Recent articles on nudity and naturism, August 16-31, 2020

• Naturists in Ireland want to be connected to each other now more than ever
  A reporter from the Irish Post and Independent joined a group of local naturists on White Rock Beach in Dalkey, south of Dublin. She wanted to learn why interest in naturism in Ireland appears to be increasing significantly in spite of the pandemic. The INA claims a 31% increase in new members between May and July. It’s speculated that the pandemic is behind the increase, since people interested in naturism have time on their hands and want activities that can be enjoyed safely (and nakedly) in the outdoors.

• Coastal Bodies Tour 2020
   
  
  According to artist Ciara Patricia Langan, “The Coastal Bodies Tour started in 2019 as a response to an awareness of a problem within Irish society on how we feel about our naked body. The tour aims to document all coastal counties of the Island of Ireland. These photographs will be populated by adults of all shapes and sizes, representing inclusions and showcasing the diversity of human form.” Langan goes on to add that “Shedding the unwanted shame attached to nudity by shedding one’s clothing as participatory art in a controlled environment can liberate and amplify one’s own sense of freedom.”

• Naturists invited to participate in nude photoshoot on Co Kerry beach this weekend
  This is a report on an outing planned by Ciara Langan for her project “to document a modern Ireland that embraces pro-social nudity and champions body positivity.” Langan described the project as “the perfect way to celebrate our beautiful bodies, every shape and colour and size, in outdoor gatherings.”

  For previous recent reports on naturism in Ireland, see here, here, and here.

There are observable facts that provide some answers. But underlying that, a significant part of the problem is in the attitudes and value system of most people in the U. S. – which is decidedly slanted to assume that children and naturism should not mix, and needs to move toward
“A value system with less paranoia about breast-feeding and nudity on TV. A value system that allows the average worker more than five vacation days a year. A value system where people don’t freak out when talking to their children about nudity and sex, and use real words like penis, breast, and vagina instead of amassing so much anatomy into the mysterious region of “private parts.””

The first way that values in the U. S. need to change is for nudity to become normal and routine in more homes. It’s not necessary for family members to be naked much of the time, but nudity shouldn’t be discouraged either. Let everyone enjoy being naked as much as is practical and comfortable for them. Children shouldn’t get the idea that certain body parts must be covered at all times. Until home nudity is normalized, naturism will continue to be crippled.

Beyond that, the value system in general should renounce the mistaken idea that nudity must not be allowed where children might see it – especially in the most popular and widely-used social media. Never mind that almost any 10-year old can easily find raunchy porn. That, of course, is how they’re likely to satisfy their sexual curiosity, given that many U. S. states don’t allow sex ed in public schools unless it’s of the mostly useless and abstinence-only sort. How could tolerance of nudity at home and visits to naturist places not be a healthy way for parents to answer their kids’ questions about the “facts of life”?

The tours were the idea of Richard Foley, editor/author of the excellent book Naked Hiking and creator of the Naktiv website. Extensive text and photographic records of previous NEWT events can be found on the NEWT page.

The report of the 2020 event (in the link above) relates that 30 men and 10 women participated. Their nationalities were mostly European: Irish, English, French, German, Dutch, Swiss, and Slovakian. The weather was mixed, with the first two days being too wet for hiking. Although the third day was dry, it was cold, so only an hour and a half was suitable for naked hiking. The last two days, however, were good for clothesfree hiking. The hikes involved as much as 10 miles of walking and elevation gains of up to 2300 feet, so being naked helped avoid overheating. Many members of the general public were encountered during the hikes, yet they “in general paid no attention to the fact that the forty of us were naked.” U. S. naturist should be very envious.

Nevertheless, she enjoyed the race, and in fact she finished “good enough for fifth place in my category. My award: a medal that I wore at [sic] around my neck with nothing but my sandals, bandanna and a fresh coating of sun block.” As far as the nudity of others was concerned, “With a full view of their entire, naked forms in motion, I felt appreciation, in the same way I’d look at a nice painting.”

In Sanskrit, yoga practiced devoid of clothing is termed Nagna Yoga. “Nagna” is a cognate (i. e, born from the same source) of the English “naked”. This ancient concept is referred to by very similar words in other (northern) Indo-European languages like Swedish (naken), German (nackt), and Polish (nagi).

Luna writes:
“In our practice, we start with an “unmasking ceremony”. In the “Unmasking Ceremony”, we remove our clothing in two parts as in layers to unveil the third mask of ours, (the TRUE SELF). We use the clothing as a symbol of the masks we place on ourselves to function with our responsibilities in the different circles we participate in. This ceremony allows you to go through a transition to alleviate any anxieties one may have to practicing Nagna Yoga. Stripping ourselves from the clothing allows us to uncover the masks so we may discover who we truly are.”

This is an excellent statement of the philosophical grounding of naturism. It’s not entirely about the world of “nature” – of which humans are a part – but also about the essential “nature” of every person, which isn’t obscured, disguised, or concealed beneath extraneous, “unnatural” clothing. For naturists, you are most yourself when you dispense entirely with clothes.

However, in fact, most benefits of nakedness that are cited often apply just as much to men as to women. Many men have body acceptance issues. And they’re also fully able to appreciate the many psychological benefits of wearing nothing that are mentioned by the women here.

• Meet the women who say baring all is a natural stress-buster that lets them shed their worries… along with their inhibitions
  This article points out so many positives about nudity it could be an excellent advertisement for naturism. Seven women attest to the value of nudity – for a variety of different, but quite legitimate, reasons. Certain themes are often mentioned: freedom, comfort, relaxation, empowerment, stress relief, emotional healing, and body acceptance.
  • TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson says that nudity has “the ultimate feelgood factor”. For her, nudity is relaxing, de-stressing, and it can be “be a healing experience”.
  • Model Cara Delevingne “turns to nakedness whenever she is feeling upset or overwhelmed”.
  • Relationship and sexuality coach Emma Spiegler says that removing clothes “is incredibly empowering”, since being “totally naked takes a lot of courage”.
  • Administrative assistant Clare Clark “was brought up to be comfortable in my skin” and “was very at ease with my body growing into adulthood”. She realized that “perfect bodies” were unreal and not worth comparing oneself with. From visiting nude beaches, she found they were “a safer environment for women” and people there were uncritical of others’ bodies because “naturists are very accepting”. She now believes “removing your clothes is the ultimate stress reliever and the best form of mindfulness”.
  • Musician Jess Maison grew up with parents “who are very liberated about nakedness”. From them she learned “to be proud of my body and not be prudish when it comes to my naked form”. She’s now “happiest in her skin when she is nude”. She now likes “to be naked at outdoor settings as much as possible”. Especially at “festivals where you can be naked. There is no sexual element. It’s purely about enjoying the freedom.”
  • Sports facility manager Rosi Lee believes that “being naked in the company of other people is a great leveller and allows people to be open and themselves as they have nothing to hide.” She especially enjoys social nudity because “being naked with other people on the same wavelength is reassuring and comforting.” Besides that, there’s “nothing more relaxing than feeling the warm sun on your naked skin.”
  • Executive assistant Maria Morris especially enjoys naked yoga, because it “makes me feel alive”. Furthermore, “I am at my calmest in the woods sitting cross-legged, breathing deeply, eyes shut — and naked.” Nudity goes very well with yoga, since “certain poses are easier when naked”. She cites many benefits from naked yoga, including “it releases so much stress”, “it makes me feel empowered and in control”, it “lets me recharge”. Most of all “it’s so liberating to be able to do yoga without anything on. I love it as it’s a brief moment in life where I feel truly free.”

• Naturist Victoria Vantage says her nude videos lead to proposals from fans of her bottom
  Here’s an article about one naturist woman that’s a lot more what’s to be expected from a British tabloid like The Sun. Nevertheless, all but an obvious few points are much the same as in the previous article.

  Victoria Vantage is a naturist and registered nurse. She says she discovered naturism when she volunteered to model nude for a life drawing class while at her university. In addition to continuing to model for art classes, she has made nudity a significant part of her life – doing “most household tasks naked” and also hiking and bicycling “in the buff”.

  And why not? Being naked when doing chores makes them feel less tedious – and enhances the enjoyment of more pleasurable activities.