"Some day people will grow up and realize that the only thing vile
about human bodies is the small minds some people have developed
within them."- Dick Hein
In the Long
View
For generations we have been seeking
to cover up the so- called primitive peoples of the world with our
Western styles of clothing, whether they were appropriate to the
climate and conditions of those peoples or not. Today, we have this
change in thinking on the part of some of us that perhaps those
"primitive peoples" were wiser than we.
Let's be honest. The "movement" of
nudism/Naturism involves a truly minuscule number of people in our
society (albeit a growing number, across virtually all segments of the
population). Worse, we are considered by some to be some sort of
"cult." But in this regard it is highly revealing in many meaning of
the term that whereas less than 30 years ago there were officially
25,000 nudists in the United States and 50,000 in Germany, the number
of the officially and unofficially involved today, if we include the
occasional skinny-dippers, runs well into the millions.
Mere nudity begins to cease to be
either a matter of exaggerated concern or abnormal interest to the
majority of the public. And while the number of "official" members of
organized nudism remains small, the effect has been like the leaven in
the loaf; for the workings are far greater and vastly more extensive
than the small numbers would warrant.
Small as our numbers may be in
relation to the entire population, each one of us has to reflect and
develop some clear ideas about what nudism and Naturism means in our
individual live and in our relationship with others. What are the
values available to me from being nude, naked, bare of all clothing in
the company of others of all ages and both sexes -- and what benefit
might derive from these practices? Are there negative aspects, too?
I read with interest the various
proposals for changing the name of the American Sunbathing Association
--doing away with "sunbathing" and stating the nudist purpose
directly. Sunbathing seems to me, as it clearly did to others, a bit
of a misnomer; yes, we enjoy the sun on our total bodies, we enjoy the
fluidity and motion of the human body in the light of the sun; yet we
know nudism and Naturism are more than that.
Let's look for a moment at
terminology. Naked, nude, nudism and Naturism. According to my
dictionary, naked and nude are largely interchangeable. On the other
hand, I believe a distinction can be made between the nudist -- one
who joins with others on occasion in mixed company in a state of
nakedness -- and the Naturist, who is seeking to live in a state of
nudity at all appropriate times and as much as possible in a close
relationship with the natural surroundings, alone or with others of
all ages and both sexes. These descriptions are certainly subject to
correction and revision.
It is Naturism that I seek to
practice in my own life. In neither description have I said anything
about "values", but I like to think that the Naturist is more
positive-value oriented, whereas among nudists there is considerably
greater latitude in the values tolerated. I shall use these terms
interchangeably, though with the above definitions understood.
In virtually all the literature, in
many of the letters one reads from new "converts" to nudism or from
those who have been active in the lifestyle for a long time, one often
finds the comment that practitioners enjoy being nude "because it
feels good." Quite aside from all the other physical and psychological
reactions, I suppose that this feeling of freedom from the confinement
of restrictive clothing is one of the first things many of us
experience.
At the same time, however, among the
beneficial and enjoyable effects or feeling of freedom is the ability
of our bodies to function as intended: These bodies can breathe,
adjust to variations in temperature, cleanse themselves through the
pores, lungs and the whole circulatory system.
One very negative commentator writes:
"The alleged improvement in health, physical or mental, is founded on
no evident fact but is simply a gratuitous supposition, or at most is
based on far fetched analogies with life among certain primitive
people." Fortunately there is ample evidence based not on suppositions
but on valid empirical studies confirming that under proper conditions
nudity is a desirable aid to good mental and physical health. In
contrast, here in the U.S., body image confusion, sexual
overstimulation and commercialization of nudity has reached an
absolute height.
For years, the health insurance
organization of Sweden has sent patients to Dalmatia, prescribing nude
sunbathing and relaxation in the mild waters of the Adriatic for skin
and other illnesses. We are often aware of the effort of practicing
nudists to care for their bodily health. We know that we find every
possible body type and form and we are no longer under the dangerous
illusion that everyone can conform to the nude examples of 'Playboy'
and 'Playgirl'. Seeing the great variety of bodily characteristics, we
no longer worry so much about "positive" or "negative" attributes of
our bodies, and we learn to accept both our own image and the images
others present. We see those with scars of injuries and surgeries and
other disabilities and "imperfections" who participate in nudist
activities without any self-consciousness.
I might also add here what I
profoundly believe to be one of the greatest benefits of Naturism: The
positive effect it has on the mental and physical health of our
children. For almost 20 years I took groups of children to a beautiful
nudist center in Istria, Croatia, on the Adriatic. These children,
even the so- called "difficult" ones, were a joy to be with. Despite
an occasional sunburn, the general health of these children and,
especially, their later attitudes toward the bodies of both men and
women were markedly improved. Today many go to the camp with their own
children.
Short Reading About Nudist Culture
-Swimming Nude is Better
You don't have to fight the waves to keep your swimming suit on.
The water feels better against your bare skin than a wet swimming suit.
When you get out of the water, a swimming suit stays wet and feels bad.
When swimming nude, you won't get sand in your suit.
-Fewer Clothing and Laundry Hassles
Nudity reduces laundry costs.
Fewer washings reduce wear and fading, which in turn reduce how often you need to buy new clothes.
Eating nude considerably reduces the chances of spilled food staining and ruining your garments.
Deciding what to wear becomes a trivial decision instead of an often stressful decision.
Travelling for nude recreation cuts down on the amount of luggage that you need to carry.
Nude backpacking reduces the amount of gear you need to carry on your back.
-Sun Helps Clear Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a non-contagious skin disease that turns skin purple. Dermatologists have a treatment of sitting under a flourescent light to simulate the sun's ray. Why simulate? Go nude! The sun causes the body to produce dihydrxycholecalciferol. The more sun on the more skin, the better!
-Sleeping Nude is Better
By allowing air to travel freely over the entire body, the body is better able to distribute heat. This allows you to actually be warmer in the winter (under blankets of course) and cooler in the summer.
-Sunbathing Nude is Better
Sunbathing nude prevents those nasty tan lines and allows the entire body to benefit from the positive effects of the sun.
-Being nude can help prevent lyme disease.
Lyme disease is carried by the deer-tick. This little bug appears to bite when it lodges itself between clothing and skin. By being nude, they are much more easily brushed off before they can find a place to bite.
-Skinny dipping can help reduce rash from sea lice.
Sea lice, or jellyfish larvae stings cause a painful, itchy rash. The sea lice sting when they get trapped between your suit and skin. The obvious conclusion is to reduce your swimwear to reduce the chances of getting stung.
-Nudity may improve fertility
Being nude allows the male sex organs to better adapt to changing temperature. Tight, restrictive clothing inhibits the body's natural mechanism for doing so, which could cause reduced fertility.
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