Nudity unusual but harmless

What we were all talking about this week and last was nudism, naturism, naked people on the beach. Is it harmful or not? Here we go again you may think, but as a liberal and tolerant person I feel the need to have my say.

To cut a long story short, I think it is great that people of all shapes and sizes can get together and enjoy feeling happy and free without clothing. If you don't like it, don't look. They are not doing anything dirty and I certainly don't think it's vulgar to be naked.

I am not a naturist but I am open-minded and I know that naturism has absolutely nothing to do with sex. Good old Wikipedia says: "Naturism or nudism is a cultural and political movement practising, advocating and defending social nudity in private and in public. It may also refer to a lifestyle based on personal, family and/or social nudism."

Yes, it says cultural, political, personal, family and social. I will say once more just to get the point across: Naturism has nothing to do with sex. There were plenty of comments on the stories and the editorial we published last week on the nudist event that was held on Papamoa beach on Saturday.

Complete piece here

Nude, Renewed - Nudity as Fantasy

I don’t have the statistics to back this up, but I’m willing to bet that a lot of people fantasize about being able to take off all their clothes and just be nude—maybe not at Disneyland, or the Apple Store, but at least in some place where they can’t be nude regularly. There’s something very appealing, after all, about casting off all that clothing and just feeling free to run around naked like so many of us did when we were kids.Maybe you don’t want to do it all the time. Maybe just having the chance to do it once and “get it out of your system” is all you need. But it’s probably a dream for a lot of people.

Naturists, if you think about it, are people who get to live this dream.They get to take the fantasy and make it reality. And, to use Rashida Jones’ words, they don’t have to pretend “nothing [is] wrong or different”.Again, a nude trip to the Apple Store is probably not on any naturist’s agenda. But a trip to the beach, or the lake, or the mountains, or some other place where it just makes sense to be nude is definitely on the agenda.And when you’re doing it with other naturists, you’re not wrong, and you’re not different. In fact, given the cases of mistaken identity Ms.Jones describes in the article, maybe even she could “blend in” in a naturist setting.

If this is your fantasy, think about making it reality at your local naturist club. It’s a nice fantasy, to be sure, but I bet you’ll find that nothing beats the real thing.

Full piece is here

How Do I Get Started In Naturism?

Naturism and the Romantics

Walt Whitman American writer, A Sun-bathed Nakedness:

Never before did I get so close to Nature; never before did she come so close to me... Nature was naked, and I was also... Sweet, sane, still Nakedness in Nature! - ah if poor, sick, prurient humanity in cities might really know you once more! Is not nakedness indecent? No, not inherently. It is your thought, your sophistication, your fear, your respectability, that is indecent. There come moods when these clothes of ours are not only too irksome to wear, but are themselves indecent.[50]

Henry David Thoreau, In wildness is the preservation of the world., Walking:

We cannot adequately appreciate this aspect of nature if we approach it with any taint of human pretense. It will elude us if we allow artifacts like clothing to intervene between ourselves and this Other. To apprehend it, we cannot be naked enough.[50]

Naturism was part of a literary movement in the late 1800s (see the writings of André Gide) which also influenced the art movements of the time specifically Henri Matisse and other Fauve painters. This movement was based on the French concept of joie de vivre, the idea of revelling freely in physical sensations and direct experiences and a spontaneous approach to life.[51] Later this movement became called Naturalism.

Source

Nude Beaches Within The Uk

Many people discover naturism on a beach on holiday, but there are plenty of places around our beautiful coastline to stretch out on the sand and get an all-over tan.

Whilst it is perfectly legal to strip off on any beach, the law of the land works in such a way that all manner of legislation can be applied to the naked sunbather if complaints are received. Many naturists quietly minding their own business in an out of the way spot have suffered from this when discovered by a prudish member of the public.

However, nude use of some beaches has received the sanction of the landowner or local authority and those are therefore considered to be “official” beaches. We have marked them as such in the list. Because of the official designation and the fact that warning signs are erected, naturists’ enjoyment should not be spoiled by anyone - and we can take action against any non-naturists who disturb us.

From the excellent site from the UK iNaked, click here

In the following places, top freedom is in effect:: United States

The following cities are officially topless "tested":

* Asheville, NC
* Austin, TX,
* Boulder, CO
* Columbus, OH
* Eugene, OR
* Keene, NH
* Key West, FL at Fantasy Fair
* Madison, WI,
* New Orleans, LA, at Mardi Gras
* New York City
* Portland, Or,
* Santa Fe, NM
* South Miami Beach, FL (on the beach)
* Washington, DC

How can I find out if my city is topless?

Simply google the city name and its municipal code and key in the word "nudity". Do the same for the county where the city is located to be sure.

Can I be arrested for going topless in a topless city?

Even if a top free law is firmly in effect, the police can still arrest you under the pretense of "disorderly conduct". Don't be intimidated! You can sue the city back for wrongful arrest (if your only crime was to go topless). That is what Phoenix Feeley did in NYC in 2005 (you can read her story in our news section)

See map of states where toplessness is legalized.