March 2020 – Naturistplace Blog

Why do so many people think that nudity couldn’t be “normal”?

Consider the (quite obviously staged) photo here. There are six people clothed “normally” – and one naked person, who is much like the others except for her nudity. Those who are clothed are looking down on the naked person with obvious displeasure and disapproval. Not only that, but those who aren’t naked are clothed almost exactly alike – even down to their bare feet.

What’s the reason for the very negative judgmental attitude of the majority? Is it because of the nonconformist’s nudity? Or is it actually because of how a nonconformist is regarded by the (very conformist) majority? I’d argue that the real reason is precisely the nonconformity with the majority, rather than the nudity, which is merely the particular way that the nonconformist differs from the others.
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Recent articles on nudity and naturism, 3/23/20

Cyclists get nude for safety’s sake
On Sunday, March 8 there was a World Naked Bike Ride in Byron Bay, Australia – just one of many in the southern hemisphere on or near that date. (More are noted below.) Byron Bay is a smallish beachside town (pop. ~9200) on the eastern coast of Australia, 772 km north of Sydney and 165 km south of Brisbane (480 and 103 miles, respectively). With several fine beaches and a very moderate climate – average summer highs about 28°C (82°F) and average winter highs about 19°C (66°F) – Byron Bay is the quintessential beach/surf town.

Not surprisingly, it’s also an ideal place for naturism – especially since part of one of the local beaches (Tyagarah Beach) is clothing-optional. There’s even a local naturist association: Byron Naturists. Because of the town’s tolerant attitude towards naturism, it’s also not surprising that the local WNBR usually gets quite a good turnout. According to the article, “Fine weather on Sunday saw 180 odd people don their Birthday Suits for a spin around Byron on Sunday.” (Was “odd” meant as a double-entendre?)

There’s something especially interesting about photos in this article. Did you notice it? Right: there’s full-frontal nudity that hasn’t been blurred or pixelated at all. A number of other similarly “explicit” pictures accompany the online article. The article is on the website of The Byron Shire Echo – the local free weekly independent tabloid newspaper. It’s exceedingly rare for print/web media aimed at the general public to exert no censorship of such nudity. Naturists can at least hope this is part of a trend to making nudity more “normal”.

New Zealand: Nudists bare all for environment and body positivity
This ride had about 80 participants in Golden Bay, New Zealand, which is near the northern tip of the South Island.

South Africa: Bottoms up — Cape Town celebrates Naked Bike Ride
There are no figures on the number of participants in the ride, which was held on Saturday, March 7.
Staying safe… and naked

I think Marc has said it just about right:
“If by the time you read this post you are not convinced the COVID-19, a.k.a. coronavirus, is a dangerous thing, well stop reading this article and go read the papers and view the videos on the WHO site. This virus is changing the world as we know it and it may be doing so even when humanity has contained and reversed the virus threat. Like any other human beings, nudists and naturists can play a role in stopping the spread of the virus, while remaining naked and continuing promoting our lifestyle.”

Is it possible there’s anyone alive and conscious (and not still in diapers) now who isn’t quite aware of the COVID-19 pandemic? Probably very few. But this is a naturist blog, so we’ll keep discussing naturism, for the most part. You surely know much better places to keep informed about the pandemic. And if you’re confined to your home, you can’t spend all your time worrying about the bad stuff. So set aside at least a little time to enjoy being naked – and thinking about your plans for when this eventually is over. Just do all you can to be still in good health by then.

We know the possibilities for naturist activities will be limited severely during the next several months. But that doesn’t mean naturism must be forgotten about entirely. “This too shall pass.” In the meantime, you can think about spending even more time naked in your own home – especially if you’re temporarily unemployed. Sure, that really sucks. But you’ll probably find that just being naked will cheer you up – especially as warmer days are not far off (in the northern hemisphere). And if you’re still employed and working from home – you can finally work naked.

Keep in mind that there are still some very good opportunities for enjoying naturism with negligible exposure to the virus – if you’re careful. For example: naked hiking and naked camping.
Comedians Bare It All At ImprovBoston’s Naked Comedy Showcase
Given that The Naked Comedy Showcase “has been running for nearly 15 years”, and (at least recently) on the first Thursday of every month, it seems to have received very little media attention, and is hardly ever mentioned even in naturist publications. This is still more surprising, since the show takes place at a theater in Cambridge’s Central Square – a short walk from MIT and a slightly longer walk from Harvard.

It’s not a show put on by rank amateurs either. The venue is for comedians experienced in stand-up comedy – who also see value in the nudity. According to the article, “Naked Comedy shows regular people’s bodies, moving in nonsexual ways. That’s what Kendra Dawsey, a comic who’s done the showcase a handful of times, likes about it. “I should be allowed to have my body in its natural state in a nonsexual context,” she says. Performing in the showcase provides her with that opportunity.” Unlike the Naked Magicians, doing a striptease throughout the show, performers are naked the whole time. Certainly a very naturist attitude.

Amateurs – audience members in fact – are invited to perform too. “There’s even an opportunity for audience participation: [Andy] Ofiesh [who originated the event] invites audience members to walk up to the stage, undress behind the curtain, and tell a naked joke onstage.”
More “best” nude beaches

It seems as though every country that has a nude beach ranked among the top 45 in the world wants to brag about it. That’s fine with me.

Portugal: Algarve home to two of world’s best “holiday destination for nudists”
Portugal is well-located on the coast just west of Spain, so it has almost as much coast on the Atlantic as Spain, despite having only about 18% of the land area. So historically Portugal has been intimately connected with the sea. During the 15th and 16th centuries it actually had the first global empire. Today tourism is one of the largest segments of its economy, with about 20 million foreign tourists per year. Two of its clothing-optional beaches (Ilha Deserta and Praia das Adegas) were ranked in the top 10, being 3rd and 6th, respectively. Check here for information about those two beaches – and many others where nudity is possible.

Croatia: Croatia has some of the best nudist beaches in the world – find out where
Croatia actually outshines Portugal in terms of exceptional nude beaches, having two in the top five: Punta Križ beach (#2) and Sovinje beach (#4). The first is near the northern end of the country, while the second is in the center. Both are considerably north of Dubrovnik, in the southern end of the country. Of course, Croatia has a long history with naturism – although that’s little known outside of Europe. In addition to the beaches, Croatia has some large naturist campgrounds. You can check here for much more about Croatian naturism.
You can now eat Sunday roast in the nude

Naked dining events may no longer be possible as long as COVID-19 is a huge problem. But this one was scheduled for March 1, so (as far as I know) it actually occurred. British Naturism once again puts U. S. naturist organizations to shame by arranging events like this. Some local or regional naturists organizations in the U. S. may occasionally arrange naked dining events, but I haven’t seen any publicity for such things arranged by either of the national organizations (except, perhaps, in connection with larger gatherings they have).

The event in question here was held at a pub in the Bloomsbury district of London. According to the article, the meal featured “all the usual delights, including meat, vegetables and gravy.” So the food was evidently the standard British stuff – and only the nudity made it special. Attendees, however, were “also invited to join in on a naked swim before dinner.” Apparently, staff personnel working at such events have no problems doing so, since according to the event organizer, “the staff at places where we hold our events are happy to have us back.”

How to enjoy nudity at home if you live with people who aren’t accustomed to nudity

The first step in “normalizing nudity” is to spend as much time as possible naked at home. The people you live with are usually the most important people who need to be comfortable with your nudity. If anyone you live with isn’t comfortable with even the idea that you might be naked at home, then you may have to be secretive about it with them, at least initially. That’s often difficult and not really a good idea for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most important reason is that you’ll be constrained on when and where you can be naked – and you’ll always be afraid they’ll find out you enjoy nudity. You may even feel that what you are doing is “wrong” or “shameful” – which will certainly cripple your enjoyment of nudity.
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Recent articles on nudity and naturism, 3/11/20

Best Beach Holidays for Nudists
Although summer is still about 3 months away in the northern hemisphere, travel services are already eager to use any incentive they can think of to stimulate travel in this current environment of pandemic fears. Even nude beach vacations. Naturists, of course, need little extra incentive, if they’re willing to travel at all. But perhaps even non-naturists might consider the possibility, as an alternative to long-distance air travel or that deluxe cruise they’d been thinking of. Many of the top-rated beaches are in southern Europe – Spain, Portugal, and Croatia, especially – but also some in France and Greece. Unfortunately for U. S. naturists, only 3 of the top-rated 45 beaches are in the U. S. – the same number as Canada. There’s a lesson in that – perhaps the U. S. travel industry is clueless about the potential of naturism to improve profitability.

Here’s an article, based on the preceding one, that singles out the top 18 beaches: The 18 best beaches in the world where you can be naked. And here are some UK aticles about local beaches from the main list: Dorset beach named as one of world’s top nudist destinations, Devon nudist beach named one of the best in the world, A nudist beach in the South West has been named one of the best in the world, Studland beach is named as one of the world’s top nudist destinations
Nakation couple bare all as rising trend of naked holidays go mainstream

The article claims, with some slight exaggeration, that “From naked cruises, nude hikes and nude beaches to luxury accommodation where you walk around in the buff, nakations are taking the world by storm.” If only that were so! Interestingly, the article appeared in a South African media outlet. There is, in fact, some interest in naturism in that country. SunEden is probably the leading naturist resort, and a travel company, Amatungulu Tours offers a variety of “tour options for amazing nudist vacations”. As the article says, “in South Africa, it’s even possible to go on a nude safari.” That might be a bit more exciting than walking naked with llamas (see next article).

It’s not clear that the ugly neologism “nakation” is the best way to promote clothing-optional vacations, but nevertheless there does seem to be increasing mainstream interest in the idea – at least outside of the U. S. To be honest, except perhaps for Florida, the best “nakation” opportunities are in Europe and a small number of other countries, including Brazil and Thailand, as well as South Africa. The “nakation couple” (Nick de Corte and Lins van Wambeke) who were interviewed for the article observe that “Most resorts are near Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town. Some tour companies now offer nude safaris.”
You can go naked walking with llamas just one hour from Kent

In case you’ve run out of ideas for new things to try doing naked, you might consider walking with llamas. Not in Peru or somewhere like that. It can be done at a “llama park” less than 65 km south of London. The event is scheduled for June 11. Once again, this opportunity has been organized by British Naturism – surely one of the most helpful naturist organizations in the world. They understand that naturists want to do many more things naked besides just getting an all-over tan by the pool.
Your Body is not a crime!

If you’re into fine art nude photography, you really should check out the Model Society – if you don’t already know about it. Their website describes their purpose: “Model Society is dedicated to restoring human beauty to its rightful place as a true work of art.” Among the offerings at the website are: a Community, where models, photographers, and artists can connect and collaborate; a Magazine, which “features the best figurative fine art in the world”; and an Academy, which provides eductional resources for models, photographers, and artists.

The link at the start of this entry contains a video showcasing some of the best work of Society members. It was, of course, censored by various social platforms, but is here shown uncensored. Naturists can wholeheartedly agree with the text accompanying the video that explains the problem:
“It is not just Facebook. This is the society that we live in. This is the climate of judgment and shame that you encounter when you share images of human nudity as art. It’s punishable for you to share images from classic works of art or a figure drawing class or even a mother breastfeeding her child. Censorship on Facebook is just a reflection of the bigger battle you face when you draw, paint or photograph a naked human being. We do not create this body of nude art to shock, offend, or arouse a mindless lust. We create so that all of us may come to see our shared humanity as a miraculous work of art.”
Campus in Ohio boasts 17-year streak of naked dashes

The article is about Denison University in Ohio. Organized (and tolerated) streaking has been going on there for 17 years. Only 13 students participated in the first run of the week, according to the article, but on the final run of the week more than 50 were expected to join in. At Denison the event is part of “Naked Week”, which is (ostensibly) “a student celebration of body positivity and for raising awareness about eating disorders.” The article doesn’t mention any other planned naked activities. Although most students were just observers, those who did participate were enthusiastic about the experience. “It’s the most fun time that you can have with your clothes off but in front of 200 people,” one streaker reported.

College streaking has a long history. According to this article, it dates back at least to 1804. Other schools that have had streaks at some time or other include the University of Michigan and the University of California at Santa Cruz. Another article mentions 7 schools where streaking is allegedly “an organized sport.” Denison is one of them, along with Dartmouth, Williams, and Reed. A third article mentions several more, including Swarthmore and Harvard. A few other schools have had annual streaking events, including Princeton, whose events attracted hundreds of participants and occurred for almost 25 years. Sadly, with tuition costs being what they are today and the pressure on students to perform academically in order to have any hope of finding a decent job, streaking seems now to be generally considered a frivolity lacking the same audacious cachet it may once have had.
22 Amazing cities to join a World Naked Bike Ride in 2020

As usual, Nick and Lins know where in the world some of the best clothing-optional opportunities can be found. There’s general WNBR information in the article, and lots more on the official site and on Wikipedia. Actually, there are many more than 22 rides – the ones listed are just those with the most participants. Scores of other cities on 5 continents (all except Antarctica and – unsurprisingly – Asia) also have rides. Most can be found listed at the official site. And if you can’t find one nearby, you can organize one yourself – if you’re willing to work at it. Most of the events are in the northern hemisphere during the summer there. But Australia, S. America, and Africa also have WNBRs. In some places with sufficiently mild climates, there may be several events in the same city every year.

Perhaps as an indication of enthusiasm for clothesfree activities in the UK, that country was awarded “The Naked Wanderings 2020 Prize for Country of the World Naked Bike Ride.” The article notes that “there isn’t another country in the world that will organize so many naked bike rides in the summer of 2020. … If you happen to be in the UK in June and July, you’ll get the chance to cycle nude pretty much every weekend.” Just about all of the events are now officially approved, with full nudity generally acceptable (although how much there is varies from place to place). This is a noteworthy example of normalized public nudity.
A snowy hot springs where clothing is optional after dark

There’s a certain allure to being naked outdoors in a chilly, snow-encrusted environment during the wintertime – provided you can spend the time soaking in 40°C H₂O – especially in a natural hot spring. Strawberry Park Hot Springs is only about a 15-minute drive from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA. By all means, call ahead to check on the local weather conditions and whether there’s available parking. In fact, read the Springs’ website carefully, since there’s a lot you need to be aware of (no dogs allowed, for instance). Unfortunately, clothing-optional bathing is allowed only after dark, when “children” under 18 are not allowed in the water. (Remember, this is in the U. S. – the so-called “land of the free” (except when nudity is involved) and the “home of the brave” (except for being terrified of letting kids see any adult nudity)).
Hot springs in Colorado: Ghost town home to luxury

If clothing-optional is your passion, Dunton Hot Springs could be a better choice than Strawberry Park. However, it appears to be rather upscale – i. e. expensive. There seem to be no restrictions on either nudity (in the springs) or youngsters. The setting, especially during the winter, is at least as spectacular. Dunton is a former mining town – abandoned long ago, but whose cabins and public buildings have been restored to the status of a rustic but luxurious resort. There are different locations to enjoy the water, at a variety of temperatures.

The same source has a list of 16 of Colorado’s most sizzling hot springs – some of which are clothing-optional.

What does “normalizing nudity” mean?

Don’t you wish being more comfortable by not wearing any needless clothes at home or in some idyllic place outdoors (when it’s warm enough) could be much less controversial? In short, wouldn’t you be glad if nudity were more accepted as “normal”?

“Normalizing nudity” is an idea that’s increasingly being discussed. The phrase (or slight variants) has been around awhile – for instance here, here, and here. It’s been mentioned more recently here and here.

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