How To: Try Nudism as a Woman

I've been reading some of the slightly older posts from a new-to-me blog feed: Nude Freedom. [UPDATE: This blog has since been deleted.] In mid-June, he tackled the topic of the gender imbalance, but only concluded that there's a lack of young females. He suspects that this is due to them being gawked at (which they don't like), and that their boyfriends may not like that either. I'm sure that many other bloggers have talked about this subject as well.

What I find funny is this: I bet none of the male bloggers have ever truly experienced being the "hot girl at the party" (as I like to call it). None of them know first-hand exactly what it feels like to be gawked at, and hit on, just like the hottest girl at any party.

I have.

No, seriously, I have!

I'll be writing about this in great detail later on. (It's actually part of my Australia story.)

However, the point of my post is this: Yeah, that's why young women don't go. There's two attitudes though: First is that they don't care and maybe enjoy the attention. If all women had this attitude, they'd be just as common as the guys. Second is that they dislike being gawked at and hit on by creepy guys. Most women have the second attitude, and the reason some appear is because they feel they have some sort of safety against this either via friends, resort policy, or a lack of creepy guys in the area. This doesn't just apply to nudist places either, but any other place where creepy guys might be.

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Nude Freedom posted a video that backs up my writings above... However, this question hit me after I watched the video: Why do they never try it again?

[UPDATE: Video is gone -- from the comments below: The first video is something two young women made, where they talk about stuff before they go to a small nude beach. Then, it cuts to them talking about what happened. Being two women, unprotected, they were a magnet for creepy guys. They promised to never try naturism again.]

A cute blond walks into a bar, and gets hit on and annoyed by every creepy guy in the place. Does she go to another bar? You bet'cha! So why is it different with the nude beach?

My theory is this: Women who want to try nudism are more likely to go to a free beach, simply because they don't want to feel like it's a waste of money if they don't like it. (The girls in the video did this, and I did this in Australia.) What they don't know is that you get what you pay for in terms of security. Any resort or managed place will immediately kick out a person who is harassing another. These people instead go to the free beach, where they can't be kicked out unless done so by a volunteer or two. Getting approached and bothered by one of these people is seriously disturbing...even for me! Nudity makes people more open and free, but also makes people more volatile. Although similar to a bar, being nude makes it hurt much deeper, and it's understandable that they'd be scarred for life. It takes a strong-minded and confident person to overcome that, which some are and do.

Women, seriously, TAKE A GOOD MAN WITH who will protect you from the other men at a free beach. OR, pay a little bit and go to a resort or camp instead. This will lead you to a much better first experience in nudism!

Now...if only newbie women actually read this blog...

Also posted on Nude Freedom is this documentary. [UPDATE: This video is also gone, but it showed a great gender and age balance at the beaches.] Were the beaches and clubs of yesteryear (yesterdecade? yestercentury?) really this full of young people and balanced gender?? If so...what happened?? Or are they just showing off for the camera and the video editors just picking the good stuff? Am I completely wrong? Please answer in the comments...

Review: VVRC's Car Show

A couple pulled up to the gate Saturday morning in a fancy car, and asked if they could enter the car show. Then, the woman noticed a naked person, covered her eyes, and began to freak out. The man did too, and asked the people at the gate about it. This was a nude car show! They left in a hurry!

We were there a full day before that couple. We had no problems checking in and finding our back-corner tenting spot. We had the tent up in no time, but since it's small we kept our stuff in two bags outside the tent. As per the rules this year, we had to move the car to the field on the other side of the grounds.

Our neighbors were great! On one side, there was a very generous middle-aged couple in a truck-mounted camper. On the other side of us was an empty spot, then a slightly-crazy 40 y/o motorcycler. He had ridden from New York to Sturgis, and was on his way back. The crazy part is that he did this on a tiny, crappy motorcycle that had broken down a few times already. He's been stopping at nudist places along the way because the people there are much nicer, and it's much more relaxed. Once his cycle was fixed again Friday evening, he was off to get through Chicago while the traffic was tolerable. Also on Friday, a middle-aged couple moved in to the empty spot by us. They were very fun people, and introduced us to the group across the lawn. Another middle-aged couple with a beautiful rebuilt classic streetrod and an older couple right next to them. We spent most of our time over the weekend with this group. (They had shade!)

The demographics were almost all middle-aged to upper-aged. In fact, we might've been the youngest couple there. It seemed that everyone younger than us were brought by their parents, and it seemed that everyone we were around were our parents' age. I guess car shows are for that age-range... But, car shows are also for men. I was surprised at how many women were there. It was, as usual, dominated by men, but it seemed that most of them brought their women along for the weekend too. Lastly, it seems that none of them read my blog. My earlier description [which has since been removed] was dead-on. We were the youngest couple in the smallest tent, I wore the hat almost the whole time, and nobody else had a hat like it. Nobody said "hi" and mentioned anything about the blog. Oh well, it was worth a try!

The food was reasonable. VVRC provided meals either at the clubhouse or at the food tent over most of the weekend. Advice: bring money! We didn't have enough, and had to make a trip to Cambridge. The meals were about the same price as a cheap restaurant, and were enough to fill you up. Friday evening was taco's and baked potatoes. Saturday morning was eggs benedict and other breakfasty items. Sunday morning was free donuts and cereal. Lunch Saturday and Sunday were dogs/brats/burgers/corn at the food tent. Saturday evening was an expensive steak or chicken dinner, which we didn't get. Instead, our neighbors invited us to have brats with them since they brought way too many and didn't want to take them back.

The place filled up over the weekend. VVRC told us that the official count was almost 500 people!!! The pool became human soup, and the pool area sunbathers extended outward well beyond the pool fence. Every RV spot was taken, and every tent spot was taken. There were extra RV spots along the inner edge of the parking-field, and extra tent spots at the east end of the grounds (top part of their map). The cornfields are high enough where you can't see the roads from either location. When we were at the extra tent spots, we noticed that there was a lot more shade and more breeze up there, so we'll probably get a spot there next year if we can.

There's always stuff going on. Each day, there was a DJ playing music from 10am until late afternoon. Also, there were raffles and occasional horseshoe and volleyball games. Friday night was karaoke. Most textilers have nightmares of being on stage naked, but these people do it voluntarily and have a great time! Some were pretty good, and some weren't so good, but the tent was full and everyone was enjoying it. Saturday night was the highlight -- they had a live band named "Who'z Playing". They played a wonderful mix of covers and had an excellent sound to them. This was their first time playing at a nudist area, so they kept their clothes on...at first. Being surrounded by over 100 naked people, they decided to slowly undress between songs. Sometimes they made a show of it, such as revealing patriotic undies and then playing a patriotic song. One of the guys was hesitant on taking his clothes off, so a group of women decided to help him! By the end, everyone was naked, dancing, and having a great time! (And I learned that some guys shouldn't do the twist naked...)

Oh, and there was a car show going on too! They had about 30 cars, many of them beautiful classics. They even had several specialty cars, a snowmobile, and a class for motorcycles (although I didn't see any). There were about a dozen different classes, so everyone had a pretty good shot at winning a trophy. We rode in the streetrod for the parade -- I got to ride in the back with the motor-driven waving kid dolls. He won a trophy!

At 3am Sunday morning, we were awaken by a big thunderstorm. I had to quickly fix the top tent screen to keep the rain out, and we just cuddled tight in our sleeping bag until it was over. We had our clothing in a cloth bag, and everything else in a waterproof military bag. Luckily, we were in a place where we could crawl out of the tent naked and not scare the neighbors! The sun was out in the morning and I put all the clothes on an ad-hoc clothesline to dry. They were dry by the time we had to leave.

Overall, VVRC's nude car show was absolutely great! It gets a full 10 out of 10 as an event! However, based on what I know about VVRC, I need to give the club a lower score such as a 6 out of 10. I was told by several people that members have to pay full membership and are expected to work. So mowing the grass or cleaning the office is expected if you're a member. Several people said that they prefer either Sun Ray Hills (review) or Blue Lake simply because they don't have to work.

We're sunburned, but we had fun! We're both looking forward to next year!

Competing with Life

I always enjoy Nudist Day's Great Naked Debate, where they pose a question to "some of the top seven bloggers" and always get varied insightful answers. (Why 7? Seems a bit arbitrary to me... And why am I not one of them? Probably because they know I'm too busy.)

This time, they asked "What can be done to attract younger people to the nudist lifestyle?" My answer would be to hire them or educate them.

The nudist lifestyle is an inverse of the non-nudist lifestyle. When people participate in the non-nudist lifestyle, then they are unable to participate in the nudist lifestyle. Take a look:

• Ages -0.75 to 16: Most likely to only travel to nudist area with parent, since they have no car.
• Ages 5 to 18: Has homework and is under parental control. Attends a textile school. Can only be at nudist area if parent takes them, on a weekend.
• Ages 18 to 22: Can drive themselves and are free to do so, but are swamped with textile college, or do something in a group labeled "fun". (This group may include nudist activities, but is also full of activities in which clothing is required.).
• Ages 22 to 30's: Full-time work in textile industry. Weekends are spent doing chores around the house, or something "fun".
• Ages 30's to Retirement: Still full-time work, but benefits allow more free time.
• Ages Retirement+: No school, no work -- can spend all the time doing "fun" or being a full-time nudist.

So the fact that we see mostly older people at the nudist areas, I believe, is quite expected. The younger folks are far too busy with "life" to be able to spend time at nudist areas.

If you want to have younger people in a nudist area, then you have to compete with something that "life" provides, such as a shopping area, a job, or education. Currently, nudist areas mostly only provide "fun", which is a small slice of a young persons life. If you want more college-age people at your nudist area, open up a college! (Then let me know what grad opportunities it provides, or if I have tenure.) If you want more females/families/couples, open up a shopping center. The best way to balance out your membership is to give them a life.

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More ideas

I mentioned previously that the resort owners need to compete with life in order to attract the types of people and the numbers that they hope for. I listed some pretty far-fetched ideas, even though two of them have been done before. Shopping centers exist in many of the really big resorts. Offering a job has been done at least by The White Cockatoo (work options w/ pics) that I know of. As-for nudist educational institutions, I don't think that's been done yet... Like I said, I'm more than willing to have tenure! :-)

Update 2/13/2010: Since the original post, The White Cockatoo has become an adults-only sex club. It's a shame -- it seemed like a really nice place!

As for more practical ideas, VVRC has a great one -- their annual Nude Car Show. This is a unique annual event that brings in huge crowds. What does it cost them? Not much; all they need to do is get the word out, and have the regulars volunteer (or get paid) to help coordinate the event. (I plan to go this year and check it out.)

Create your own unique event. Ideas that come to mind could be some sort of annual play (although it's difficult to do roles without clothing). Sun Ray Hills has a RC plane hobbiest who keeps a landing strip in their field, why not promote a mini air show? Maybe some golf cart races, if you have enough space or some form of track? How about tournaments in random sports and games? You never know, you might gain popularity for having the best Battleship or Scrabble tournament. However, I don't think you'll beat out the World Rock Paper Scissors Society anytime soon, so avoid that one. Maybe mix it up a bit and have a "dress poker" tournament. (Players start naked, and perhaps is best played on a hot day where clothing is punishment. "Strip poker" just isn't as exciting at a nudist resort.)

Universities compete for peoples interest by bringing in speakers and offering lectures on various topics. If I had a nudist resort, I'd certainly try sending Mr. Cunningham an email asking him to come speak. His book, "Nudity & Christianity", has been making waves through the recent news. If he came to speak, he'd attract an audience that enjoys nudity, or is Christian, or is just plain curious to hear him speak. It would likely be a good turnout.

If your on a budget, you can always hire me instead. :-) I'm pretty good at public speaking, but haven't tried it nude yet. (It would be interesting!) However, despite whatever exciting headline I can think up, I doubt there would be much of a turnout. It seems that only the famous people draw the crowds.

Update 2/13/2010: I did eventually do naked public speaking, and it went great! See my Eastover post.

So why not draw in the big-shots? Host an annual conference. There's a few out there, but none seem to be the primary big conference on nudity. Let me know, and I'll present a paper or two...or four. One of the successful conferences I attend is one that hops around to a different university each year, and I could see a nudity-related one doing the same thing among resorts. Anyone want to start it with me? Anyone else think it's a good idea? Well, it's at least food for thought...

What About the Children?!

Indeed, what about the children? [All references are non-bias research studies, so the conclusions drawn are statistical facts. All have links for your reading convenience.]

The APA (?) has published a report [1] on the sexualization of girls, part of which lists substantial evidence that sexualization and objectification is happening (by both males and females) and getting worse in US culture and other Westernized cultures. These are proven to "undermine confidence in and comfort with one's own body, leading to a host of negative emotional consequences, such as shame, anxiety, and self-disgust." [1] The three most common mental health problems in girls/women (eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression) can also be brought on by sexualization. [1] Self-objectification has been repeatedly shown to cause problems concentrating, focusing attention, and thus impairing mental activities such as math and logic. [1] Lastly, self-objectification has been linked to sexual problems in adulthood. [1] These links can be strengthened by the research that shows a link between lack of education and higher rates of teen pregnancy. [2] Of course, teen pregnancy leads to all sorts of problems for the teen, their offspring, and society as a whole. [2]

So how can you lead your child away from this path? To start with, be a sexually liberal parent, because children that come from sexually liberal families are more likely to be sexually liberal themselves. [3] Research shows that children who are exposed to non-sexual nudity develop a positive attitude towards sexuality, which will likely benefit his or her own sexual comfort. [4] And having more body acceptance and sexual comfort is linked to a decrease in teenage pregnancy. [5]

It's interesting to note that textilers (?), both children and adults, often dislike their genitals. Nudists, on the other hand, like all body parts somewhat evenly, including the genitals. [6, 7] This supports the evidence that family nudism has a higher correlation to body self-concept than does sex, race, or location. [7] Also, nudist children have much higher body acceptance and self-image than do non-nudist children. [7] Non-nudist US children somewhat strongly believe that clothing is required, even in hot climates, but are unable to explain why. [8]

It seems that nudism is of benefit to children, but you shouldn't believe my bias opinion. Instead, here's a description (from [9]) from Lawrence Casler, a non-nudist professor and researcher:

"I was able to interview several of these children, in addition to a number of older children who visited Sunshine Village [Nudist Resort] with their parents but were not involved in the children’s camp. For the younger children, nudism chiefly meant nude swimming, having fun without getting one’s clothes dirty, being with friends, etc.

"For the older children, nudism seemed also to have a more serious meaning. These adolescent boys and girls seemed unusually alert and aware of the impact nudism had on their lives. With only one exception, they stated that they would like to be nudists even if their parents were not. In addition to the usual ‘fun’ reasons, many of the teenagers referred to the benefits in mental health and emotional stability.

"Many of them recognized that nudism was giving them a more ‘realistic’ outlook towards sex than their non-nudist friends possessed. When with these friends, or out on dates, they could only feel sorry for people whose attitude towards the human body was not as healthy as their own. Unlike the responses of some adult camp members, these seemed completely genuine and spontaneous. Furthermore, the impression was inescapable that these children, taken as a group, were extraordinarily well-adjusted, happy, and thoughtful."

If that's not enough, here's 205 additional arguments in support of naturism. (25 of which are from the Bible, if that's your thing. It's a recommended read nonetheless.) All I ask is that you consider naturism or at least more liberal attitudes towards nudity and sexuality in your home. Nothing beats personal experience, so here is your invite to find a family friendly nudist resort and give it a try.

What about your children?

Additional comments can be found here.

References:

[1] Eileen L. Zurbriggen, et. al., "Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls", 2007. Link to the full PDF or HTML summary.

[2] Joseph P. Allen, et. al., "Preventing Teen Pregnancy and Academic Failure: Experimental Evaluation of a Developmentally Based Approach", Child Development, Vol. 68, No. 4 (Aug., 1997), pp. 729-742. link to the abstract.

[3] Paul Okami, et. al., "Sexual experiences in early childhood: 18-year longitudinal data from the UCLA family lifestyles project.", The Journal of Sex Research, 9/22/1997. Full text.

[4] Robin J. Lewis and Louis H. Janda, "The relationship between adult sexual adjustment and childhood experiences regarding exposure to nudity, sleeping in the parental bed, and parental attitudes toward sexuality", Archives of Sexual Behavior, 8/1/1988. Abstract.

[5] Elise F. Jones, et. al., Teenage Pregnancy in Industrialized Countries, Yale University Press, 1986. Very brief summary.

[6] Marilyn Story, "Comparisons of Body Self-Concept Between Social Nudists and Nonnudists", The Journal of Psychology, Volume 118, First Half, September 1984, pp. 99-112. Full text.

[7] Marilyn Story, "Factors associated with more positive body self-concepts in preschool children", The Journal of Social Psychology, 108, 1979, pp 49-56. Summary.

[8] R. J. Goldman, J. D. Goldman, "Children’s perceptions of clothes and nakedness: a cross-national study", Genetic Psychology Monographs. 104, 1981, pp 163-185. Summary.

[9] Lawrence Casler, “Some Sociopsychological Observations in a Nudist Camp: A Preliminary Study”, Journal of Social Psychology, 64, 1964, 307–323. Quoted via newsletter.

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Appendix A: Comments on finding sources.

I've been working on an academic-style post entitled "What about the children?!" to hopefully boost readership. (Or at least get a decent number of links to the post via news story comments, where others have asked that same question.) The goal is to make a short post that uses logic and solid, non-bias linked references in order to prove that children are not harmed by non-sexual nudity and may even benefit from it. Part of the challenge is a concise delivery of the information, and the other part is the sources. I'm sure that all of you have heard of the "205 arguments for nudity" publication. I think it's great, as I'm sure all of you do too. More to the point, it is extremely convincing. However, I noticed that some of the arguments don't have references. No biggie, as long as I can make good use of some of the other numerous sources listed at the bottom of the publication. (It sounded like a good idea at the time...) It may be convincing, but it's not necessarily true.

Have you ever looked through those sources? They're mostly opinion, which doesn't help in my goal one bit. In fact, good research in this area is somewhat difficult to come by. Even if I find a reference that looks good, it's very challenging to dig up the actual publication! I hate places that charge for papers. (Isn't academia all about the free exchange of information?) For some papers, I'll just have to rely on what I can get: abstracts, summaries, and what others have quoted. Fear not though, as I've dug up some good stuff already and am slowly putting it together. Thanks for being patient with me; patience is a virtue!

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Appendix B: Afterthoughts.

The goal was to make a short, non-bias, research-backed response to everyone who asks "What about the children?!" Did I succeed? It wasn't easy -- there just isn't a whole lot of research! Hopefully, the statistical facts can put some sense into the textilers that unknowingly support the sexualization of our culture. Remember people: nudity doesn't equal sex, and an exposed nipple isn't the end of the world.

I used the American tactic: Cause fear, then suggest your intention! Does it work? Do you think you can do better? I'd love to hear suggestions for improvement, because I will likely be editing the post a few times. Let's consider it a rough draft for now.

One issue currently is that it's difficult to differentiate between "sex" and "sexuality". People in the US have trouble separating the two, but I'm not sure what I can do to clarify the terms. "Sexuality" is good for children, and "sex" (and sexual abuse) is bad for children. (There is plenty of research linking sexual abuse with later sexual problems and violence.)

Lastly, a link that I found and wanted to put in the post...but didn't. Apparently there is a book that links tight fitting bra's with breast cancer. I assume the same is true with male undies or tight jeans, which may be a reason for the high rate of infertility. Anyway, that's yet another reason why clothing is bad.

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Appendix C: A better version.

A better summary of research has been done by Mark Storey. See Nude & Natural 23.4 (Summer 2004), "Children, Social Nudity and Academic Research".

Review: Sun Ray Hills

We have never been to a clothing optional resort before, and during our recent vacation we decided to try one that was along the way. Sun Ray Hills is a secluded 164 acre resort that is near Burlington, Wisconsin. (A bit south of Milwaukee.)

It was easy to find since they have a sign along the main road. We traveled down the long driveway, which has several signs warning that it is private property and that there are naked people ahead. I was impressed with the camp security -- there was a 7' fence and an electric gate. We didn't have the code to open the gate, so we pressed another button for assistance. (This pages the owner to come let us in and get us registered.) They had all the typical rules: no cameras, no sex, be good or be thrown out. Tent camping and 1 day of being there was $55. That's cheaper than a motel (only slightly), but more expensive than a state park.

We got to our site, got out of our clothes, and got the tent all set up. The rest of the night, people kept telling me that they couldn't believe how small it is. (I'm talking about the tent, by the way.) It's small, but it has an air mattress and a thick almost-2-person sleeping bag. We cuddle up and everything is very comfortable.

We were starving by this time, and were a bit disappointed. At the resort is a nice bar (open 7pm onward) and a snack shop with seemingly random hours and not much for snacks. We left, got a good lunch in Burlington, and came back. Supper was at the bar, which only offers small frozen pizza's. With a little luck, the bartender won't burn it too bad. Food is the only part of the resort that was seriously lacking.

After we returned, we were quickly attacked by the "newbie hunters" (as I like to call them). They were a very fun and friendly couple who were probably in their 30's. The guy was a little eccentric from being in the army, but certainly good natured and fun to be around. They were nice enough to give us the grand tour of the place.

It's a county all by itself. It has the bar (complete with pool, big TV, jukebox, etc.), the swimming pool (with outdoor showers, a water-slide, bathrooms, snack shop, and plenty of lounge chairs), the recreation area (volleyball and other games), the "city area" where there are numerous RV's and campers, a "rural area" where the campers are nestled into the woods and completely private, and the large field which has an RC plane landing strip. It's a big place, and they have something for everyone. Also, the entire community runs on golf carts. It seems that everyone there owns and uses a golf cart for travel around the resort.

Part of our grand tour was them showing us several properties for rent. The thought occurred to me: $1325 for full membership per year (incl. water & electric) is really cheap compared to what we pay for rent! If I had a job in the area, I'd certainly consider moving in!

Everyone there is wonderful! Seriously, the best people you will find will be at resorts such as this. However, one thing I noticed is that they were all older than us.

I asked a guy what other places there were for being nude in the area, either resorts or beaches, and if he recommended any of them. His reply was simple, he said that he goes to Sun Ray Hills. In other words, it's the best place to be in the area. I realize that too, and am already planning a return visit. This resort gets a 9 out of 10, with the point loss because of food.

Update 2/13/2010: In retrospect, this resort ranks lower than I initially thought. I enjoyed it mostly because it was a new experience. It's an AANR-only club which really doesn't have much for younger people to do. The bar is the main attraction. It also seems to be a bit of a swinger hangout -- the groups who I would call swingers that go to the VVRC parties are always from Sun Ray Hills.

Redefining Stereotypes

"The people complained as the nudists strolled down the beach."

Stereotypes are great, aren't they? At the mention of a single word, you get all sorts of ideas and emotions that stem from your knowledge of that word. This makes communication much easier since you don't have to describe all the details, but instead convey a general concept. Once key words are spoken, people can make all sorts of assumptions about the topic. These assumptions sometimes get validated, and the stereotype becomes stronger.

Despite the usual definitions, I consider a stereotype to be the extra baggage that comes with a word. This extra baggage varies from person to person, because it is formed from experience. For example, police officers might see college students as troublemakers, but professors see them as smart, creative, and powerful future leaders. (Or smart, creative troublemakers at the very least.) Everybody should have unique stereotypes based on their unique experiences, however, far too many of them share one form of input -- mass media.

Even though there are hundreds of TV channels, magazines, and radio stations in the US, they don't offer much diversity for stereotypes. Part of the reason is because they are mostly all owned by only 5 companies. The other part of the reason is because stereotypes are used as shortcuts in the plots. Smart people are always nerdy looking, jocks are always dumb and wearing sports shirts (or carrying equipment), and everyone always looks picture perfect. Of course, there are many many more. If any type of media goes against these stereotypes, it takes some extra effort on the part of the writers to explain why. Sometimes, this is even the basis for the entire film or TV show. (ex)

So the media has stereotypes and uses them as shortcuts -- how is this a problem? It's not, unless you happen to be an exception of the stereotype. Are there people who are not picture perfect? Or non-nerdy smart people? Smart jocks? Perhaps almost everyone is an exception with stereotypes like these, which makes me question why the stereotypes exist in the first place. It's because they have always existed, since they were first observed, by a feedback cycle that confirms itself with every true instance. That girl did something stupid, and she happened to be blond, so that reinforces the "blond" stereotype. (If her hair was another color, she probably would've been ignored.) With reinforcement like that, the "blond" stereotype will never go away unless all blond girls become geniuses. The same is true with the typical "nudist" stereotype, as long as there are perverts occasionally found near nudists. And sex sells, so the media is more than willing to reinforce this one. The reinforcement cycle for stereotypes is a tough one to break!

The stereotypes tied to medical terms have always bugged me. When someone says they have [insert medical term], others always seem to think that they are "broken" somehow and need medical attention. This isn't so bad with serious illnesses, but now there are medical terms for anything slightly abnormal. We don't seem to understand that people are all different. I have nyctalopia, transient insomnia, border-line scoliosis, some pectus excavatum, and many more -- feel sorry for me yet? You shouldn't, it means that I can't see well in the dark, sometimes can't sleep, and look a little different. The point is that the medical terms strike up thoughts of me being ill or handicapped, when I'm not; I'm merely different. Sometimes an illness pushes people to be better than most, like Lance Armstrong and many others. Do you think people confuse terms like "nudist" with some sort of illness? Perhaps people think that nudists have a mental condition (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?) that makes them want to commit the perversion of being naked. Maybe I should've added "nudism" to my list above.

Using the terms "nudist", "naturist", and "nudism" only strike up good thoughts with people who practise them and know them well. To outsiders, these terms make us appear slightly abnormal and possibly even ill. For this blog, I intend to fix this issue by using alternative terms that have different stereotypes attached, so that any type of reader gets the correct idea:

• Person (and People) -- The natural form of a human. No clothes, no accessories, and without unnatural modification. This renders the phrase "naked people" obsolete, since people are by default naked. If people happen to be wearing clothes, then they are "clothed people".
• Textiler -- People who have a compulsive desire to wear clothing, and expect that everyone else also wear clothing. (This may be linked to OCD or garment fetishism?)
• Beach -- A place with water and sand where people like to go to relax. A beach is by default a "nude beach" simply because beaches cannot wear clothing. The textilers can go to the "textile beach" if they so desire.

"The textilers complained as the people strolled down the beach."

Thanks to the stereotypes attached, the first quote (at the top) makes us think the nudists are the abnormal ones. The revised version makes us think the textilers are the abnormal ones. Which do you think has the favorable impact?

Update 2/13/2010: I didn't follow through for very long using these terms. Should I? A few months down the road I was using the typical language again.

Introduction

Greetings and G'Day!

As the name implies, I am an academic. I have a master's degree in the engineering and computing discipline, and I'm currently shopping around for a good PhD program while keeping a great job dealing with safety-critical systems. More importantly though, I have the academic mind-set that allows an excellent mix of realism, creativity, and intellect. People find that I have a very unique and interesting way of seeing things, which hopefully can keep readers of this blog interested and perhaps even inspired.

I like to research and contribute to everything that I see as a good idea. This list includes things like technology (an obvious favorite), environmentalism and the whole "green" movement, and nudity. Although the last doesn't appear to fit in very well, I assure you that it's important and deserving of more research and support. I wouldn't have started this blog if it wasn't.

Currently, I have several different ideas in mind for this blog. My goal is to put out a good post roughly once a week (maybe less?) in one of the following categories:

• Academic-style paper -- Researching and presenting some sort of emerging trend or issue.
• Ideas -- Food for thought on some topic or issue, or perhaps a reply to other news.
• Reviews -- I like to check out new places and people, so expect feedback on things like the Nude Car Show and other area events.
• Stories -- I at least have a long story to share regarding my trip to Australia, and plenty of other stories.

As always, I encourage discussion and would love to hear your ideas, even if they are posted elsewhere in the blogosphere. (Blogs I read are listed on the side-bar.) Comments are currently open to all for all posts, and I will do my best to moderate posts which are unfavorable.

I admit -- I am fairly new to social nudity. I've been studying the nudist culture and going nude at home for many years, but have only recently joined the crowd. It's the best thing I have ever done, and both my significant other (also new) and I are now hooked. You'll be able to follow along as we explore this brave new world together. Hopefully she will do some writing here as well, since her views are much more fresh and unclouded by years of research.

Hopefully I've captured your interest with this first post. Are you ready? I'm certainly ready... So let's go!