That’s something I realised a while ago. Being undressed in the right weather / temperature conditions has become so natural to me that I hardly think about it.
That’s also the reason why I opened the front door naked a few times this summer; it was Very, really Very Warm for a long time.
The interesting bit was that some people, after their initial surprise, seemed to pay little mind to my (lack of) attire. Especially after explaining why I wasn’t wearing clothes. It was – in a way – weird to find that many people at the door understood the reason immediately, but that I had to explain the why to them first.
After hearing that, most of them agreed that it was a clever thing to do. Such encounters tell me that being naked is basically accepted by many people, but that the actual doing is something that doesn’t cross their mind until they see someone who actually does it. (Leading by example, anyone?)
But back to the original question: Do you still ‘know’ you’re naked when you’re naked?
Being naked has become natural to me. It’s the best way to be. I tell everyone who is open enough to hear it. (Which is a surprising thing too, sometimes people I least suspect of being open about nudity are most open about nudity.)
The thing I am sensitive about it temperature. Not being nude. And I’m curious to learn about your experiences!
You raise two issues: first about whether one remembers one is naked and the other is the introduction of nudity as a discussion subject.
I can certainly easily forget I’m nude when I am swimming, as it feels so natural. I would only be conscious of it if I happen to be somewhere where I might get “caught” – i.e. there is a danger that someone would disapprove.
Raising the topic with people is interesting. I swim regularly in a private pool and can see no point in wearing anything. That is fine with my wife, of course [she wouldn’t think of wearing anything either], but, if she’s not available, I seek other companions. The response, when I tell them about my “dress code” has mostly been complete acceptance – they don’t care if I’m nude, even if they choose to wear a costume. Of course, in some cases, they have just followed my example. In years past, I would not have had the confidence to raise the subject for fear of being thought weird. Now I guess I don’t care. 🙂
Thank you for sharing that, Colin. 🙂
I kind of follow you on this Paul. I tend to “forget” I’m nude when I am. Actually, like Collin, when I was outdoor in a non-naturist setting I always felt on guard, fearing getting caught. But eventually and over time, I tended to forget that I was naked since it became my “normal” way of being, and the fear disappeared. I wrote a blog post about nudity becoming the new normal a while back: When nudity becomes the new normal.
Some naturists never reach that point, and some people will never understand that nudity is normal, but this is how I feel it. To me nudity has become a totally normal state of being as soon as temperature allows it. We tend to “over think” about it. Let it sink under your skin, enjoy and share the freedom as much as you can.
I’ve found I notice it when we’re getting out of winter. My body got used to clothes again by then. After a few weeks however, being nude is the normal way and then it’s “Damn those clothes”…
An interesting question. Around the house and in naturist settings I often don’t pay attention that I’m nude, because it is so natural and common. I’ve walked out in the yard nude before with neighbors around, and only one of them gave me any guff, but he was drunk. In naturist settings, I don’t give it a thought because I typically stay nude until I have to be dressed. Even when there are a bunch of textiled around, the only time I think about it is that they are the suckers for being clothed. Actually I give more thought about being clothed than being nude.
Thanks for your thoughts, Mark!