of stranger encounters numbers less than two dozen or so an hour without fear of adverse reaction or comment.
- To be able to use my back garden in full knowledge that I act totally within the law and that any report of my state of dress would be dismissed out of hand by any authority.
- To be able to use any beach or public swimming pool without comment or reaction.
- To be able to attend organised events that promote nudity as common sense for the event and that are open to everyone to attend or avoid as appropriate to their opinion of them in areas that are open to the public.
- To do better to support the end of discrimination in club naturism.
- To switch focus from private event organising to public event organising by moving towards organising one of, a clothes-optional bike ride, picnic, or run (perhaps for charity).
- To vastly broaden the scope of marketing of naturism in the UK whilst preparing and implementing a strategy for targeting the most appropriate demographics.
- To use video marketing for the first time.
- To broaden the online community to take away the 100% focus on the forum and implement modern social media.
- To promote better the making of friendships in naturism by supporting ways of contacting others away from officially sanctioned events and clubs.
- To prepare a strategy to help promote commercial naturism.
- To finally define a 'vision statement' for the organisation along with stated aims.
- To prepare and implement a 'reward and recognition' strategy for volunteers.
- To instruct all members of the Executive Committee to write regular blogs to update the membership on the work being done by each departmental head.
- To replace the National Convention with a National Expo broadening the reach of those playing a part in social liberalism in the UK (retaining the exclusion of any sexual element).
Happy holidays!
Tuesday, 16 December 2014
Trouble in Nudeville
It's been a few days now since the Naked Village documentary (mockumentary?) was aired on More4. I didn't write anything straight away as I wanted to wait and see what the reaction was going to be. It's been interesting to say the least.
First off, I should say that I've never been to Spielplatz (3 hours drive from me), although I'd like to visit if there's a good reason like a social 'meet up' or a special event. I've visited six naturist clubs in the UK, and having seen the documentary, I can well believe that there are huge parallels between all of them (with the exception of maybe one). I've enjoyed all my visits and I'm keen to keep touring around, but I'm not likely to ever join a club given that it's just too far for me to attend one regularly enough. Distance is key, rather than motivation.
The other thing I decided not to do is to comment specifically about the issues at Spielplatz because it has become clear that the programme editing has been massive. Reels and reels have hit the cutting room floor. Despite what some naturists dreamt of, this show was never going to be a pure 'advert for the lifestyle'. There was always going to be an angle in which the producer would want to hook the viewer until the end. Showing a degree of conflict, some controversy, or some 'on the edge' footage was always going to happen. On top of this, I gather that there have been significant top level changes at the club since the programme footage was taken, and that one figure of controversy (he of the 'you must undress' attitude) has departed.
My reaction to the programme can be summed up by one word - sadness. Some folks have been very angry about it, some ambivalent, a few optimistic, but on watching some of the highlights again I just couldn't help feeling a overwhelming sense of dejection. This was compounded by the objective part of me being satisfied that the programme makers had indeed shown club naturism for what it is. The stereotype is confirmed. Joe Public would feel vindicated to claiming naturism is as eccentric, outdated and outmoded as they initially believed.
I am sad and increasingly frustrated about the general direction organised naturism is headed. British Naturism and club naturism have a great deal in common; understandable given their common history. Injecting the effort needed to change the stereotype of BN and naturist clubs equates to the effort needed to turn an ocean liner...the momentum is great, the time headed in the same direction long....and the world has changed around it.
What's the problem? Well in my opinion it's two-fold. First is a lack of genuine effort. Second is a lack of direction. Many in naturist circles talk a good game. Many openly agree that naturism needs to change to catch up with modern cultural and societal modes. Unfortunately it seems to stop there.
First...effort. Naturist clubs membership numbers are declining, as are those of BN, so there are less hands available. I also think that there's a bit of fibbing going on. Naturists are very quick to talk of change, but underneath I sense that secretly a lot of naturists are just fine with the status quo i.e. on the one hand they will agree that more young people and families are needed, but on the other they love the peace and quiet of the 'retired couple' atmosphere at clubs. One club secretary openly admitted to me that he puts off young people and families with young children from attending his club, whilst writing on online forums that he hopes the club attracts 'new blood' to keep it going for 'the next generation'. Complete contradiction.
BN is similar in this regard. BN has at the top level several 'departments'. One of these is Marketing. Marketing includes managing the brand, educating the public, spread the word on the virtues of nudity, and working with the Campaigns department on the goal of 'normalising nudity'. However the current BN Commercial Director is utterly preoccupied by the internal quarterly magazine and any other kind of marketing past the odd interview on broadcast media is completely absent. It's not helped by his apparent lack of clear accountability in his role which is the only unelected position at the top-end of the organisation. Instead, BN are pushing their events...events for BN members. This doesn't help with bringing newcomers to naturism though. It preaches to the already converted. As with clubs, BN talks a good game, then doesn't go through with it.
The other key point is direction. Even when the effort is available to try and tweak the momentum and bearing of organised naturism, either folks don't know which way to steer or else everyone steers in a different direction! Personally, I find the fascination with trying to attract young people and young families to clubs and BN incredible. I think it plain as the nose on my face that young singles, couples and families have a plethora of reasons why they would not join a club or BN. The world changed...but not enough naturists have realised! Clubs are still dreaming of the 1950s and 60s, where the nuclear family would visit the club every weekend and the children would do a nature trail and sit reading whilst the dad mowed the lawn and the mother helped to set the picnic. It's not like that any more! Clubs and BN are in cloud cuckoo-land continuing to think that those days will return.
The answer to the problem i believe is also very straightforward. BN and clubs are largely composed of singles and couples over 50. BN membership is 85% over-50s and I can well believe that club membership is the same. So why on earth are the two obsessed with young people?!?! Market at the target that will most likely join...market at the over-50s!
The MORI poll in 2011 tells a story. It tells a story that naturism in the UK is alive and well but that the number of folks wanting to join organised naturism is small and falling. BN and clubs would do very well to simply accept the situation rather than continuing to chase a dream. Market to those who are most likely to join you and accept the demographic that is organised naturism right now. There will always be over-50s. I find the concept of 'next generation' very strange. Pass on the club to over-50s. What is the next generation? Keep marketing to the obvious target market and you'll have continuity. Again this is dreaming of the good ol' days; days in which multi-generational families' lives revolved around their club.
All of these thoughts went through my head upon watching the Spielplatz documentary. Yes it was a shame that younger people weren't much in evidence, but there's a reason for that. Clubs and BN can survive. It needs a coherent, definitive, common-sense strategy passed down via BN with everyone working together to make it work. Forget the youngsters and families who won't be interested and entice those who it is shown will still be attracted...the over-50 crowd. Meanwhile there are still plenty of naturists in the UK getting older.
Tuesday, 9 December 2014
Exmoor
I love walking, especially in forests, on hills or by rivers. To strip down and just hike with shoes and a rucksack had always been on my mind, even whilst cowering indoors too nervous to go any further. A seminal stroll around a nature reserve 4 years ago was a pivotal moment. I realised I could do it...and it was brilliant.
Being in south-west England, the opportunity for a long naturist walk was limited to a select number of places. I wanted to limit as far as possible the chances to coming into contact with others. I knew there would be a chance. The experience was too nice to ignore though so I settled for Exmoor. Now as it happens this wasn't a bad choice at all. Exmoor has a fantastic variety of walks and the high moor particularly is beautifully remote and wild. It also offers amazing views, and enabled me to see fellow walkers a good distance away so it was a good choice for multiple reasons!
One particular walk starts at Dry Bridges (between Simonsbath and Lynton) and loops down Lank Coombe, up Badgworthy River, through Southern Wood, and back over the moor.
It's about 8 miles and is perfect for a days hiking. The starting point...
...is as remote as you can realistically get without parking in a bog!
As it turns out though the walk is safe and follows bridle ways and footpaths. Only the wander down Lank Coombe is a slight risk, deviating away from established routes and instead follows the stream eastward towards the river. Being reasonably fit, the walk takes about 6 hours, including stops and skinny-dipping.
This was my first long walk with my shorts and t-shirt in my rucksack rather than on me and I've repeated it several times since. I've tried a few other routes and found them to be either more popular, or more boggy, or both. On this walk i've been able to stay undressed for about 90% of the time. It's been increasing as I've become more confident.
The first walk I was unsure about how to proceed. The big question was and remains...how far do I go in letting others see that I am nude? I've tried to make a little progress every year. I'm still quite cagey and nervous. I'm well aware of the history surrounding naturists and the police. Even with the chances minutely small of anything bad happening (especially given my location!), I remain acutely aware of the effect such a misadventure would have on me; not just with the police, but confidence-wise on having a negative reaction from another member of the public. I'm torn. I want to help normalise nudity and show that I simply want to enjoy the countryside 'my way' within the limits the law sets...but on the other hand I can't risk it. I need to wait until i'm retired to push boundaries any further!
So my walks have always included a pair of shorts instantly to hand, and it's easy to see people coming....unless of course you're trying to take pictures and you get distracted!
The truth is though is that I've never had any bad response. In the last couple of years people have wandered closer. Never close enough to have a conversation but close enough to know. Last year I added skinny-dipping at Badgworthy Pond to the walk. Badgworthy River is stunning. A scenic valley between rolling moor hills. The river sparkles majestically. Springtime is awesome. I make a point of walking there in May/June time. The water is therefore freezing! The things I do for nude-kind! The river is a bit more popular than the rest of the walk and a campsite is placed close to Doone Country, the setting for Lorna Doone, the popular novel and TV period drama. The footpath passes right next to Badgworthy Pond and some other great places to sunbathe and eat picnics. This is over a mile from tea shops, tents and car parks though. The guidance about Joe Public rarely walking a few hundred yards from a car park is very true!
This year then I stopped and ate lunch, sunbathed, and swam in the river without getting dressed. Folks walked past. Folks had a look over their shoulders at me. Folks walked on. That was it. I always walk in term time and during the main part of the day during the week, so visitors to the area are low, and dog walkers account for the majority.
Of course with Exmoor comes a wonderful selection of wildlife: the famous Exmoor ponies of course, cattle and sheep...the odd goat...numerous bird life. Lank Combe is quite narrow. I'd walked over a mile down the valley only to suddenly come face-to-face with a bull! Again I was wracked with indecision. Self-preservation won that one, and I ended up exhausted having walked up the side of the steep valley to avoid a confrontation. Probably not the confrontation I was expecting wearing just walking shoes, a backpack and sunglasses!
The purpose of this blog is this...Ok so I could have walked this beautiful trail dressed and yes it would have been nice, but it wouldn't have felt the same. To walk naked brings an extra dimension to life, one most people have never tapped into. A connection to nature and to spirit. I won't get too 'new age' but it really is difficult to describe. It's like feeling more alive...energised...fulfilled...happy! Then of course it's more comfortable. No sweat drenched walking-wear! I'm totally sold.
All of these walks are by myself. Walking with a group is great but for different reasons. I prefer walking alone, but walking with a group adds security and camaraderie. I have happily joined the annual walk over Bodmin Moor (in association with Nudefest) for the last three years and will be looking out for the date in 2015. British Naturism has published an excellent guide for naturist walkers; a handy leaflet with guidance if the worst came to the worst. BN also provides wonderful backup and support (like a union!) and simply having a BN membership card can provide some defence against a startled prude assuming the worst.
If I can inspire just one person to make the same leap of faith that I did, I would be so happy. Sitting indoors wondering...reading a ton of information...chatting with others...going for a little 'test walk'...joining BN...all of the build up...all of the things that got my confidence to where it was built enough to make the next step. It was worth it. One of the biggest confidence builders was reading about brilliant life changing walks others had done. This is mine.
Sunday, 7 December 2014
Breastfeeding...and where exactly are our morals made?
So Nigel's been at it again with his remarks on breastfeeding following the 'Claridges incident'. I kinda understand why UKIP's become popular; support from all parts of the social and political spectrum. It's simply because he and they are different and new. They're a 'story' so the media love him/them. As Bill Bailey assumingly pointed out in his last stand-up show UKIP are like 'four sozzled upper-class men at the golf club' They seem to have little on no political restaint...they say what they think. That gets points from Joe Public who so hate and see through political spin now that a politician speaking off the cuff seems fantastic.
A shame then that Joe seems to have forgotten exactly how right wing UKIP actually are. Hopefully this will become more and more apparent as we head towads election day. Right now Joe knows hardly anything about them except for migration, europe and err...thats it. Except now we know a little more, because Nigel in classic off the cuff style told us exactly where he sits on the breastfeeding issue brought up front and centre once again by the canny friend of modern society, social media. "Sit in a corner and be discrete" is telling women breastfeeding that their action may disturb some folks. This makes me very angry. Already though thousands have got there before me on Twitter to propose that because Nigel disturbs people then he should sit a corner. This provided an easy backlash, but it was the second part of his comment that really got me thinking.
So it should be up to individual private establishments to set their rules should it? I so want to say "Absolutely not!" but then where should the governance come from? I see the UK as being in a moralistic col. It's too secular these days for religion to pass down its guidance through society, but yet I clearly do not want moral guidance given to us by Claridges....by big business....by capitalism....by Facebook! This is clearly wrong, that morals are served by those who would also take money from us. So it needs government and parents to provide morals for us, and teaching via schools. In which case it must be our duty as a society to maintain and develop morals outside the bounds of religion. Tricky! Tricky because for two thousand years or so religion has been the centre of moral development of almost every culture. Now in the UK though we have a modern secularism that is untried on these islands...a new way of orchestrating society. I laud secularism, but it will take a while for us Brits to get our heads around it.
What does this have to do with breastfeeding? Well the breastfeeding issue has parallels with another big moral maze at the moment...big social media. Social media is largely governed from the US, and Facebook et al. are free to set their rules...enforce their set of morals on us. So if we want Claridges to refrain from setting their own moral guidance ("Please sit in the corner and shroud yourself please madam....") then why should we take moral guidance from Facebook? We are coming to a point where capitalism is becoming bigger than national governments. That's very scary. The ponderance over moral guidance has really hit this home to me.
Nigel....the big threat to your nationalistic ideals isn't the EU....it's the new religion from over the big pond....
A shame then that Joe seems to have forgotten exactly how right wing UKIP actually are. Hopefully this will become more and more apparent as we head towads election day. Right now Joe knows hardly anything about them except for migration, europe and err...thats it. Except now we know a little more, because Nigel in classic off the cuff style told us exactly where he sits on the breastfeeding issue brought up front and centre once again by the canny friend of modern society, social media. "Sit in a corner and be discrete" is telling women breastfeeding that their action may disturb some folks. This makes me very angry. Already though thousands have got there before me on Twitter to propose that because Nigel disturbs people then he should sit a corner. This provided an easy backlash, but it was the second part of his comment that really got me thinking.
So it should be up to individual private establishments to set their rules should it? I so want to say "Absolutely not!" but then where should the governance come from? I see the UK as being in a moralistic col. It's too secular these days for religion to pass down its guidance through society, but yet I clearly do not want moral guidance given to us by Claridges....by big business....by capitalism....by Facebook! This is clearly wrong, that morals are served by those who would also take money from us. So it needs government and parents to provide morals for us, and teaching via schools. In which case it must be our duty as a society to maintain and develop morals outside the bounds of religion. Tricky! Tricky because for two thousand years or so religion has been the centre of moral development of almost every culture. Now in the UK though we have a modern secularism that is untried on these islands...a new way of orchestrating society. I laud secularism, but it will take a while for us Brits to get our heads around it.
What does this have to do with breastfeeding? Well the breastfeeding issue has parallels with another big moral maze at the moment...big social media. Social media is largely governed from the US, and Facebook et al. are free to set their rules...enforce their set of morals on us. So if we want Claridges to refrain from setting their own moral guidance ("Please sit in the corner and shroud yourself please madam....") then why should we take moral guidance from Facebook? We are coming to a point where capitalism is becoming bigger than national governments. That's very scary. The ponderance over moral guidance has really hit this home to me.
Nigel....the big threat to your nationalistic ideals isn't the EU....it's the new religion from over the big pond....
Sunday, 30 November 2014
Naturism
“Naturism? That's got to be something
to do with nature then?”, my friend asks weakly. I sighed. “Well,
kind of”, I replied. “Getting back
to nature maybe...”. I feel like I'm on the back foot already.
This slightly
exasperating start to a recent conversation down the pub is all too
familiar to naturists. It would be far easier if the word or its
variant 'nudism' didn't exist. Explaining that it's simply nice not
to wear clothes occasionally is fine but 'naturism' seems to open a
can of worms. Recalling my conversations with those not accustomed to
wearing rather less than the man aboard the Clapham omnibus, most of
the time seems to get taken up by explaining the word rather than the
action.
Let's have a think
for a moment about the word 'naturism'; not what it means, I'll get
to that in a while, but the actual word. Nuturism is a label. It's a
single word that attempts to describe in a few (slightly baffling)
syllables a concept that would otherwise take a paragraph or more to
explain. In the modern, ever more digital age it's also a convenient
search term, a keyword, and now even a hashtag.
The western world
likes labels. The media especially revel in grouping people together
with particular characteristics in order to laud its opinion about
them to anyone within earshot. In today's fast technology, fast news,
fast judgement reality, that means almost everyone...almost
immediately. Some people are fine wearing labels. Some people
aren't. It very easy and some would say preferable these days to slip
into the comfort zone of social convention. Always a part of the
majority. A feeling of belonging with the judge rather than the
judged. Naturism is not social convention, so who wants to wear the
label...?
Well, currently
there are near enough ten thousand members of British Naturism in the
UK. Ten thousand who are comfortable enough with the label to join
and support the national organisation. That's not to say that they
are all supportive of the label, but supportive of the goal to
'normalise' nudity i.e. to earn enough respect from society, that the
action of wearing nothing cause not a single 'raised eyebrow'.
So there are ten
thousands naturists in the UK? Well, no...maybe...sort of. According
to a nationwide poll taken in 2011 there are many more than that, a
few orders of magnitude more, over 3 million if extrapolation of the
result is anywhere near accurate. It's always been odd then that so
few are members of the national organisation. Why is that?
Well the first
reason is that it obviously costs money, although i don't think that
can completely explain the breadth of the difference. The cost of
belonging to BN is extremely small compared to other memberships. My
union membership at work for example is now £15 a month, seven times
the outlay for BN.
A second reason is
publicity. Does everyone who wants to know, know about BN?
A third is 'peer
anxiety'. Anything not conforming to social convention raises the
anxiety of a negative response from others. Living life in the nude
can throw up some fairly strong opinions however rarely, but the
possibility remains non-negligible and hence many are very wary of
disclosing a preference for nudity to others.
A significant
reason however is that joining BN bestows the label 'naturist' on the
joiner. What difference does that make? Well a good deal I imagine.
The thing about labels is that some people are happier wearing them
than others. Think for a moment about the goals people have in life
and the choices of how we want to live. The older folks get, the more
likely it is that they have chosen what they want to do with their
life. They are comfortable with their lifestyle and goals. I think
this is one of the reasons that older people are more likely to join
BN. They have embraced nudity as part of their lifestyle, and hence
are happier to wear the label.
On the
other hand, younger people in their 20s and 30s are still having a
think about their life; still working out how they want to live.
Experimenting. Daring. Trying new things. Naturism is a label but it
is also a stereotype (whether BN like it or not). Naturism is a
lifestyle. Naturism is a choice made. Naturism is not social
convention and therefore not 'comfy' in the modern age as described
above. Many clubs and societies are struggling for numbers in the
21st
Century. I think this is a direct result of a 'swarming towards the
centre', a reluctance to break from the mould, a reaction to ever
quicker judgements. A reluctance to wear a label. The decrease in
union membership is a great example of this effect.
Why do I think
this? Because it describes perfectly my own love-hate relationship
with 'naturism'. For years I did little more than wear little or
nothing around my house/flat. Comfortable and happy but completely
cut off from the label 'naturist'. One or two people knew that I
didn't wear much indoors, but the vast majority were ignorant. I had
no 'naturist' friends, and I had absolutely no motivation to
investigate the wider more social aspect to wearing nothing. Suddenly
I came across the word and I immediately hated it. I hated the label.
I didn't want to pin it on myself. It took a long period of time
talking to many people, making friends and attending naturist venues
and events before I became close to wanting the badge. Eventually, I
took it. I've made my choice. Naturism is part of my life and I want
to keep it that way. Many don't want that despite liking the feeling
of not wearing anything.
So there are some
reasons why there's such a big gap between declared BN naturists and
those who admit to practising it; but what is naturism?
“So naturism is
like taking your clothes off and stuff?” My conversation down the
pub is taking longer than I thought it might! “Well yes”, I said
“but....”
But...of course
it's never that simple, because labels need definitions. Over to my
friend 'www.dictionary.com':
'Naturist:
noun
Hmm, so (1) there
is the source of much confusion it would seem when the definition we
want is (2) which itself is entirely unhelpful. At least it provides
the confirmation that in the lexicographical sense the two words are
interchangeable. So what about looking up (2):
'Nudism:
the
practice
of
going nude,
especially in places
that
allow
sexually
mixed
groups,
in the belief that such practice
benefits
health.'
Right!
Now we're getting somewhere. Finally, from our good friends at the
Encyclopaedia Britannica:
the practice of going without clothes, generally for reasons of health or comfort. Nudism is a social practice in which the sexes interact freely but commonly without engaging in sexual activities. '
So what do we make
of all this? Well naturism certainly involves wearing less than the
social norm but there are so many shades of grey around that, that
it's difficult to know where naturism starts and ends. Wearing
nothing in the bath...social convention...is not thought of as being
naturism. What about wearing nothing whilst asleep in bed? Well here
it's comes down to state of mind. I personally haven't worn anything
in bed since I was 14-ish, yet I wasn't a naturist....was I? One way
of putting bounds on naturism is to define it as being 'recreational
nudity', but this is also unsatisfactory when we consider those who
live life in their homes doing chores, watching TV (occasionally
recreation!), putting the washing out etc., without clothing (like me
for almost ten years).
As well as the grey
areas of what the individual does whilst nude there's other
factors to consider. Firstly the stereotype is for the naturist to be
completely nude, yet footwear is usually worn...a hat...a
sarong...where is the boundary? Some 'bare-footers' call themselves
naturist by just removing their footwear! Is a naturist
defined by simply uncovering the genitals?
The stereotypical
definition also includes an exclusion of any sexual activity
whilst nude and in social company. Certainly a clear boundary but
even here there are those who call themselves naturists and quite
clearly enjoy some kind of sexual connection with it: swingers and
such like. Writing that, I recall a conversation with a naturist
couple whom I have known for years, telling me about their appearance
on a popular TV audience chat show (think similar to Jeremy Kyle)
about 'alternative lifestyles' where they were specifically told to
sit next to a couple representing swingers.
Notice that the
dictionary definitions say nothing about not having a sexual
connotation whereas the encyclopaedia definition uses the words
'commonly without'. Yikes!
There's the social
aspect. Many conservative naturists whom I have spoken to declare in
no uncertain terms that a naturist is only a naturist once they have
proven to be comfortable and uncontroversial when nude in a social
situation. Some even use the word 'experienced naturist'...like
naturism is a hobby that you can gain points at and maybe go 'up a
level' once slaying the big boss at the end!
A less
person-centred definition concerns respect: a respect in someone's
choice to wear as much or as little as they want to. Of course
naturism can't be just about that though can it? Else people
who stayed dressed all the time but don't mind others getting
undressed would be called naturists. So it must be a combination of
outward-looking respect and inward-looking choice to dress down.
There's a bottom
line here that I'll now come to. At the end of the day, 'naturism' is
virtually impossible to define in terms that describe a group of
'naturists' as a discrete set. This brings us all the way back
to the start of this article. Naturism is a label. It is a label we
used for ourselves before non-naturists used it for us. It is
self-imposed. It harks back to a time when the Central Council
for British Naturism was originally formed; a time when the
definition of a naturist was far more narrow, being a group of people
who attended landed naturist clubs and adhered to a strict set of
rules. That's not 21st century thinking....in my humble
opinion.
So where does that
leave us? Well with another opinion, which I know will lead to yet
more debate. Naturism is a label and one that does British Naturism
no favours. I think therefore it should be abolished. The one
thing that everyone reading this will agree on is that it's quite
nice to be naked from time-to-time. So why can't we just leave it at
that? Well we can't because our media-centred western world
needs a hashtag!
Saturday, 29 November 2014
Daughter
May 2017: This blog was originally written in 2013. My daughter is now 9 and has been touring the country with me attending naturist events and clubs and generally having a bundle of fun. Abbey House gardens in September 2012 was our first clothes free 'daddy-daughter day out'. Two years on, it looked like the gardens had hosted their last clothes-optional day but they are now alive and well again although spoilt to a small degree by the fact that the lakeside walk is currently out of bounds due to stupid individuals acting inappropriately. This means the waterfall featured in this blog can not currently host the great fun my daughter and I had. One day I hope we can return, but we have no plans to whilst only the formal garden are available.
While it is true that I had always hoped to take my daughter to a naturist event, I never took it for granted. Wife has always been hesitant of social nudity, largely in part because of an understandable suspicion of the motives behind those involved. She has no wish presently to partake in this type of naturism, and for a long time held the opinion that I should pursue it solely for my own enjoyment.
But there was a problem...my daughter
began to grow up!
“Mummy, I want to go tooooooo!”
came the cry. No nudging or cajoling was needed. There was no secret
conspiracy to win over my wife. This was simply my daughter wanting
to have a day out with her dad. Secretly though, as you may have
guessed, I was rather pleased by this!
The time was September 2012, roughly a
year and half after my own first foray into social nudity and slowly
but surely wife was beginning to come around to the idea. Just the
idea mind, and the fact that social nudity may be just what it says
on the tin. Abbey House Gardens were holding one of their
clothes-optional days in Malmesbury in Wiltshire. My daughter and I
went along.
My daughter at the time was four and a
half (when you're four, the 'half' is very important!), and beginning
to assert some independence. She has never made any comment about
nudity other than the fact that she found it strange that her
teachers and carers at school or nursery would keep telling her to
keep her clothes on. At home, she was free to be as dressed or as
undressed as she wanted to be. How a child of four can possibly be
'alarmed' or 'distressed' by simply nudity I have no idea, but I'll
write about that another time.
The day was cloudy but dry and with
hardly a breath of wind. The latter was certainly important and the
temperature was close to 20C and so nice for a picnic and we took one
along. In the car going I wanted to make sure she knew what it was
she was going to. “This is a special day out where everyone can
wear clothes or take them off”, I said. “OK” came the reply.
She stayed silent for a while.... “Can I still wear shoes?” she
said.
Parked up and at the top of the steps
at the main gates and holding hands we came across a family group
reading and remarking on the poster attached to the entrance to the
gardens. “I can't believe they would do this!” said one, and they
turned to go. They looked at me as I stood waiting to move past them.
All ten eyes were watching for my reaction; all of them waiting for
my unequivocal agreement. I looked at my daughter and smiled and we
walked straight past. I suddenly felt a great feeling of satisfaction
that I was doing the right thing. I think society and culture in
Britain gets a lot of things right. The attitude to clothing however
could do with some improvement!
Once paid and inside it was time to
decide what to wear. At the end of the afternoon I observed a split
of about 80/20 between those undressed and those dressed. This was my
daughter's first naturist event. There was some bewilderment, but
only at the fact that suddenly it was OK to get undressed in front of
others. “Even my pants?!?” she said. I nodded. What a strange and
complicated world she was discovering! We both stripped off without
hesitation and started to wander.
At this point I want to wax lyrical
about Abbey House Gardens a bit. It's a lovely place to walk and
relax, and is exactly the right size in order to see everything in
about four hours. This was handy because that's exactly how long we
had. The maze-like pathways around both the formal gardens and around
the lake were perfect for an excited four-year-old to explore. A few
things grabbed her attention.
The first was the gazebo and lawn where
we stopped quite swiftly after arriving to eat our picnic. It was
certainly picnic weather although the sun stubbornly refused to come
out for more than 30 seconds during our visit. My daughter was
getting a lot of attention, not only because she was the only child
older than two there, but also because of the loud delighted laughter
coming from her! Lawn chess for example proved to be a puzzle. A bit
beyond a four year old. No matter, she took all the pieces and spread
them all over the lawn to make an obstacle course instead! Running up
and down whilst getting her audience of twenty or so naturists to
time her – priceless entertainment!
The other big hit was the waterfall.
It's worth thinking at this point about what a faff it would have
been to have dealt with a little girl desperately wanting to splash
and shower in a natural waterfall at a regular clothed day at the
gardens. “No sorry”, I would have felt compelled to say, “I
can't afford to let you get your clothes wet”. I'm sure many a
family have said just that. At a clothes-optional day and wearing
nothing but 'crocs' however, “Go right ahead”, I said, “I'll
join you!”
We probably spent almost an hour at
that waterfall, playing races with leaves, splashing each other,
getting covered in mud and then washing ourselves again. It was an
amazingly happy time; one I will remember for ever. When we were
done, the crocs went back on and we dried off as we walked. What
could be simpler. Why don't more people do that? It just doesn't make
sense.
The final tale to tell of our visit was
our stop at the cafe. My daughter was fascinated by the formal
rectangular fish pond and kept everyone there on the edge of their
seat whilst she perched precariously on the edge of the pond! A young
girl full of confidence but not yet alert to the perils of
situations! Once safely sat down with ice-cream, it was time to take
stock. I didn't need to ask if she had been enjoying it. She hadn't
stopped laughing all afternoon. Staying still for five minutes
obviously got her mind pondering on things though...
“Daddy....why do some boys have hairy
willies?”
Every conversation stopped.
I was prepared for a question. It is in
the nature of the daughter to embarrass the parent, however
innocently. Remember that this was my daughter's first experience of
being in a public place with a few dozen people not wearing anything.
I guess it was inevitable!
“Well some people have long hair and
some people have short hair. It's up to people to decide how they
want to look” I said.
I think I got away with it. She seemed
satisfied with the answer.
It was time to go home. I can honestly
say that that it was one of the best days of my life. To share my
love of naturism with my daughter was a great feeling; a satisfaction
that nudity can be shared with others in a perfectly natural and
innocent way. Not one problem was encountered. Everyone there was
brilliant.
Back home my daughter's reaction to
wife's questions was 100% positive, and now she attends events with
me up and down the country.
Friday, 28 November 2014
Why on earth?
I try and be completely open about the lifestyle choice of wearing as little as possible. I think this is the way it should be, although I totally understand why some people may be hesitant or secretive about it. I've therefore fielded the question, "Why on earth would you want to...?" a good few times. I usually offer the questioner two options: a short answer and a long answer. The short answer is "Because it makes my life better!". That's it...and that's I believe all that should matter...for a given value of 'matter'.
The short answer is invariably not good enough for the inquisitive. So on to the long answer....
I wrote the notes below for a very long article on the heres, whys and wherefores that read too much like a diary entry for the purposes of a blog. So...under some broad headings...here's the long answer!
Convenience
i.e. I was lazy! Sometimes I take the
lengths of 'not doing work' to extremes. Not wanting to have to faff
doing washing at a laundrette, I just didn't wear anything. Although
a reason originally, convenience still applies despite me not being
quite so lazy these days. It is less work not to bother with
clothing quite so much. Less shopping, less washing and less time
having to consider what to wear. All good in my book.
Comfort
I'm twice as comfortable nude,
especially when the environment is favourable, i.e. warm! I've never
liked being restricted. This applies generally to all types of
clothing but especially to 'waist bands' whether it be a belt,
elastic, buttons etc. Being restricted around my waist is a horrible
feeling. Obviously there are many occasions where I simply have to
endure it but at home I have only two states of dress, either nude or
in my onesie. The onesie is a brilliant idea: baggy and hence not
restrictive, warm (I buy the fleece kind) and with no tied waist. Top
banana! I know a lot of people worried about being fashion conscious
turn their noses up at them but I simply don't give a damn. I note as
of late 2013, onesie fans are beginning to venture outside wearing
them. That makes me chuckle.
Relaxed and happy
These two go together but I really
can't give a complete answer as to why being nude makes me happier. A
sense of liberty? Being more 'in touch' with nature? A feeling of
stripping away mundane, banal, everyday life? Probably a mixture of
all of these. This is where aspiring naturists just need to try it
for themselves. I do know however that when walking nude on Exmoor on
my own with just the sounds of nature around me with none of the
modern world distractions, I am in the most contented state that I
have ever experienced.
It makes sense
I am very
analytically, logically, and scientifically (geeky!) minded. I like
making very objective, independent decisions. I'm not religious. In
fact I have in the past described myself as 'Richard Dawkin's
right-hand man'. Actually I would call myself a pantheist. God is a
metaphor for the wonder and brilliance of the world and universe but
I don't agree to any supernatural interpretation. Because of all
this, I loathe convention. It makes no sense to me to mindlessly
follow society's etiquettes to the letter. I respect the law, follow
it and believe in democracy to decide on them, but I hate blindly
following fashions and social expectations on how to live my life.
Nudity makes sense to me, so I don't wear clothes when it suits.
Swimming, sparring, sunbathing, walking in the countryside, and
chatting with friends in the sunshine: all of these do not need
clothing to be worn and are far nicer nude. Wearing clothes when the
environment is suitable to wear none is simply the result of two
thousand years of religious and egotistical dogma. I can't be doing
with that. Common sense should win every time.
The people
Not an original
reason for sure, but the people who are happy to call themselves
naturists are just brilliant, wonderful people. Happy, positive,
open, sharing, welcoming, and above all they live largely by the same
values that I do. That's something that has just blown me away over
the last few years once I started to venture beyond my four small
walls. I feel like I can strike up a conversation with anyone at a
naturist event. In fact it appears everyone has the same view since
everyone appears to talk to everyone else! The sense of community and
inclusiveness has staggered me. I'm more confident as a result and
have made a huge number of friends in a very short space of time.
This was unimaginable even five years ago. Mainstream society has so
much to learn from the attitudes of the naturist community in terms
of communication, empathy and above all friendship.
Non-reasons...but
reasons quoted commonly by other naturists...
Health
It's not a reason
I'm a naturist but it does make sense that vitamin D levels improve
when the skin is exposed to sunshine. It also helps to regulate body
temperature far better.
Tanning
I find it quite
amusing that a oft-quoted reason naturism is good is that teaches us
to 'accept our body as it is'. Yet the same naturists still go 'all
out' to achieve a dark all-over tan. Social convention runs very
deep.
Body acceptance
I
wouldn't say this is a reason I'm a naturist. I've always been
completely comfortable with my body at every age, so I didn't need to
strip off my clothes to get to that point. I guess I feel lucky that
my body has held up against what I've put it through over the years.
My body is my 'survival machine' (to quote Dawkins). It in no
way defines 'me'.
It
is simply the machine that carries 'me' around. This plus my
attitudes towards convention meant that once I'd decided to socialise
without clothes I found it relatively nerveless (except for a
slightly surprising moment at Clover Spa on my first attempt).
There are undoubtedly other reasons. I'd be interested in hearing some. By the time i've finished the long answer the questioner is usually looking quite perplexed. There is only one other thing to add if they are still mouthing the word 'why'..."You're just going to have to try it...."
Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Beginnings
Let me start at the beginning. I was
born. I was naked. There...that wasn't so hard was it! My mum and dad
were close by and a few health professionals were milling around. I
was crying, and I was trying to cope with this newfangled thing
called 'breathing' so being naked wasn't foremost on my mind. Mind
you, I don't think that I cared that much. In fact, I didn't care at
all. I hadn't 'learnt' anything yet about what it's like to be a
human being in the 20th century. I got dressed.
Let me try another beginning. I moved
out of my parent's house aged 21. I'd been to university already but
always living with other people. There had been drink involved. I was
still getting over some pretty serious teenage angst. I was geeky and
very self-conscious. I had discovered 'girls' and was seriously busy
learning how to be an adult. Being at university made me happy so I
went back for another go.
This time I had my own place. Living on
my own suited me down to the ground. Some folks get lonely very
quickly and so hate living alone, but for me it was like finding a
new level in life. I loved it. I've always been very much my own
person so living in my own flat didn't phase me one bit. I had free
heating, but I had no washing machine. You see the other thing that's
intrinsic about me is that I’m unashamedly lazy. Fortunately I
found a solution to the conundrum of having no clean clothes.
Folks I’ve told this story to always
only semi-believe it. There's always been a hint of “ok, but what's
the real reason you became a naturist?” in their reply, but it
really did come down to not having any clean clothes and no money to
buy any! I took my clothes off. Sort of. I mean I didn't just decide
one day that I wasn't going to wear any. There was no 'event that
changed my life'. There was no naturist in me fighting to get out
overnight. It sort of...evolved...over many months hunched over a
keyboard trying to solve the mysteries of the universe (a course in
Astrophysics in case you are wondering...which you probably weren't).
Before I knew it I was standing in the kitchen making toast wearing
nothing. I wasn't a naturist. I am now. I wasn't then. Weird ain't
it! Perhaps only I can understand what I mean. Perhaps not even then.
At this point I met my future wife. She
rolled her eyes at me. She's been rolling them continuously ever
since. My wife is comfortable with no clothes on. She wasn't a
naturist. She still isn't.
Time for another beginning. Switch
forward twelve years. It's mid-2010 and I’m searching the internet
for diving gear. I'm a diver. I haven't been diving since 2010, but
I'm still a diver! I caught a glimpse of an article on the front page
of Yahoo as I was about to click through to my e-mail. It was the ten
best naturist beaches in Britain. One was close to me in Devon. I
didn't know that.
The internet is amazing. I love it.
It's a huge part of my life. I've made countless friends via the
internet; many many more than I’ve called 'friend' in simply
meeting in real life. You see I make friends much more easily online
because I'm naturally shy in talking to people face-to-face if I
don't know them. I dislike small talk. I find it banal and formulaic.
I detest 'mingling'. I don't therefore get on well at conferences and
other work social stuff. The internet on the other hand, I can just
talk at my own pace. I can think of interesting things to say. The
internet 'way' of chatting fits my personality so much better. The
silences are never awkward. I like that. I always aim to meet people
that I've spoken to online in real life. Real life is still
important.
So in 2010 I started to talk to people
online about naturism. My first chat was with a guy called Tim from
Bristol on a forum called Naturist Corner (that I found by following
links from that Yahoo article). I don't know Tim any more and never
called him a friend, but he knew a thing or two about naturism in the
UK. He pointing me at some interesting threads on the forum. I read.
I wasn't a naturist. I'd found out
about the word and British Naturism and started to think about
meeting others who liked being naked doing day-to-day stuff. I found
I could chat to naturists incredibly easily. Naturists are happy.
Naturists are positive. Naturists are open and friendly. Naturists
generally have the same outlook on life as I do. Naturists were
apparently very keen to convert people into naturists! Remember that
this is twelve years after my laundry crisis. I found out about a
place called Clover Spa, which was imminently due to open in
Birmingham. I hatched a plan. In November 2010 I went for a walk in a
nature reserve not far from where I live. It was about 12C. Half way
around I stripped off and walked for a mile nude. I was happy.
Another beginning, this time not long
since the last one. January 2011. Tim Higgs' Clover Spa had just
opened. I wanted somewhere social but not too social. I wanted
somewhere dedicated to naturism. I wanted somewhere without too much
pressure but giving folks a nudge in the right direction. This was
it. I drove.
Arriving at Clover Spa I sat in the
car, took a deep breath and thought, “...and so starts the next
part of your life...” There were a few more deep breaths! Tim was a
friend as soon as he said 'hello'. I could tell immediately. I went
to my room and 'got ready'. I had signed a card assuring me that it
was OK to walk downstairs to the lounge with nothing on. I grabbed a
copy of the Guardian anyway....and 'had it to hand' so-to-speak.
I walked downstairs and into the
lounge. Everyone was dressed.
Ok ok...now this wasn't the big scare
that it could have been. The fact that the lounge contained
four staff members and what appeared to be a delivery man might
have put other people off. Clover Spa had just opened. Guests were
few. Staff were obviously plentiful! This was my ten seconds of
terror; the ten seconds that everyone trying social nudity for the
first time goes through. A staff member (who's name I can't recall
now...shame on me) offered me a coffee and a chocolate brownie. The
ten seconds were over. From that point onwards I was completely fine
with social nudity and have loved it ever since. I wasn't a naturist.
Naturism is weird. Where does it start
and end? What the hell is
naturism? Before summer 2011 I hated the word 'naturist' and I said
so...both in person to folks and online. In fact in early 2011 I was
involved in a heated debate on a forum about the word naturist and I
argued vehemently against its use. It's a label. I don't like labels.
OK, last beginning.
In June 2011 I went to Nudefest for a weekend with my good friend
Matt. Neither of us had been to anything like it before. We knew
nobody but thought we would give it a try and see what it was like to
get as far into the lifestyle of social nudity as it was possible to
get in the UK. I loved it. End of. There are just no more words.
On
getting back home, my wife rolled her eyes.
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