Category: Nudism

My vacation, part 4. Sneaky textile.

This is probably the last time I’ll annoy you about my vacation…

And this is, again, about the beach at Fuerteventura, but it could happen anywhere. As I already wrote, all beaches in Spain are clothing optional. This happened during one of my walks along the beach.

A group of four women, in various state of bikini, were having fun talking while they sat in the sand. As I came walking along, a lot of commotion seemed to set in among the women. Two got up and one started digging in a shoulder bag. Out came a camera of sorts, and one of the women positioned herself for a photo. Remarkably enough she kept looking over her shoulder, clearly to make certain that I would be in the picture too. The women talked to each other in Spanish, not a language I understand, but there was no doubt about what they had in mind, they wanted a naked man in the picture. Without a thought I had made up my mind, diverted my course, and went to stand next to the posing woman. I put my arm around her shoulders and gave them my best picture smile.

The effect was beautiful and instantaneous: the posing woman yelped and jumped, the others exclaimed something in Spanish, and the four of them took off as if a nude bat out of naturist hell was chasing them.

They’ll think twice the next time when they want to sneak a picture of a naturist on a beach.

Nude beach must make South Korea more attractive

Via the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad:

The South Korean province Gangwon wants to attract more tourists and thinks that it will work with a nude beach That report The Telegraph.

At this moment it’s investigated if the nude beach is or isn’t a good idea. If the plan is executed, Gangwon will have the first nude beach in the country. Nudists can enjoy the Korean sun then as of 2017. The neighbouring Korean citizens for one are not very happy with the prospect.

It wouldn’t be the first time that a proposal for a nude beach is dismissed. In 2005 there already were plans for such a beach. That led to a lot of protest, which in the end meant the end for the nudist area.
Original article in Dutch: Naaktstrand moet Zuid-Korea aantrekkelijker maken – Het Nieuwsblad.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D? And here you are thinking that this is a blog about nudism. Well, it is. And vitamin D is an important part of nudism. Bear and bare with me. What does Wikipedia say about vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble secosteroids responsible for enhancing intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphate. In humans, the most important compounds in this group are vitamin D3 (also known as cholecalciferol) and vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol).

Okay, not very impressive nor clear. But when we also see this:

Although vitamin D is commonly called a vitamin, it is not actually an essential dietary vitamin in the strict sense, as it can be synthesized in adequate amounts by most mammals exposed to sunlight.

then things suddenly look different. Sunlight. A vitamin you get through sunlight? Wow, that’s easy “food” then! But – take notice. Exposed to sunlight doesn’t mean that your clothes take care of it. It’s the skin that picks up the sunlight and transforms that into vitamin D. Hey, do you see a link to nudism? The more skin is exposed to the sun, the more vitamin D you pick up without doing anything else than being out in the sun!

Working on vitamin D intake

As you see, there’s not much to taking in vitamins this way. It’s healthy, pleasurable and you can read something interesting too.

Active vitamin D intake!

You can, of course, also actively go about and enjoy the sunshine in another way.

An interesting observation in Medical News Today is: “People who are exposed to normal quantities of sunlight do not need vitamin D supplements because sunlight promotes sufficient vitamin D synthesis in the skin.” Again, this does require that the skin is exposed to take in the sunlight. The same web page also notes: “Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine found that higher vitamin D levels in healthy individuals have a significant impact on the genes that are involved in several biologic pathways associated with illnesses, including cancer, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease and infectious diseases.”

And since we’re talking sunshine: did you know that sunscreen is one of the reasons that people get too little vitamin D even when they’re out in the sun? Sunscreen prevents the skin to take in the sunlight because of the UV blockers that it contains. You can go out in the sun without sunscreen, but only if you’re sensible about it.

  1. Stay inside on the hot part of the day. It’s too warm to do anything anyway, so take a nap or read something.
  2. Stay out of the sun during the noon hours when the sun is hottest. Also a parasol won’t help, UV goes through that.
  3. Get used to the sun in smaller doses. Don’t go from 0 to 60 in no time, give your skin time to start absorbing UV without getting burnt.

Sunburn is the reason for most skin cancers. Skin cancer happens least with people who have outside jobs; their skin is used to sunlight and has a resistance already. When you’re pale (and I look at myself too), take care. Don’t over do it. And then you won’t need sunscreen. If you need information from another place, have a look at Realfoodforager – why I stopped using sunscreen. Enjoy the sun, and show your skin. It’s beautiful.

A nudist experience – by guest blogger Dean

Dean

“Hey, let’s take our clothes off”, he said.
“What for?” I asked.
“’Cause it’s more fun” he replied.
At six years old there was no thought of ulterior motives; it was just two close friends in the playroom, while their mothers held a tea party in the garden. We still carried on with whatever games we were playing, only now we were naked. Jeff was right, it was more fun. And a lot more comfortable.
I have always had very sensitive skin, as well as an allergy to anything wool. Getting dressed in the morning was a bit traumatic for me, because most clothing in the day was made of natural materials. Synthetics came out a few years later, but at the time wool seemed to be the fabric of choice. All my socks were woolen, the school had a dress code that included grey flannels (I still itch just thinking about them) and a starched white shirt (ouch!). And they all wondered why I had concentration issues. Of course at “sleepy” time, I got to slip into my flannel pajamas…what a treat! My mother never knew that once tucked in and “nighty-nights” were exchanged, I would slip out of those PJs and hide them under the bed.
Blue jeans had to be washed three or four times before they started to become bearable. New, they were like slipping into plywood. So Jeff had shown me another way to live; comfortably. I became the one to suggest to friends that we take our clothes off “because it was more fun”, and most were willing to try.
Once puberty arrived the whole dynamic changed, of course, but I still had a group of friends who made the distinction between innocent nudity and “show and tell”. We would all go on camping trips where naked activity was integral, and skinny dipping was anticipated and frequent. (As were the requisite farting contests, but that’s for another blog ) 😉
Eventually we all separated and went our own ways as adulthood and responsibility arrived, and by then synthetics were very popular and a lot more comfortable. (I still have shivers thinking of the eczema on the soles of my feet). But I have very fond memories of the freedom I was able to experience, thanks to Jeff’s suggestion that it was more fun.
I suppose the purpose of this missive is to try to clarify the “ist” and “ism” attached to my being. I don’t really qualify as “naturist”; I happily eat meat and tofu makes me barf. I don’t know if “nudist” really fits either, as I don’t see my nakedness as a lifestyle choice so much as a simple comfort issue. I suppose I would call myself a “gymnophile”; someone who likes to be naked. And, of course, in the company of others it’s always “more fun”.

My vacation, part 3. The power of the nude person.

Power of the nude person? Oh yes, absolutely.

It’s very interesting to see how much dressed people are not used to meeting a self-conscious naked person. I’ve done plenty of walks along the beach at Corralejo (Fuerteventura):

All beaches in Spain (the Canary Islands are part of Spain) are freely accessible to nude as well as clothed people. This is remarkable for a very strict Catholic country, but a blessing for people who like to wear nothing but their skin and a good mood. During each of those walks I saw lots of dressed people (clothed in any degree, from full long pants and shirts to the skimpiest of bathing suits that hide absolutely nothing). Many of those people would of course try to sneak a peek at the nude people sauntering along. Of course they do, they don’t know better.

I found also that, when you walk along and look at these people like you would look at anyone else, they’d quickly avert their eyes and suddenly find the sand in front of them or something in the far distance extremely fascinating. Some will also stare straight ahead and pretend you’re not there. That was very interesting to see.

Most of the nude beaches I’ve been to were shunned by clothed sunbathers, so this was quite a fun experience.

Something of an entirely different order happened when an English speaking family of three came walking towards me, parents and a daughter of about fourteen. The mother, walking in front, suddenly said “Look to the sea, Suzy, look to the sea.” Yes, it was an attempt to make the girl not see me. She however grinned at me quickly. Then her father stopped and said to me: “You have no shame, have you?”
I asked him: “Shame about what?”
“For not wearing any clothes,” was his reply.
My response was: “You have no shame, have you?” It surprised him. “You have no shame, assuming that your way of life is the only proper way,” I told him and walked off.

The nerve some people have…

Book review – Naturist, Red in Tooth and Claw

This is a book review of Naturist, Red in Tooth and Claw by Stuart Pitsligo

I bought this book from Smashwords as it deals with naturism and the short description looked interesting.

Information from Smashwords: Price: $1.54.
Approx. 51,070 words.
Language: English.
Published on December 31, 2011.
Category: Fiction.

 

The good things: The book tells about horrible murders taking place in the Scottish Highlands. A group of friends get together and discover a shocking truth. The story also has a serious approach to naturism (nudism if you like), and how a man learns to appreciate the lifestyle.

The not so good things: The book’s story and pace is very good, but it looks as if Mr. Pitsligo wrote it and then immediately published it. Some proofreading and editing would do this book a lot of good.

My vacation, part 2. Beaches.

This is part 2. If you missed part 1, it’s here.

During my vacation at the naturist hotel Gran Hotel Natura on Fuerteventura I took a walk into town, to have a look around there. Of course that had to happen clothed, but you have to make concessions if you want to see something. After taking a look around (Corralejo is quite large and very tourist oriented) I decided to take the walk back over the beach. Lots of sun worshippers were there, everywhere. And suddenly it hit me that many of the bathing suits I saw were entirely ridiculous.
Everyone on the beaches is trying to expose as much skin to the sun to get a nice tan, but everyone also makes the same odd, feeble attempt to stay “within the bounds of decency”. They wear bathing suits made of such tiny bits of fabric that it’s impossible to hide what’s so obviously there. And still people pay a lot of money for these things. In my opinion, if they want value for money, they should revert to the swimwear of old. That would make sense.

What they’re doing (or attempting) is beyond the law of ridicule, in my eyes.