Recent articles on nudity and naturism, 2/1/20

  1. What to Pack for a Nudist Resort
    The convenience of needing to pack almost nothing in the way of clothing is one of the chief benefits of vacationing at a clothing-optional resort – as long as you plan to spend all your time there. But this article in fodors.com (a site that knows a bit about vacations) suggests a few things that would be nice to bring instead of clothes. Naturists shouldn’t be put off by the fact that the resort mentioned is somewhat outside the ambit of standard naturism, because the suggestions are still pertinent.

    In addition to good sunscreen and a hat for protection from the sun, it would be wise to invest in really good sunglasses, since glare from any nearby water can be rather annoying as well as bad for your eyes. There’s other good advice in the article, but perhaps also a few more things to consider. Since you won’t have pockets, you might bring a small backpack or fanny pack to carry things like keys, money, sunscreen, reading material, and a cell phone (if allowed). In particular, another item to have with you is a water bottle – dehydration can be a serious problem if you’re in the sun a lot. If you tend to burn easily, you might also bring a small kitchen timer, so you can avoid dozing off for too long, especially if you don’t want to wear a watch.

    Here’s an older article with some additional ideas. Insect repellant is certainly a good idea in most places, although it depends on knowing the types of insects you may encounter. You may also want to bring one or two sarongs (sometimes known as “pareos”) – in case your destination requires wearing a little something in certain locations, such as a restaurant, or if you want to leave the resort briefly. If nothing else, a sarong is a good substitute for a towel when sitting somewhere.

  2. The ‘dangerous’ consequence of Facebook’s stance on nudity
    It certainly is complicated. Any naturist who uses Facebook (or its subsidiary, Instagram) is surely aware of the absurd intolerance of the platform for photos containing specific aspects of nudity (the pubic area and female nipples, especially). Naked political lies are entirely OK – but not naked people. It’s not mainly about the antagonism towards nudity in so many cultures. That’s easily handled with location-based restrictions, since the physical location of users at any time is usually known to Facebook. Just because nudity is especially verboten in terrible nudity-hating countries doesn’t mean the whole world needs to suffer because of the backwardness of such places. Many of these shithole countries are already moving to censor or disconnect from the global Internet anyhow – if they haven’t already.

    Another excuse for the censorship is concern about exposure of minors to nudity. Simple age restrictions (as used by YouTube and other sites) could deal with that. But even in that case, as discussed previously, there are very good reasons why children need not be shielded from nonsexual nudity. The actual reason for Facebook’s censorship policies has little to do with any of that. What it’s really all about is the $$$s that might be lost because advertisers are so squeamish about nudity. The fact that Facebook has such a near-monopoly on worldwide social media is actually a stronger rather than weaker reason why its blanket censorship of nudity is so odious.

    More: Do naked bodies belong on Facebook? Tech giant struggles with changing ‘vague and unevenly enforced’ rules over nudity and body art without suppressing freedom of speech

  3. 10 Questions You Always Wanted To Ask a Nude Art Model


    Nude life modeling has already been discussed here several times (e. g. here, here). It’s a prefect topic for naturists, since it is one of the few instances when live nudity in front of many observers has long been considered not only acceptable but actually valuable – much before nudity on a theater stage, for instance. Many people, however, including some naturists, naturally wonder what the experience is like for the model. But questioning him or her about that might be embarrassing for either or both the questioner or the model. So this article is very helpful.

    In this case, the model is actually from a country that’s rather conservative about nudity – India. Indeed, she “was extremely hesitant at first”, as most people might suppose – even though she was drawn to the idea because her mother, grandmother, and sister also did nude modeling. “In fact, even when I modelled for the very first time, I cried for hours before,” she admits. Nevertheless, “after that, I got comfortable with it. I forgot all my inhibitions, and now it doesn’t bother me at all.” Naturists are quite familiar with that. It’s really too bad that most people can’t understand how that works. Nudity can be quite normal! Interestingly, though, she avoids nudity in other parts of her life. “My family,” she says “has no idea I do this. The day my husband finds out, he will divorce me.” So she lies to him about it. After all, India is where she lives. But most naturists anywhere probably understand.


  4. The Naked Magicians to strip away stereotypes in Lakeland show


    Speaking of being naked in front of many observers, here’s another example. This time it’s a performance by naked magicians. Well, why not? A few comedians, singers, monologists – as well as dramatic actors – have also performed naked on stage. But this is just another way to normalize nudity. Your maiden aunt or evangelical preacher might not go for it, but who knows? Maybe they would. Sure, audiences probably tend to include more open-minded sorts of people. (And Lakeland, Florida is near many naturist resorts.) However, the two naked magicians described have performed in more than 250 cities around the world since 2013. And to prove they don’t need sleeves (or any other distracting clothes) “their attire disappears until the men are literally performing in their proverbial birthday suits.”

    More: ‘The Naked Magicians’ can charm audiences with or without clothes


  5. Naked artists in Serbia breathing life into damaged art scene


    It’s called “performance art”, and it’s a little different from what the naked magicians do, because the performance is conceptual instead of the more traditional sort of performance by a comedian or magician. Serbia is a country that was devastated by war just two decades ago, and it’s taken some time for the country’s art world to recover. Now a number of performance artists are participating in a retrospective in honor of Marina Abramović, a pioneer of performance art and a native of Serbia.

    In the picture above, Aleks Zain is performing his interpretation of Abramović’s piece called “Freeing The Body” – something naturists especially should appreciate. Aleks, a transgender man, “is naked apart from a tightly wrapped scarf covering the head… The performance continues until the dancer falls to the ground, exhausted.”


    Another Abramović piece called “Imponderabilia” is performed by Andreja Kargacin, who is a 20-year-old published novelist, theater student, visual artist, and dancer, whose “real passion is performance art”. In the piece, Andreja and another performer stand facing each other, completely naked in a narrow corridor. To reach the rest of the museum, attendees (clothed) must squeeze between the two. If that idea sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because Imponderabilia has been performed a number of times. I recently wrote about it here.

    Performance art doesn’t necessarily involve nudity. However, because it is intended to make viewers think deeply about what they see, nudity is certainly one way to make that happen. I really should write more about these artists sometime. But here are a couple more examples. Unfortunately, a still picture doesn’t convey much of the meaning of an actual performance – not anymore than a still picture of a dance performance.

    Carolee Schneemann: “Interior Scroll”

    Karen Finley


  6. Naturists: Cork could be Ireland’s ‘nude capital’
    Many people are probably surprised that there are now lessened restrictions on public nudity in Ireland – similar to those in the UK. It’s now generally legal unless it causes “distress” to someone. That makes it possible for the existence of a number of de facto legal clothing-optional beaches in the country. How could this happen, given Ireland’s reputation for being under the thumb of a domineering Catholic Church? That’s a good question. However, the country has made same-sex marriage legal since 2015, and abortion since 2018. Clearly, somehow Ireland has managed recently to emerge from the dark ages. Naturists in most of the U. S. should be envious.

    The article is based mostly on information from an Irish Naturist Association spokesperson. He talks about the general virtues of naturism, and especially about the popularity of private naturist swims in leisure centers and naturist beaches in County Cork. (It probably helps that Cork is at the southern tip of the country.) Cork now has at least five such beaches. Although none are officially designated as clothing-optional, there are few problems, and the beaches could be even more popular and a benefit for the tourist industry if signage were provided to warn people who’re “offended” by nudity.
    More: Naturists calling for politicians to make Cork the ‘nude capital’ of Ireland

  7. Naked cleaners wanted by Irish company
    Although Ireland (except for Northern Ireland) has been independent of the UK since 1919, it seems to have many similarities to the UK in social matters. The two countries are alike not only in the legal status of public nudity, but also in the popularity (limited though it may be) of businesses offering to provide professional naked house cleaners. The company getting into that business is Naked Cleaners Ireland. Apparently the business isn’t quite up and running yet. They’re now advertising for male or female job applicants, offering (albeit somewhat coyly) pay rates from €30 to €50 per hour (about US$33 to US$55). Is Naked Cleaners Ireland a legitimate naturist business? Hard to say at this point. One does wonder why all the female models in their ads wear cheesy outfits and high heels. It would be nice if their website specified the guidelines for the behavior of workers and customers alike.

Recent articles on nudity and naturism, 11/29/19


  • How to Find Other Nudists
    All of the suggestions in this article can work. But there’s one that stands out from all the others: visit nudist parks and resorts that are relatively convenient to you. If you’re already reasonably comfortable being naked around others, and you’re at least a somewhat sociable sort of person, you’ll be able to meet others who have many more naturist friends already. The first one or two folks you meet may not be ideal friend material, if only because they don’t live near you. However, if you hit it off well with those you meet, make it a point to ask whether they could recommend naturists friends of theirs who you might get along well with. It’s hard to exaggerate the value of personal recommendations. If you are recommended to other naturists as a person they might like, you’ll probably stand a very good chance of acquiring new naturist friends. Even if the club or resort you visit isn’t especially close to where you live, the people you meet there may be able to recommend friends of theirs who do live closer to you.

    It’s true that visiting a landed club or resort requires a little expense, and may be inconvenient or not a good option in colder times of the year. But the other suggestions also have drawbacks. You can, of course, have naturist conversations with people you “meet” online in discussion forums or networking sites. But the problem is that without actually meeting any of these in person, it will be more difficult for these online acquaintances to decide who among their friends are most likely to welcome you as a friend as well. Visting naturist beaches is also not a good option during colder times. Besides that, the beaches aren’t always good places to do this kind of friend-finding anyhow. That’s because many people at beaches are there only for the beach experience, and aren’t necessarily interested in socializing with strangers. Also, they may have little experience with social nudity outside of the beach environment and have few actual naturist friends. Although there may be others at the beach who are open to making new acquaintances, it’s hard to identify them among the larger crowd.

    One suggestion that the article failed to include is Meetup.com. This option allows for meeting other naturists in person, perhaps much closer to where one lives, and without the expense of landed club fees. The sole purpose of Meetup.com is for people within a particular geographic area who share almost any kind of interest (including naturism) to get together at certain times to become acquainted and talk about their shared interests, or even engage in activities related to the interest – hiking or beach-going, for example. There are Meetup groups almost everywhere in the world. Group meetings could be almost anyplace – restaurants or other public gathering places, private homes, or outdoor areas. For naturists, nudity may or may not be possible, depending on the location, yet the opportunity for finding new friends is definitely there as one of the main purposes. Established non-landed naturist clubs may also use Meetup to arrange meetings.

  • The ‘generational clash’ between young and old nudists
    It’s springtime in Australia, so naturism is, unsurprisingly, getting much more attention in Australian media, just as media in the northern hemisphere have gone mostly silent on the subject. This account focuses on the tension between different generations on their approach to naturism. “New” generations tend to be recognized starting roughly every 20 years. As young folks become adults they naturally identify more with each other than with their elders – but only until they become the “elders” themselves.

    This understandably leads to tensions between generations in naturism, as in many other aspects of society. It’s manifest in the sorts of sports and activities people enjoy, the music they prefer, and even the kinds of food they like. These intergenerational differences make it somewhat difficult for younger people to engage with naturism, where the older generations have mostly set the tone. What needs to happen is for people on both sides of the divide to understand this situation, and be willing to make reasonable allowances so that naturism can be enjoyed together by people regardless of age.

    An interesting – and possibly very positive development – has been noted by the general manager of the Asia Pacific region of the Eventbrite event management and ticketing company. He observes that “the number of nude events on the platform had grown 265 per cent across Australia over four years.” Much of this growth may be due to young naturists, who would be looking for ways to enjoy naturism with their peers in ways that are different from what older naturists are used to.

  • ‘I hate clothes’: What life is like as a practising nudist
    If you’ve been a “practising nudist” for more than a month or three, you’ll find little surprising in this article – your experience has probably been much like that of those quoted. However, the quotes have been selected to show naturism in a positive light – as something innocent that certain people (like yourself) find life-enhancing. So you might want to show this article to friends and relatives who have a hard time understanding what you like about nudity – just to show you’re not the only one who feels this way. Since it’s from an Australian source, everyone quoted is an Aussie, but their observations are typical of naturists everywhere. The editor/publisher of an Australian naturist magazine speculates about how much of the population in his country might be partial to naturism, though it’s impossible to know exactly. “We take some guesses,” he says. “We reckon there’s probably about four, four and half per cent, that treat naturism as part of a lifestyle. They do their nine-to-fives, they come home and the first thing they do is get their gear off and relax.”


  • Labour Weekend Hotting up for Stripping Off
    If you’re a New Zealand naturist and just reading about this, I’m afraid you’ve missed the event – the local “National Nude Gardening Day”. It was October 26. Sorry about that. But since gardening is usually done at home, it’s not too late. It may or may not be the best time for new planting, but in the southern hemisphere the days will be getting warmer for a while. So being naked in your garden probably won’t be any less easy now than on the “official” day – depending on how much your neighbors might see, or care about what they see.
    More: Naturist explains why she gets her kit off to garden,
    Get Some Sun on Your Bum this Nude Gardening Day


  • The 10 Best Nude Beaches in the U.S. AND Internationally
    Articles like this appear regularly. A few beaches often show up repeatedly, but there’s no real consensus as to what beaches are “the best”. Different beach characteristics appeal to different people. This selection, however, seems pretty good. But unfortunately, if you don’t live fairly close to the sea, you’re options will be fairly limited.