Girl Talk: The Naked Truth
Posted by: Diane Shipley
Filed in:
relationships
10:00AM, Saturday September 27th 2008
Recently, my friend became a naturist. I re-read her email twice to make sure she hadn’t said “naturalist”. But no: there it was in 12 point Verdana, as clear as the shock on my face: “I’ve joined a naturism society”.
I couldn’t be more shocked had she joined a satanic cult. Not only is she English to an almost stereotypical degree (reserved to the point of inhibition – or so I thought – and sporting milk-pale skin prone to burning) but she lives for Doris Day musicals and her politics make Sarah Palin look liberal.
And yet her new hobby is meeting up with people she doesn’t know… and taking off all her clothes.
It’s one thing to get together with a group of like-minded people who want to change the world, or learn Spanish, or gossip about Brangelina. But naturists are united by nothing more than the fact that they have bodies. Once they’ve gotten nekkid and walked about a bit, what else is there to do? You’re not even supposed to be judging anyone’s looks.
Yet my friend says she’s enjoying her new hobby a lot. I say, Shouldn’t a hobby be something you can use to pad out your resume? Maybe even something you can tell your colleagues and grandparents about, without being considered some sort of sexual deviant? Not that naturism is about sexual deviance: it’s not a prelude to an orgy and naturists swear there’s nothing sordid about it. But the first naturist event Katrina (not her real name) attended was a group swim after which she apparently “got a lot of compliments”. I’d like to think she had been noticed for her breast stroke rather than her breasts but when she later came back from an under-30s nudist vacay with a stack of men’s phone numbers that could rival the Manhattan White Pages, even she had to acknowledge that it wasn’t only my suspicious nature that had been aroused. The British Naturist’s society website says that “Naturism is non-sexual nudity,” but who’s around to enforce what people are thinking?
The site then goes on to state that many people are prejudiced against displays of nudity. But I’m not sure not wanting to see the naked bodies of people I’ve never met before can really be considered a prejudice. And naturists aren’t doing much to challenge misconceptions when they propel my young and pretty friend to a level of popularity saggy septuagenarians must rarely experience.
Maybe there are some naturists who barely (ha ha) notice the imperfections of others, who aren’t lecherous or exhibitionistic but just love the feeling of not wearing clothes. I can accept that, but I can’t understand it. Maybe because I like wearing clothes so darn much (for one thing, they’re nice and warm). But I won’t be forming a club with other people who also wear clothes; that would just be weird.
Nor will I be joining a society so I have somewhere to strip off without being judged. I already have a place I can do that: it’s called my apartment.
TheFrisky.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network
Sprite
wrote on September 27 2008 @ 03:16 pm: [report]
Don’t knock it till you try it! :-D
Steve
wrote on September 27 2008 @ 04:10 pm: [report]
Sorry lady we all come in different shapes & sizes especially as we get older. Like textiles some need to address overweight for health reasons but most of us are friendly people who enjoy the relaxation of no clothes. Have you been skinny dipping or for a naked swim ? You’ll wonder why you needed that cossie.
If you don’t try, you don’t know !
Steve
http://snudesb.blogspot.com
Claudia
wrote on September 27 2008 @ 10:08 pm: [report]
The world is full of surprises and the secret naturist, who tends to explore country side and other areas not usually explored by ‘normal’ people and who also present an attractive target by being naked, tend to attract all manner of interesting creatures, many of which are intend on biting, stinging, eating and generally making life a misery for any unfortunate who passes by. Naturist looks like you and I and come from all walks of life. You will find it to be a relaxing lifestyle that is free of the daily stress we all experience. Naturist groups like naturistmingle.com are looking for people who are open minded and want to enjoy the company of others of a like mind.
Kimmie S.
wrote on September 28 2008 @ 06:20 am: [report]
Actually, what’s “weird” is that society forces people to join a club to do something that’s natural. I run about the house naked quite frequently—even when some of my friends pop over. It’s just comfortable and doesn’t hurt anyone. To not be able to do the same elsewhere (like the beach) is just unnatural.
Asanath
wrote on September 28 2008 @ 07:17 am: [report]
Who is going to enforce what other people are thinking? Boy, if that doesn’t illuminate one of the biggest problems that people have with sexuality. It’s not enough for some that people refrain from committing sexual abuses, they must be stopped from ever even thinking of them. Let’s just focus on the actual abuses and not be too worried about the imagined ones.
Robert
wrote on September 28 2008 @ 04:27 pm: [report]
I think you should feel complimented that your friend trusts you enough to let you know of her interest in naturism. Many, if not most, naturists keep their interest very hidden….unless they fully trust others not to judge the activity without having had the experience.
You should take a chance, and join your friend on a day or two “in your skin”. If you are like most newbies…the first 20 minutes will be difficult..and the rest of the day will be relaxing and memorable. Many first timers find it odd and discomforting to have to get dressed again at the end of the day.
You, and others, can make of naturism what you chose to. For some it’s just freedom, for others it’s titillating. Everyone has curiosity about others bodies, even when fully clothed. Naturism just gets that curiosity, if you have it, satisfied very quickly and completely.
Go give it a try, even if just for a day. You might be surprised how much fun you have, and what a new view you have of clothes, bathing suits…and underwear.
Lance
wrote on September 29 2008 @ 07:40 am: [report]
What’s wrong with getting naked? I’ve never the naturism thing, but it sounds like a lot of fun.
Stuffed Tiger
wrote on September 29 2008 @ 07:32 pm: [report]
Diane, your friend has a stack of tele numbers because she clearly has a great personality, the kind of thing nudists value. You may think that men value expensive makeup, perfume, designer clothes, shoes, bags and jewels. Only trophy hunters value that. Want to know what nudist men value? Look at them. It’s not clothes. I can tell you that some of the most personable and well liked nudist woman have a breast missing or an arm or a leg or are overweight. They are woman who are into life rather than the kind of silly concerns you express. Believe me, an hour with a nude woman and all that you see is her personality. For many of us, it is easy to fall in love with your wife all over and over and over again that way.
Diane
wrote on September 30 2008 @ 02:49 pm: [report]
Thanks for the comments, all!
But to say that naturists are supposed to be accepting, there isn’t much acceptance of people who don’t wish to share your lifestyle choice.
I don’t think being naked is weird or wrong, but joining a club which makes an activity out of not wearing clothes does marginalise, and perhaps even fetishise, an otherwise natural activity, in my opinion.
Stuffed Tiger, why do you assume I think men are materialistic, or that I’m the trophy type? You couldn’t be more wrong.
Asanath, you completely misread me: I wasn’t saying that policing anyone else’s thoughts ever should or could be enforced, and I wasn’t talking about abuse at all: just sex. My point was that naturist websites state that there is no sexual aspect to the activity at all, yet how can they know what others are thinking or if members of their society have joined just to leer at young women (or men)? They can’t, so perhaps they shouldn’t say that.
There’s nothing wrong with preferring to choose who I share my body with - that’s a way of respecting my self-image, too and maybe you voracious nudists should think about that… and respect my choice as much as you ask me to respect yours.
Kimmie S.
wrote on September 30 2008 @ 09:21 pm: [report]
Diane,
Judging from your comments, “But I’m not sure not wanting to see the naked bodies of people I’ve never met before can really be considered a prejudice.” and “...and respect my choice as much as you ask me to respect yours.” I can only infer that you are, in general, against seeing other people naked except when you specifically choose to do so. That seems to go along with what a lot of other ‘non-naturists’ say about seeing other people naked—“Only if they look good,” “not if they’re fat, old, gray, etc…” To me, this makes about as much sense as someone complaining that they are offended by someone’s ugly clothes—except that it’s skin that they’re seeing. What we are “offended” by is a direct result of how we were raised. Of course, there are things that almost everyone can agree shouldn’t be seen (such as murder, etc., although that’s shown on TV), seeing other people naked is a toss-up—a lot of people don’t care; and, many are adamantly opposed to it. The thing is, our bodies are harmless, normal, and natural. And, making laws forcing people to cover up certain parts of our bodies is just plain ridiculous—especially when it’s simply because we are not used to it.
Diane
wrote on September 30 2008 @ 11:58 pm: [report]
Hi Kimmie S,
You’re right to infer that I don’t want to see someone else naked unless I’ve chosen to do so. But you’re wrong to extrapolate that it’s because I don’t think other people will look good enough for my body fascism to take!
Hanging out with other naked people for no apparent reason *is* against the social code by which most of us were raised.
And you can say we need that code to keep society going, otherwise we’d fall into anarchy, or you can say it’s sad that we are constrained by such rules, but either way, you can’t snap your fingers and make many of us okay with or enthusiastic about group public nudity.
Truth is, that’s okay with me.
Gordon
wrote on October 2 2008 @ 02:07 pm: [report]
I’m a naturist. Not one of the really serious ones but I do beaches swims and have appeared on TV as a naturist. Personally, there are things that I like to do naked such as swimming and walking in the countryside and I feel less comfortable just doing it for social purposes, but some people prefer the social aspect.
The reason some naturists have to join clubs is because if they appear naked in “public” they are liable to be arrested, even though there are no laws in England at least that require people to wear clothes.
Naturists are just like everyone else - they have a wide variety of personalities. Some are just as narrow minded and prejudiced as non-naturists, some are quite open minded and freedom loving.