Are you a proud Naturist?

We no longer hide the fact that we practice a Naturist lifestyle, we don't shout it from the roof tops, but when asked "What did you do on the weekend?" I will say, I went to the beach which is almost immediately followed by which beach? To which I reply Cobblers Beach! The response that I get will either be, where is that? or isn't that the.....nudist beach!!??

To which I reply its clothing option actually, not that we wear any.

Now since adopting this practice I have not had one bad reaction. Some people are surprised, some ask questions, but overall the reaction has been positive.

Now I don't tell people who could use that information in a negative way, common sense still applies, but it does not take much to learn we practice a clothes free lifestyle.

As an example we have a "Wandering Bares" sticker on the car.

We have this "Shame Breakers" sticker on the front window.

And finally on the front door we have...

We make sure that we don't answer the door naked, so that we are not blacklisted at the local pizza shop, but more so if someone comes to the door unannounced and happens to see us walking around or doing some house work naked, they cannot say they have not been warned.

But the point that I am trying to make is that the more people who are not ashamed of our naturist lifestyle the more mainstream it becomes and hopefully the more acceptance there will be.

We have also had this T-Shirt commissioned that I am happy to wear.
It says "Get Sunkissed All Over @ Cobblers Beach, Mosman.

 

Again the more people that use our clothing optional beaches the more chance we have of keeping them!

The Ethical Naturist



Stephane Deschenes from the Naturist Living Show in a recent podcast coined the term "Ethical Naturist". He draws a contrast between the "ethical" and the "recreational" Naturist as those that take the naturist values outside of the free beach or club and applies them to the everyday world is the ethical Naturist. The recreational Naturist just enjoys the experience of being naked in their chosen location and don't think too much about the philosophy.

You can still be an Naturist and be clothed - hey I'm naked under these clothes aren't I?

Back in my posting in October 2010 I proposed that there were 3 types of people that enjoy the clothes free experience the Nudist the Skinny Dipper and the Naturist.

From the descriptions that Stephane gives he has simplified this down to his 2 types, and uses the term Nudist and Naturist interchangeably as is increasingly common practice, especially in Australia.

In fact the ANF has recently changed it's name from the Australian Nudist Federation to the Australian Naturist Federation.

So we now have a new term in our Naturist lexicon. It's main function I believe will be to provide food for thought amongst those Naturists that are already "ethical Naturists" by action and attitude because the rest are happy just to continue to enjoy their clothing free time, and there is nothing wrong with that!

Nudism in Australia.

I have recently obtained a copy of Magnus Clarke’s book Nudism in Australia, which was published in 1982 as a scholarly work exploring Nudism as it was in Australia from its early days through to what was then the present day (1982).

I am finding this book interesting on a number of counts, firstly I have memories of Australian society growing up in the 60’s through to the early eighties so I can relate to the times referred to. I also am finding interesting the history of the movement, which was brought to Australia, like so many aspects of society, initially from England and then later influenced by the European immigrants.

I also find it interesting that the movement has had some difficulty in developing an underlying philosophy, particularly as I tend to think in these terms and relate to some of the aspects of my experience of the lifestyle in more philosophic terms.

Here is a quote from an Australian Nudist Magazine – “The Australian Sunbather” that opened each issue between 1949-50 with this “creed” one can see how the movement is trying to articulate the common ground that all nudists share. Without doubt it is also a statement for the public at large to show the wholesomeness of the movement to counter the sensational accounts of social nudism in the popular press at the time.

Contrast this with the International Naturists Society’s definition of Naturism adopted by the 14th Congress in 1974.

Naturism/(Nudism*) is :

“ a lifestyle in harmony with nature, expressed through social nudity, and characterised by self-respect of people with different opinions and of the environment.”

*[I will have separate article of the differences and commonality of these two terms.]

 

The predominant feeling in the book seems to be that Nudism rather than something that one believes is more something that one does!

Speaking from my own experience this very much is a personal disposition and the experience of removing ones clothing in a mixed social setting, can be a simple or a life changing experience depending on ones own state of being.

For others while it may be a psychological release and newfound freedom they do not articulate it that way instead just revel in the feelings and enjoy, and rightfully so!

What ever the impact on the individual, social nudity is a powerful sociological force and some will wish to ascribe a philosophy to it.

Historically we have seen the importation of a German model that had its focus on group physical fitness, a vegetarian diet with a prohibition on tobacco and alcohol.

Other clubs adopted a more Greek and Olympian theme on which to base their club and gatherings without the more rigorous mandate on diet etc.

Finally over time we see a blended version of all these thoughts that came to pass with a focus on leisure, organised games and the social activities of BBQs and alcohol accepted (in moderation) accepted as just as important part of the Nudist lifestyle.

This of course reflected the changes in society attitudes outside of the movement, the changing work patterns in Australia and an increase in general affluence.

Until next time:

Clothing or Covering / Fashion or Farce

Looking through the eyes of a naturist clothing takes on a completely different place within our world.

Corporate attire has always been a uniform. The suit and tie, even in the heat of an Australian summer, is more attuned to the prescriptive uniform than the commonsense covering of the body for practical purposes.

With the rise of equality of women in the workplace this was reinforced as woman donned suits, thus perpetuating the same corporate uniform.


Other forms of subtitle uniform can be readily seen in the clothes of our adolescents as the baggy low-slung pants predominates and practicality has no place.

This leads us to fashion, the multi-million dollar industry founded on discontent, social pressure and change for change sake.

The often-flaunted justification for clothes, that of practicality, is seen for what it is, a fabrication.


When clothes are essential for protection from the elements or within a hostile environment, this is perfectly clear. For example for heavy clothes for a European winter, the welders gloves and apron, the use of hats in summer and shoes to protect the feet one’s feet.


The rest of the time, the only explanation is “modesty”. This societal construct is based on opinions formulated by society’s “centres of influence” who fail to see that the human body is anything beyond sexual.


There is also an element of power and manipulation in keeping the population clothed as it reinforces the differences and segregation within society. How can anyone deny the commonality of the human form and see that regardless of colour, shape, age or beliefs, we are in essence all the same.


The social construct of “modesty” can be best typified by the colonial attitude, when zealous missionaries instructed the natives in tropical climates to dress like themselves.


Why again was there no differential between nudity and sex? Surely the connection is in the mind of the beholder, not the naked person.


If this were not the case then at every nude beach or social nude gathering men would all be walking around with erections? This does not happen, why? Because of context!


There is a fundamental difference between the sexual environment between lovers and being at a barbecue with a group of friends. It is also the same reason that in a clothed work setting when a man is introduced to an attractive woman, he will not spontaneously have an erection!


In reality a social occasion in a clothed setting can be more sexually stimulating than a naked one. This is because of the titillation effect for example, a low-cut dress, hinting, what lies beyond stimulates the imagination and that is what causes arousal.

Conversely in a naturist setting, once initially observing the whole person, you can then put that aside and concentrate on the meeting of the person with freedom from distraction and innuendo, allowing for a more genuine interaction to take place.