Author: Paul

Promoting the clothes-free lifestyle.

Widower plans to set up a nudist colony in his garden

Found on “Oxford Times“:

Widower plans to set up a nudist colony in his garden

John Weston in the gazebo at his home in Southmoor
John Weston in the gazebo at his home in Southmoor

First published Friday 2 January 2015

The Oxford Times: Photograph of the Author
by Alex Regan, Reporter

WE all want friends that we can bare all to. But for one man in Southmoor, he’s looking for that in a more literal sense. Avid naturist John Weston, 72, is hoping that in 2015, he can some forge firm friendships with fellow enthusiasts. He had been part of a naturist society but stopped going following the death of his wife Margaret. However, after watching the Channel Four documentary The Naked Village last month, he has been inspired to get back out there and make an appeal for fellow nudists to socialise with.

Mr Weston, who has difficulties in walking due to thrombosis, wants to establish a small community of dedicated nudists to come around his house in Southmoor, and enjoy being naked together. Mr Weston said: “It would be great to have people to be naked with and chat to.

“We could go in the garden now I’ve got the gazebo.

“All people have in the back of their heads is it’s about sex, it’s not.

“Being naked for me is like heaven and it’s not sexual.”

When asked why he enjoys baring all, Mr Weston said: “I can’t describe it really, but I feel liberated.”

He added: “It’s who I want to be.“I really do think naturism has given me a good outlook.

“I’m up-front with people and if they accept it, that’s fine.”

Jim Sinclair, chairman of Oxford naturist society Oxnat, said Mr Weston was part of the organisation for many years, but stopped going after the death of his wife Margaret.

Mrs Weston died in 2011 of lung cancer, aged 69.

Mr Weston, a former Thames Water technician, said: “My wife was all for it [naturism].

“She never went nude herself, but had no problems with it.

“When she died I went into a downward spiral during that time.”

In 1997, Mr Weston was supposed to appear in the buff on chat show Central Weekend to talk about naturism, but, at the last minute, producers decided against letting him appear naked on the programme. Mr Weston has been an avid naturist for 36 years, but has not been able to find any enthusiasts to join him in his naked pursuit.

The father-of-five has often found himself stigmatised by friends and family.

He said: “A member of the family said she couldn’t see me any more because she was embarrassed – ashamed of me.”

Mr Weston said that for some people, going nude can be quite daunting, but they should not feel pressure to go completely naked immediately.

End of a year

The end is nigh…

Yes, we’re almost done with 2014. I hope it was a great year for you, in life, love, health and nudity.

Do you have any goals for the new run our planet’s going to do around the sun? Special things regarding naturism? New initiatives? Rekindling old initiatives perhaps? If you do and you want the world to know, drop me a line if you’d like to see it appear on my blog.

One of my goals is to finish Naked Crow book 3.

Anyway, let’s welcome the new year with open arms!

The preferred writing genre

Hi everyone!

I’d like thank the people who let me know (via the poll and through other means) who responded to my question which genre of naturism related books I should focus on. The majority pointed to fantasy, being the Naked Crow books.

Naked crow 2 Naked Crow Cover

It looks like I have the road for Sheila and Jeremy laid out for me. Thank you again!

By the way, work on the third book is progressing nicely. So far I have bad weather, bows and arrows, and a trip in the book. 🙂 Do you want a hint where to?

Now guess.

Why naturism won’t make it as mainstream

Let’s face it, we’re fighting an uphill battle and we’re not gaining ground.

In the early 1920s naturism appeared as something new (while it was something old). During the flower power time nudity was freely quite practised, and even in the 70s and 80s naturist resorts were very common if not mentioned among most people.

So why is naturism/nudism still fighting so hard for acceptance?

Dollar bills

Because of this. Money. There is money to be made in clothes. Nudists don’t wear clothes so there’s no money to be made of that group. But clothes aren’t the only thing. As I’ve mentioned before, the porn industry heavily relies on nudity, because that sells. Selling is money. If everyone goes around naked then there’s no incentive to buy something with naked people in it.

Do you agree? Or is the problem somewhere else do you think?

Tanline free activism

Original article in Dutch in De Volkskrant from December 6, 2014.

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.

My experiences are written above don’t bother me because I am ‘objectified’ without wanting it (even though it’s very annoying). It’s not so much that I feel threatened at times (which is much more annoying). What troubles me is that, being a woman, I just have to accept this.
Last summer I was confronted with this oppression of acceptance. Two physically imposing, male friends had nothing more to say to me than “Yes, annoying, but what can you do” after they saw that I was hindered by another man on the nude beach.
I’m glad to see counter-activities rising. Recent initiatives like ‘free the nipple’ show that women are putting this social norm up for debate and no longer accept this imbalance between man and woman. The nude beach is a perfect place for this.

Regaining public space

Ine ter Berg 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?