Nudism

Naked around the house. (And inside it.)

Naked around the house.

I’m curious how many naturists and nudists (let’s assume there is a difference between them) are able to be naked in and around their house.

The problem that many face of course is that their house is open to the view from the street. As far as I know there is no country where the law says you can be naked inside your own property, regardless if people from outside can see you or not.

Backyards.

Nudists with fenced-off backyards often are in luck. They can usually be naked as much as they want and do all kinds of chores there without the bother of clothes. Things like painting, like the lady on the left does here, will be easier too. Splatters of paint are removed from skin much easier than from clothes.

There might be a problem with neighbours though. Not everyone can lift their mind over such things as a naked body.

Apartments.

This is where I come in. Literally, because I live in an apartment.

My place is on the fifth floor , there are frosted glass panels between the balconies so neighbours don’t see me, and there is no building opposite where I live. I can be naked as much as I want, and sit outside like that whenever the weather allows.

I’m lucky like that.

The house in the street.

Okay. Nudists who live in such houses have a big disadvantage if they don’t have glass curtains or something like it. You’ll be seen from the street, and if you have a garden you’ll be seen by the neighbours. Do you have a house like this? How do you deal with it?

The house on the prairie.

This.

This would take away so many problems…

A nudist wiki.

Hey you all.

You have missed a post last week. That’s because I didn’t post a post here last week. It was kind of rough as on Tuesday I was told my contract wasn’t renewed. So much for that job.

Now to the topic at hand. Wiki. You all have heard of it, right? Wikipedia? On a hunch I jumped onto the Internet (don’t worry, not much got damaged and I hid the evidence) and I discovered there is no proper nudism wiki! Did I miss it in my search?

If you know of one, do let me know.

Wikis are great ways to convey information in a clear and easy to understand way, like this Wikihow page on becoming a nudist. It would be very simple to set up a wiki on this site. Would I have some support in setting this up and especially maintaining it from the people who read this post? Do you think it would be something valuable to have, to point people to, to spread the reality about our preferred lifestyle?

Oh wow, I had no idea you’d be running up for this opportunity! 😀

That one-finger selfie.

One-finger selfies.

You’ve probably heard about it, seen plenty of examples of it. The one-finger selfie. Apparently it started though an Anime character that demonstrated how to do it:

Original 1 finger selfie

I had an interesting little exchange about those on Twitter a while ago when someone said that these one-finger selfies might invite people over to nudism.

P.Z. in England — Your blogger, visiting the U.K.

There is always an chance that someone is getting interested in nudism because of such selfies. I really doubt that though. This kind of selfie creates the same ‘desire to see’, the same temptation that certain kinds of (lack of) clothing invokes. I think they are more prone towards that other kind of nudity (we might call it porn) than towards nudism.

Most of the time, as far as I know, nudists don’t take off their clothes just for a nude picture. Nudism is a life style, not a picture hiding something from someone. People who live the life of nudism and/or naturism aren’t afraid to bare it all, to show it all. The difference is that being naked and showing oneself naked in nudism is normal.

People who strip especially for a one-finger selfie will probably put on their clothes immediately after taking the photo (or a few of them).

Fine line

There probably is a fine line between nudism and provocative exhibitionism in these selfies. I am not in favour of these selfies. Nudism and naturism are in heavy weather as it is, the world seems to turn to puritanism in many places. Promoting wholesome nudity should be done in a social setting, in an open and honest setting. Not through something as semi-secretive, something titillating as the one-finger selfie.

1 finger selfie

To each their own

Of course it’s up to everyone for themselves if they want to participate in these displays of their body. Some people think it’s fun. Good for them. Some people, like the person I chatted with on Twitter, thinks it might bring people into nudism. Good for them. Let’s hope these selfies open up something good, something more like body-acceptance.

What to do when the cold creeps in?

I’m sure many fellow-naked-ones are wondering about that.

The main thing usually is to find something to do inside. There are several options, like watching TV (lots of people do that so why not in the nude). You can do housework (much more comfortable than with clothing getting in the way).

You can also do games!

Games, especially the ones that get you off the chair or couch and that make you move around can be a lot of fun. They will also make sure you won’t get cold, so there’s another benefit.

Saving on heating has never been easier that way.

Maybe you remember this ancient game. Twister. Doing that in the nude is seriously entertaining, and again you don’t have to worry about tearing up your clothes.

See, I just offered you a few ways to get through the cold autumn and winter days and evenings. Of course you can’t keep doing this all the time, I understand, but it’s great fun to do, especially if you can invite a few naturist friends over.

naked in the sauna This is also a very pleasant way to warm up. Go to a spa or wellness centre where nudity is okay and spend some relaxing downtime there. I don’t know about the situation all over the world but here in the Netherlands many swimming pools have nudist evenings once a week or once a month. That’s a good way to get your naked fix.

Have fun, and if you know of more things to do in the cold days, do let me know. I’m always looking to learn!

Nude or naked?

Some of you may know that I write books. Writing books and stories means you have to consider the meaning of words carefully.

Considering the words ‘nude’ and ‘naked’.

They both refer to the state of being undressed, uncovered, clothes-free, yes. Still, to me they have a different charge as it were. Wikipedia’s take on these point to the same thing. Nudity. To me there is however an underlying difference.

What nude is to me.

ZMDSC01418

To me this is nude. You may argue that I’m naked in this picture so let me explain. When I am nude, I’m undressed, I appreciate it to the max and I am ‘in my power’. I am undressed by my own choice and proud of my state of being. When I took this picture it wasn’t warm. There was fog all around. Still I felt wonderful there, in nature, one with the elements of the moment. That is when you are in your centre of power.

What is naked to me.

caught_naked

Here is an example of someone I think is naked. It’s the ‘oops’ moment, the shyness, the not wanting to be seen like this.

It is when someone feels exposed and vulnerable.

Look at it this way: when you are nude and you walk around in the rain when it’s not cold, that’s all fine. You’ll get wet but you won’t shiver, you don’t feel bad.

When that same rain comes over you and it starts getting cold, you’ll feel naked. Exposed and vulnerable because this is not pleasant at all.

Note that this is just one example.

Naked does not always mean you’re weak.

Absolutely not, unless you make yourself weak. Having the courage to make yourself vulnerable is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of a different kind of strength. The world live in is a hard place where being weak is frowned upon. You have to be strong, in armour, fast and in control. Daring to be naked means you dare to be yourself, to be a real person who doesn’t want to be strong all the time. Trying to be strong all the time will wear you out on an emotional level or even detach you from your emotions. You become a machine, a robot.

Naturists and nudists, as far as I have met and talked with them, have the deliberate ability to go beyond that trap. They bare themselves. They make themselves naked as well as nude. They want to be vulnerable. Go into the mountains where you encounter nothing but sharp rocks and take off your clothes there.

See? You are vulnerable. This doesn’t mean you’re weak. This just means you acknowledge you’re not made of iron and you understand how thin your skin is, especially when you scrape against that rock.

The vulnerability is where you put it.

As you see, there are more ways to feel vulnerable. Good ways and bad ways. Getting caught in something you shouldn’t do makes you vulnerable, even when you’re completely dressed. The power of allowing yourself to be vulnerable, naked, is something different. You bring that upon yourself. You say to the world, “Yes, this is me as I am. Naked, unprotected.” That kind of vulnerability should gather respect. It does from me.

naked-and-afraid-cambodia-2

It’s entirely different from the popular TV series ‘Naked and Afraid’ where people put themselves in danger willingly.

I certainly respect the courage of the people who do this, but I don’t respect their nakedness as the kind I described earlier.

Be nude, dear friend. And dare to be naked. It makes you more complete as a human.

Paul.

(This post appeared originally on ClothesLifeFree. I thought it important enough to share it here.)

Lanzarote. My second visit. Part 3.

Observations from a naturist lady.

naturist lady

On one of the days in Charco del Palo I talked to a German lady who was in apartment close to mine.She said she and her husband were there for the second time. Like me. They had been to Tenerife (another Canary Island) before finding Charco. Her biggest gripe against the clothed community on Tenerife was the snooping of people regarding clothes. She said, “What hindered me at some point was that people were staring at me to see if I was wearing something I might have worn before during that vacation.” She really looked disgusted as she told me this. Being in a naturist village was so much easier. “You’re always dressed well here,” she said and smiled big.

She and her husband had tried naturism before and one day had decided to come to Charco del Palo and find out what true nude life would be. She told me that they had decided to come back to Charco del Palo every year. That realisation took them about two minutes. They, like so many others there, love the freedom and the absence of clothes. She really looked relieved when she told me she was glad to be rid of all that “putting on clothes”, as she called it (‘Angekleide‘ was the German word she used.)

what-will-i-wear

We talked about our experiences and feelings towards going back to the overdressed world, and how great it was to be able to go out walking along the beach or in the Cocoteros hills close to the village.

It was very nice to talk with her. A conversation between two like-minded people, sitting in the sun, dressed in SPF30. (Her husband was helping someone rebuild part of their house. She told me that he didn’t know how to relax.)

As we sat there talking, several dressed ones passed us. None of them dared to look over, the way proper prudes are. The German lady remarked at some point that she’d seen weird things at the beach, like dressed people getting themselves into trouble, unable to climb out of a cave, because of their restricting clothing. Makes you wonder why they didn’t simply take the stuff off and get themselves into safety instead of having to rely on other people.

Stupid is as stupid does, I guess.

Lanzarote. My second visit. Part 2.

A nude dinner.

Yup. It happened. I didn’t know it happened every Thursday evening. A restaurant here, the Jardin Tropical, hosts a naturist dinner every week on Thursday. You have to book it in advance so they can set the right amount of tables, the price is nothing but reasonable (I paid €16,90 plus drinks) and the food is very good.

jardintropical_charco

If you’re a vegetarian you can say so when you book your seat and all will be taken care of.

Nude group.

It was an amazing experience to join 19 others for dinner in the nude. That evening there were 20 people which, according to the waitress, was a new record. There was a nice mix of people there. Some from Sweden, some from Germany (there are many Germans in Charco del Palo), British and French, and a few Dutch people like me. Save 1 Swedish man everyone knew English so that made talking with everyone quite easy. Note that some people had ‘interesting’ accents, but that was fine and fun.

nude in the street It’s really a fabulous feeling to shower and after drying off you’re ready to go out to dinner. The whole experience of walking around nude here, all through the small town, is one I can’t get enough of, and meeting other nude people out there, in the streets, is a kick. As was this nude dinner I was part of.

Something really funny happened while we were eating: two people came in. Dressed. They had more than a bit of surprise seeing the restaurant loaded with naked folks having a good time! They took it well though. They had something to drink at the bar and then left quickly. I still grin when I think of it.

Lanzarote. My second visit. Part 1.

Charco del Palo again.

Yes. This year I visited Lanzarote again. Charco del Palo has a strange attraction, being a naturist village. In a way it was like coming home. I got to the apartment,took off my clothes and that was it. Charco del Palo is a unique place for me. There could be other villages out in the world that offer a similar experience but I haven’t found those yet.

lanza2016hike

It didn’t take me long to get the first nude hikes behind me. In total I walked over 32 km (that is about 20 miles I think) during my stay, and all of them unhindered by looks of people who don’t understand what is is to be free. The clothed local population is used to it since long. They don’t blink at a naked body.

Clothed population?

Yes. Not everyone there walks around in the nude. The village is technically clothing optional, which works for everyone involved. A sad development is that many of the older residents who used to be naked all the time lately are wearing more clothes. We have to ‘thank’ modern advertising for that. That crap spoiled their minds by telling the world we all have to look fit and pretty and trim and 22 years old. I can only call massive and loud bullshit on that, but the damage is already done. Let’s hope we can still turn the tide.

Shopping.

Nude shopping Last year Charco didn’t have a supermarket. That was a pity. This year however, since January to be precise, a couple opened up the local ‘supermercado‘. It’s good because they have lots of things and it’s also surprisingly cheap. Best of all: clothing optional. I never went shopping in the nude before. This trip I did it and let me tell you: it’s exactly like shopping. Just without coverings.

Skyclad

What is ‘skyclad’?

According to Wikipedia:

In Wicca and Paganism/Neo-paganism, the term skyclad is used to refer to ritual nudity. Some Wiccan groups, or Traditions, perform some or all of their rituals skyclad.

Right, you probably wonder why I made you read that.

Pagans

I’m a Pagan. Pagans are folks who don’t follow any of the large religions with just one god. Enough of that, though, this post is about being skyclad. Being nude, obviously, clothed in sky.

skyclad-women And this is a way how pagans can perform their rituals. Skyclad.

Not all of them do. It’s a matter of choice.

Why do I bring this up? Well, on the friend of all naturists and nudists, Facebook (I’ll wait for all the laughter and boo-calls to end now…) I had an interesting discussion with a Wiccan friend of mine concerning burkinis.

You know, those unfriendly slabs of cloth that Islamic women can wear to beaches. She said that she was in favour of them because that way those women could go to the beach if they wanted. “Because everyone has the right to go to the beach the way they want.”

I asked her how she felt about nude beaches. Her response was that such a thing wasn’t right, because “at some point there is enough naked flesh“.

People at nude beach This of course made me ask her how that mixed with her previous statement about having the right to go to the beach the way you want. This, she said, was a matter of common decency. Because being naked wasn’t decent. (Note that I know she has done plenty of skyclad rituals.)

The minds of people and their attitude towards our lifestyle keep surprising me. Even someone who isn’t against nudity in one form can pull back from nudity in another form.

Safety

I think it has to do with safety. Someone who engages in a nude ritual does so with people (s)he knows, feels safe with. People like us, who engage in nude life do so with people we know and feel safe with. We have the advantage here because we don’t have such a tiny group of people we dare to trust.

safety

Naturists and nudists are nude for (mostly) a common goal: not wearing clothes. For feeling free. For experiencing nature in the most optimal way. The way I like to do that is having nude walks. As many as I can. Along beaches, in forests, in the mountains. As long as I can feel the air on me, move without being hindered by cloth and such.

I wonder if you, the reader of this piece, have experiences with people who condone nudity in one way but are very opposed to it the other way. I’d like to hear about them.

And in the mean time: stay happy, be nude as much as you can.

Nudist in the House.

This post was originally published on Tumblr.

Nudist in the house.

It can be, and is, a real thrill to be sneaky about nudity. There’s always the chance of getting caught. There’s the risk of what might happen. A lingering question of, “How far can I go?”

But that’s not what we’re really asking. We’re really asking, “What would it be like to live like this all the time?” The issue is admitting it to ourselves and acting on it.

It’s scary admitting something personal. Especially when a game or passing fancy turns out to play a very active role in our lives. What it comes down to is knowing ourselves and our families.

Honesty is a key component of nudity and a healthy family. It’s unreasonable to be 100% honest. There are some things our families may not want to know or understand. But it doesn’t matter as long as we are being honest with ourselves.

Nudism isn’t about hiding who we are. It’s about finding out more about ourselves and enjoying our life. If we find we enjoy being nude in whatever form it takes, we need to admit it to ourselves and embrace it as part of our lives.

If nudity is a part of our life, then we should find what our families think of it. If they are okay with it then our time of sneaking about might be over. Then let’s see how far can we go?

It’s a big, brave world out there with endless possibilities. Don’t let dishonesty and fear hold you back from what you enjoy.

Text by Made in the Nude.