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The crazy stuff in Aquaman

Have you seen the film? Aquaman?

At the moment I’m writing this, I saw half of it. It’s 2.5 hours long; I can’t sit and watch something for that long, so tomorrow I’ll watch the rest.

It’s a well-made film I think. I love the special effects and the works that come with them. There is, however, something I don’t understand at all. It’s how the underwater people look.

Look at this bloke. In a bit, metal-looking outfit.

Excuse me? Under water? Look at the weird collar-stuff that point up. That scoops up water and will slow you down like a pro.

Another thing I really don’t understand is why some of them wear those long, flowing capes. Under water. Perfect to get caught in rocks or corals.

I understand that the filmmakers are bound to the rules and regulations of ‘decency’ and they also don’t want to shock people with nudity (while killing and murder is just fine)…

…but someone like this would make a lot more sense under water, in my view of things. Look at swimmers who try to go fast. They don’t wear capes. They don’t have collars that slow them down.

Look at scuba divers. They wear suits that make them as smooth as possible, so as to reduce the resistance of water.

I know this. I’ve been one:

(Shot in a Mexican Cenote, that’s why the water is so clear.)

Unless the film changes its attitude about clothes under water (and I know that isn’t going to happen), I’m going to enjoy the rest of it but I’ll shake my head at any full-costume scene.

It makes no sense at all.

Have a good day, and stay as nude as you can!

Would being naked ever get boring?

“Always wearing the same thing is boring.”

This is what I heard a while ago. Given the amount of different kinds of clothing, one might almost think that’s a valid statement.

However… if we think back to ancient times, and I mean the times before you and I and even the oldest person in the world was born, most people didn’t have that much of a choice in attire (if they even needed that). Let’s have a look at that.

Prehistoric life and times

Prehistoric people apparently wore skins to keep themselves warm. I doubt they had many options, like a Versace bear skin, or a Levi’s loin cloth. They’d probably wear what they had until it fell apart and then got something new.

The image above should demonstrate that, but for me there’s wrong with it. If the temperature is such that their upper bodies are not covered, and the child is entirely naked, why would they even wear such a thing? I’m pretty much convinced that this originates more from the painter’s modest mind than from actual need during that time.

Killing a bear with a stone axe (like she holds) or a bow (like he holds) would be quite a chore. My guess is that prehistoric people would go around naked much more than modern ideas allow. Look at how the man’s leg movement would be restricted by his ‘skirt’, and now imagine him running after some game to hunt down. That’s not going to fill stomachs well, unless prehistoric people had a particular way to run. In that case I would love to see that. Please share your prehistoric videos!

Living life naked

With this in mind, I started writing this blog post, the start of which might have confused you. Clothes? Yes, that was how I wanted to get to this spot.

Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time in the nude, be it at home, on vacation or wherever, has experienced the freedom it brings.

Have you ever had the idea that wearing the same skin all the time is boring? After all, it’s the only one you have, and as far as I know there are no shops to get another one, in the right shade of red that’s fashionable this summer. For myself I have never had that idea.

Charco del Palo, nude in the street — Charco del Palo

On my vacations to naturist places, like Charco del Palo, I have spent a lot of time naked, and not once did that feel boring.

Many others there also walked around in the same lack of attire and everyone had a good time. I don’t think anyone ever gave the boring concept some thought. And even then, if your regular skin is boring, there’s always body painting!

sunday body paint — Body painting session in New York

Body awareness

This is something that just popped up in my mind at some point. Things have a habit of popping up and some of them are worth writing about.

Naturists are known to have less / no body shame. Some of them/us are still growing up to the point where it disappears, but it is clear to many that bodies are what they are. All different, all special, all good.

Naturists are, as far as I know, very much aware of their bodies. That has nothing to do with shame but the mere fact that we know our body. We know when it’s comfortable, when it’s not so great.

People who wear clothes all of the time have lost that awareness (or perhaps they never had it in the first place, since they were ‘wrapped up’ before their mind developed enough to notice.)

It’s autumn now. Or fall. Name it as you want. Naturists in the northern hemisphere are wearing more clothes. I don’t know about you, but I am very much aware of that fact. I feel those layers of fabric. Of course, I know my body needs those things, otherwise I’ll be cold and that’s not nice.

Still, despite knowing all that, it sometimes is as if my body revolts against that stuff. As if I am not made for those wrappings. Heck, at times I feel like a mummy, especially when I have to bend or squat down to pick something up. There’s that direct awareness that something is cutting off my ability to move and also my blood-flow. Those are the clothes.

I’m certain many of you have similar feelings.

I, for one, am looking forward to the next warm days of spring and the next summer. Oh, sure, having 40C days this summer wasn’t extremely funny at work (that’s 104F) but without clothes I find those days much easier to handle than the days of -10C to 5C (10F to 40F) wearing the garments.

I just need to find a place that allows for doing the work in the buff. 😀

The stubbornness of textile

Yes. I had ‘an experience’ again. With an unexperienced person.

On my Dutch author blog I wrote about naturism, because I released a Dutch crime story that also deals with naturism. An acquaintance writer/poet from near here let me know she’d read the article and though it was “very courageous” to tell the world I’m a naturist.

That is what happened in my head. An alarm bell. Courageous? What’s so courageous about telling the truth?

I asked her that same question and I got a very deflecting answer: “I really like wearing my clothes, and on the beach I always wear a bathing suit.“

This of course made me ask what benefit the bathing suit had since it doesn’t make you a better bather nor does it keep you warm or dry in the water. “So people don’t see my body.“

Aha. So you are ashamed of your body. There was not a clear response on that one, so the answer is ‘yes’…

Which is a shame, as we all know. There is nothing to be ashamed of, but the media are good at creating this impossible image, and keep changing it.

I asked her once more about her aversion to being naked, quoting her words that she liked wearing her clothes and asking if she had ever tried to be naked for a while. The NO!!! which followed that made it clear to me that she’s not yet ready to give this any thought.

The sad thing of course is that many people think this way, that warped way that’s been glued between their ears. They love their clothes. They won’t change. They will buy a bigger air conditioning unit when it gets hot, instead of doing the sensible thing.

So, to all the readers and followers of this naked-skin-oriented blog: be just as courageous and talk about your naturism. No need to overdo it, or to bring it up at any occasion, but if the opportunity is there and you feel confident, go for it.

We’re all people, all born naked, and we’re all naked beneath the textile layers that society forces upon us.

Let’s enjoy the sensible way of life as much and often as we can, and if any of you have a great way to bring up naturism in a friendly circle, do share it with us. Together we stand!

A naturist’s view on the future

How many of you think of the future in terms of naturism? I’ve discovered I’m doing that quite a lot lately. And why is that?

According to this article on the British Naturism website, their membership is on the rise since a long time, and they ‘blame’ (haha) the heatwave of this past year for that. That, I say, is a good sign for the future of naturism.

Heatwaves are going to be more common than they were, so there will be more opportunity, temperature-wise, to undress and be the way we like, naturists, nudists alike.

And although this sounds wonderful and great for ‘us’, there is of course the other side of the coin: heatwaves. Also drought. Ice caps melting. All those things aren’t that great for ‘us’ or ‘the others’ (the textile based life forms)

I realise that being naked as much of the time as possible isn’t going to save the world, but buying fewer clothes (which in turn makes that fewer have to be made) is a good start. It’s scary to consider, time and again, how much crap gets tossed into the environment by the clothing industry, one of the holy cows of society.

I sincerely hope that the world at large will come to its senses and stop messing things up for humanity. And no, “Save the planet” isn’t needed. The planet will survive us all, unless someone can’t keep his hands off a specific red button.

Not at all what we want. Hot is good as we can take off our clothes, but let’s agree there are limits to the kind of heat we all can take.

A naturist’s view on dressed activities.

Dressed?

Yes. Dressed. You know how that works. It’s putting on the dreaded clothing. We all have to once in a while, although occasionally there are people who avoid it in a brilliant way.

Health Hazards

If you are in any way dealing with health hazards, I can imagine it’s smart to have some protection on. For instance when dealing with chemicals or toxic fumes.

Also when there are things around like hot metals or when you’re working with things that can throw dangerous waste around (for instance when working with metal) it’s a smart thing to have some protection around.

I, for instance, have discovered that wearing an apron in the kitchen can be a very skin-saving happening. Of course that’s not always a necessity, but when cooking (and especially baking) things that involve hot oil or hot water, it’s smart to be safe.

Cooking in the nude. (Yes, it’s a link to a video!)

Examples of clothed jobs

What would you think of firefighters? Would anyone volunteer doing that in the nude? I would certainly don’t have the hots for that. (Okay, I agree, that was perhaps a bad one.)

Then there are people working in clean-rooms, where computer-chips are made. I’ve actually worked in one of those, and although it’s something you can do naked, it’s not going to happen. Clean-rooms need to be, indeed, clean, and walking around there without special clothes is going to contaminate the air with hair and skin flakes. Stuff that’s too small to see often, but on micro-chip scale those are huge problems.

Luckily not all jobs require clothing, although we’re facing the big, clothed world out there. I’m glad I can work from home once in a while and then I don’t have to put on things I don’t want.

What I would really like, and I’m probably not alone in this, is a job that doesn’t require clothes. Like working in a naturist resort, or even working in a naturist restaurant like there are in Bristol and Paris these days.

Of course I keep dreaming of a full-time job as a writer, having the freedom to work naked all the time.

What’s your favourite clothes-free job? Do you have one in mind? Do you actually work one? Tell me, I’d love to hear from you and get inspired!

A naturist’s view on sustainability

What is sustainability?

According to Wikipedia, sustainability is defined as “the process of maintaining change in a balanced fashion, in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations.”

Naturism and sustainability

When we look back to the origins of naturism (nudism), the movement was all about a healthy lifestyle in harmony with nature. I am convinced there are still plenty of nude walking people who share that idea in some way or other. And that, for me, already points into the direction of sustainability. The harmony with nature part already shows that naturism’s basic philosophy underwrites a world that is a healthier and better place than many areas in our current world.

A while ago I posted a blog about the fashion industry and the amount of pollution that brings with it. The clearest point of that was that wearing clothes has a severe impact on the environment, so less clothes means less crap in the water and the air.

But it doesn’t end with clothes (for me)

Mankind has taken control of the planet in a way that’s totally irresponsible. Mankind thinks they are lord and master (or lady and Earth mistress) of this ball we still live on. A tiny flaw in this mindset is that ‘mankind’ is very wrong. Just because humans feel invulnerable doesn’t mean they win everything. When air is no longer breathable and water is no longer safe to drink, the all powerful human will be finished quickly.
Humans who think that way should spend a while in the nude, outside, in nature. I wonder if they still feel invulnerable then. Naturists and nudists know the fragility of man when faced the outdoors. When there is no fabric or plastic shielding that thin skin from the rough bark of a tree, things quickly look different.

Man’s place in nature

The author nude If we find our place in nature again, I am convinced things can still be set to right.

It won’t be fast because we’ve been doing our best to mess this planet up for decades already, but the nude mindset would be a great help in that.

A naturist’s view on the fashion industry

Fashion. Worse than you might know.

Let me tell you something. Second to oil, fashion and textiles is the most polluting industry in the world. Did you know that? I didn’t. I read about it here. I don’t know if you headed over to read the article. Here’s a summary of the facts:

It can take more than 20,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of cotton.
Up to 8,000 different chemicals are used to turn raw materials into clothes.
The clothing that doesn’t sell, falls apart or goes out of style usually ends up on landfills.

Clothes on landfill

Wow. Impressive, isn’t it? According to classiccotton.org 3/4 of all produced clothes end up on landfills. Now that is scary.

Naturism, a.k.a. common sense.

After these figures it’s even more evident that people who prefer nudity are on the smart side of the scale. I hope that all the clothes we don’t buy make a difference. Less water wasted, fewer chemicals all over the place, and less garbage and waste.

Of course there will always be garbage, but I almost fell out of my chair when I read how much junk is created by the manufacturing of clothes. But… did you see the number of chemicals used? Up to eight thousand! And that is used on stuff everyone happily puts on their skin. I’m convinced most of that stuff will be washed out with 20,000 litres (that is almost 5,200 gallons, for non-litre people) of water per kilo / 2 lbs. but still. All that stuff has to go somewhere. Do you trust the fashion industry enough to make sure that any remaining chemical is caught and discarded in a responsible manner? I wouldn’t put my money on that.

After digging into all this matter I am even more inclined not to wear clothes as much as I can. We hear about pollution and such every day, but the fashion industry is a market that goes on doing that without anyone batting an eye at it. If we talk about dirty secrets: new clothes have them!

The author nude

A naturist’s view on what’s normal (and what’s not)

What is normal and what isn’t?

One of the biggest misconceptions today is that people don’t seem to understand the difference between normal and natural. Not everything that’s normal is natural.

Natural is what we find in and do with nature.

Normal is a result of the general acceptance of ‘norms’ in a group of people. Like, you guessed it, wearing clothes.

I know I’ve touched this subject several times, but I can’t stress it enough. Nor can I hope enough that clothed people will read this and start understanding the difference between normal and natural. So many things are being called natural while they are only normal. For example most people consider it natural to own a car. Seeing what the manufacturing of cars, and the pollution from the exhausts does to nature, I would dare to say that nature doesn’t agree.

Car growing on a tree — Crap – was I wrong??

Cars don’t grow on trees, so they aren’t natural.

Clothes don’t grow on trees either, so for that simple reason they fall in the normal category. This to the chagrin of many a naturist or nudist who prefers to be natural when the weather and environment don’t require that normality.

clothes on tree

Benefits of normal

Of course there are benefits to having norms. Not going around killing everyone you don’t like is one of them, a norm that in general most people seem to adopt quite easily.

Driving on the same side of the road as anyone else in your country (after picking one of those cars from a tree) is another one that I consider a good norm. I’m sure everyone can list another of such norms that makes sense. (Not making a lasso out of two rattle snakes, for instance.)

Natural and why that’s smarter

Being clothes-free when you don’t need clothes is smart because you don’t sweat in those clothes. Sweat, trapped in fabric, causes unpleasant odours.

Being clothes-free will decrease the need for air conditioners tremendously.

Eating natural food is much healthier than stuff that comes from labs and adjacent factories. But what about allergies, I hear some of you say. Allergies seem to arise from the chemical warfare you wage on your body by eating the stuff from aforementioned labs. My rule of thumb is that if a package contains at least 2 ingredients I can’t pronounce, I don’t buy it. And what about the colouring additives to make food look nicer? I can do without that. Spots in apples? Please, if that means there was no DDT on them. Did you know that margarine in its pure state is white? It has food colouring added to it so it looks like butter.

Give me natural, please.

A naturist’s view on pockets.

Pockets. What about them when you have none?

Pocket

Pockets. We all know them and put things in them. A big question for non-naturists and new naturists is: where do I put my things? After all, a proper, modern human being isn’t complete without keys, a phone, paperwork, a wallet and what not.

There are no pockets in your skin.

paul nude lanzarote Absolutely true, and that’s how I like it best. If you’re a genetically or surgically modified human who now has pockets, do step forward and tell us about your experiences.

Having no pockets has made me clever about taking things with me.

First necessity: a bag. Consider that one big pocket and you’re already set.

Second necessity: don’t take the kitchen sink with you.

Be clever about what you really need. Are you on vacation and you’re not going to drive, leave car keys and paperwork in your tent, bungalow, hotel room, wherever you stay. It makes for lighter walking. Walking in warm weather? Take something to drink with you. Don’t be stupid and risk dehydration. Do you need your wallet if you’re not going to stop anywhere? Leave it ‘at home’. Same if there’s nowhere to pay for anything; why take the thing with you?

Break the things-obsession.

This is where we get closer to nature-ism, which isn’t for everyone. Nature didn’t invent keys, wallets, phones and all that. If you can do without those, even for a few hours when out and about, do not take those things with you. Learn to live without facebook, twitter, snapchat and whatever more or less social medium you frequent for a while. You might be shocked to find how much you see of your environment when you’re not staring at your phone all the time. You might even meet people. 😉 And if you’re lucky they’re inclined to be naked, like you.

phone zombies

Those tweets will wait for you to come back, trust me.