Tanline free action against inequality
Opinion: Women should not be discouraged to visit a nude beach or a nude resort.
(Ine ter Berg is cultural anthropologist and board member of the Dutch Nudist Federation.)
Why do men have so much difficult to respect my personal freedom on a nude beach? Often it happens that when I’m enjoying the sunshine on the beach, that a man takes pictures of me. You won’t believe how often it happens that a man thinks it’s normal to come and sit very close to me (on a deserted nude beach!) and stare at me for a long time. Is it me?
If I have to believe the normal debates then it’s indeed me. It’s not uncommon to hear that, as a woman ‘you shouldn’t put yourself in this kind of situation’. If you do that then ‘you’re asking for trouble’. But is that really so?
The statements above result in creating a social norm in which isn’t not ‘normal’ that a woman visits a nude beach. What I see happening around me is that women often cave under the pressure and submit to this norm. Women avoid public places like nude beaches.
The result is that public spaces more and more become a masculine dominated area. This is how we reach vicious circles. While women of my mother’s generation in the 60s and 70s could sun bathe topless without any problem on a ‘regular’ beach, women of my generation apparently are unable to do this on a nude beach. Only in my back garden it’s possible for me to enjoy the sun with bare breasts.
This development, where public locations for nude recreation are less accessible for women, is remarkable. The most recent verdict of the court in The Hague (in the case of the Delftse Hout nude beach), the (well known) Tiki pool that opens its door for nude swimmers and the increasing popularity of saunas make me believe that the Netherlands is going in the right direction to get nude recreation (rightfully so) out of its taboo corner and make it more accessible.
Nude recreation
Concerning nude recreation in general we’re certainly on the right track. On a warm summer day we can enjoy being naked in many places. Resorts, a local lake, a beach or a wellness centre. But my experience is that this is mainly true for men. The options for women are a lot more restricted. Resorts and wellness centres are no problem, probably because they don’t emphasise naturism. Beach visits however is a bigger problem.
‘Then go to a resort or a wellness centre’, you may think. ‘Women always make problems…’ But in this case women make a problem of it with reason. After all, it’s not the issue that there’s the choice of just one more or less nude location. This situation touches the uneven options between man and woman.
Regaining public space
Ine ter Berg ©
I want to call upon women to physically go against this imbalance and not to let themselves be discouraged to go to a nude beach or nude resort when they feel like it. By simply being there they can regain this public space.
Despite the ‘inconveniences’ I described earlier, nude recreation is the best thing. Nothing is better than to go into the water in your bare butt and come out of the water without a wet cloth (swimsuit) around you. Grab this winter period to dream of this prospect and pick a nice spot to go to. And when you go to a beach or a lake, take your (male) friends with you. Inequality is best battled when you do it with a group.
And be honest, what’s better than taking on equality while you get a tanline free tan?
Regaining and maintaining your public space seems to be a worldwide struggle for naturists. ‘My favourite beach’ (http://www.panoramio.com/user/4360295) is also one of those spots. It is a perfect spot, but even there you get similar issues. I’m not gay, but have nothing against it. It’s personal. But I don’t want to feel uncomfortable by some guy sitting too close with obvious the wrong intentions. There are also very few women going to that beach. I agree with Ine that women, and naturists in general, need to regain and maintain their space, where ever it is.
During coastal walks it is sometimes necessary to take a dip (depending on the tide) and there is nothing better than letting the water run off your body and be dry in seconds.
Ine:
I knew where you were going with this post in the first paragraph. I have lived in the Netherlands and I now live in the U.S. but the problem is the same pretty much everywhere I go. The problem is that a majority of society still equates nudity with sex and not that it is perfectly natural and can be non-sexual. Most males don’t have the societal hang-ups and pressure placed on women so they are perfectly comfortable getting naked. As an added bonus they may be lucky enough to see an attractive nude woman. I see so many men in naturist places that aren’t true naturists. These are the guys that ruin it for women. They make nude recreation and socializing uncomfortable for women so many women just don’t do it.
Many women are self-conscious about their bodies and leering perverts just make them more self-conscious. You are one of the few brave women that just ignore the idiots and enjoy yourself. Good for you. Most women chose never to return even if they enjoyed being nude outdoors. At the nude beaches I frequent, we try to provide a welcoming environment for women. If we see a single woman, we invite her in the middle of a bunch of people so the crowd of single guys can’t form around her. We do the same for groups. If they want to be left alone, we shoo off the pests as much as we can. We try to make it as pleasant as possible for them.
I too love the sight of a beautiful woman, clothed or unclothed, but I keep my admiration respectful. Other men need to learn this behavior in and away from naturism settings. There are several women that I meet that would love to try nude recreation in a comfortable setting so we need to provide an inviting forum for them. I applaud you for ignoring the few men that can’t behave civilly and speaking out.