Get naked, be happy
07/10/2008
“I think therefore I am.”
— Philosopher Rene Descartes
I am beautiful. I am happy. I am.
In the last issue of the VC Reporter we printed the article Naked Ambition, the story of local nudists who want Bates Beach to return to its former iconic self, a clothing-optional destination.
Not only did we write the story, but I personally attended this nudist gathering.
And there I was, in a summer dress, and everyone around me was naked: Tall, short, young, old, thin, overweight, white, black, hairy and the hairless, and every body type and ethnicity in between. While some were more willing to exhibit their nudity in front of the camera, the one thing they all had in common was that they were happy.
When it comes to body image, these people seem to be just fine about their appearance or they were hiding it really well. But I noticed a person can’t really hide shame when they are naked.
Why can’t my generation, the children of the baby boomers, appreciate every body type?
We have come to some foregone conclusion that if our bodies aren’t perfect then we need to be ashamed of being naked or being seen naked.
How did we get this way?
Maybe we should turn off our televisions and start looking at the world around us.
Now, I am not condoning an unhealthy lifestyle that leads to weight gain, but if we look around us, none of us are perfect. We are all getting older, we are all dealing with slowing metabolism, and we all hate gravity.
But why do we feel shame about these natural processes?
The human body is a beautiful thing. From our youth to our twilight years, the body is the essence of life. And when I was around these naturists, it was not about staring at what is typically covered. It was about being open and free, supposedly the way before Adam and Eve ate that apple.
And for those out there who think only older people get naked, let the truth be told, these nudists have been shedding their apparel for most of their life, most of them starting in their 20s.
And being naked means being sexual?
Well, not with these folks. I think the grill was getting more action with the assorted hot dogs and buns.
These people weren’t acting sexual. No innuendos, no vulgar comments, nada. And to be quite honest, I haven’t heard of any sexual assaults upon these nudists, but rather people who are clothed.
If we want to put to put the idea of being a naturist or being critical of one into perspective, think of this philosophy.
It appears that the things we love or hate most about others are the very same things we love or hate most about ourselves, which leaves me with a few final thoughts about the situation at Bates Beach.
One that pertains to the Golden Rule: Treat others the way we want to be treated. By the same token, if we are critical of others, then we should expect to be criticized. If we are judgmental of others, then we should expect or even desire to be judged.
But in truth, no one really wants that.
Then I thought of a phrase that really seems to sum it up for all nudists who do not want to be judged, just as they do not judge others: Get naked, be happy.
For them, it’s really that simple and for that reason alone the clothing-optional status of the Bates Beach should be restored by state officials.
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Comments
Thank you for a wonderful article that captures nudism in a way that nudists, by and large, can't seem to get across to the general public. As Papa Tom stated above "a well thought out piece of writing."
Again, thank you.
Finally....someone in the media that gets it and gets it right. Thanks for this piece and for you openminded opinion.
Dear Ms. Author,
Yours is a good article, one of the best I've read, but you still slipped up here and there. Although you come very close, you still don't quite get it.
QUOTE " ... I personally attended this nudist gathering. And there I was, in a summer dress, and everyone around me was naked ..."
That's the usual outsider-looking-in disclaimer. Why did you feel the need to assure your relatives, friends, editors, and readers that you remained conventionally clothed? We're you afraid that, if you didn't, they'd get the "wrong idea" about you?
QUOTE "While some were more willing to exhibit their nudity in front of the camera ..."
Do you really see nudity as an "exhibit"? Would you have written ",,, some were more willing to exhibit their clothedness in front of the camera"? A more careful author would have used a neutral construction, like "... some were more willing to be photographed."
QUOTE "We have come to some foregone conclusion that if our bodies aren’t perfect then we need to be ashamed of being naked or being seen naked ... but if we look around us, none of us are perfect. We are all getting older, we are all dealing with slowing metabolism, and we all hate gravity."
No, we do not all _hate_ gravity. Some of us simply _accept_ gravity as a fact of physics and of life. We'd all be better off if everyone did so.
More generally, you've bought into the uniquely textile idea that 'perfect' bodies are youthful bodies and are youthful bodies of a certain type. I think you'd have a hard time justifying that point of view factually and logically.
Then you go on to use another loaded verb. I, for one, am not 'dealing' with getting older. Instead, I observe in myself the natural, normal, inevitable process that I observe in others, a process that occurs in every form of life. And I'm not 'dealing' with the inevitable effects of gravity on my outer shell any more than I'm 'dealing' with the fact that apples fall. That's just how the universe works.
Notwithstanding my comments above, please accept my congratulations on a very good piece.
You will get it, probably quite soon. You're almost there. Keep trying. You've definitely got the right stuff!
I thought this was a nicely written article. I hope the author gets a chance to return to Bates Beach on her own (without the camera crew). Then shed her sundress so she can experience for herself the feeling of the sea air and sun all over her skin to more fully understand what all the hoopla is about. Who knows, we may have a naturist in the making.
Naturists, a nicer group of people, you will never meet.....
I am vary hurt by the criticalness of Jennifer! Were a clothing optional group and we don't make any comments on the state of dress a person is in our group. There were other folks there dressed as well as children dressed at times. 1St timers tend to stay dressed for a while then they make there own decision. I am so sorry someone felt the need to pick apart words. I do not know weather this was a first time experience or not but if it was I would be so mad if someone was this cruel to a new comer. Michael is my new hero if we would ever be blessed to have her again, words could not express. I really am hurt she did not deserve this. I hope we have more news reports as positive as this. I am going to read the reporter from now on!!!!! I am going to send it around the country on line too. I hope that despite this, more people will read the reporter. I hope that our group can deliver upon this and return clothing optional Bates Beach as a gift to the dear people on the southern coast love you all yes jennifer you too. Larry
I think it's a decent article. The only thing I'd like to have read is that after she saw all of these positive things she wrote about, Jennifer gave it a try. I go to Torrey Pines State Beach. Yeah, it's a long drive. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...
I am from Tn. where there are not very many nudist resorts. I was a newbe who always wanted to experience this. This past Sat. I visited one for the first time. I had the best time I have had in years. I am still trying to convince my wife to go with me next time. In my opinion from a newbe, this story is right on target. I would also like to say that Jennifer was a little out of line and she reminds me of a few people I met last week, The ones who in my opinion were stuck up and had to stick together with their own group. Anyway....if I can get past Jennifers comment, I would like to show my wife this story, so maybe she will think about this experience.
I am, therefore I am sexual?
--Naturalist, Dare Erectness
Unfortunately, much of the controversy surrounding clothing-optional beaches seems to stem from the lewd or lascivious behavior engaged in by that group of over-libidinous peoples preferring to satiate their promiscuous appetites amidst the free-range wilds of the open-air market.
I profess that this is no true scar upon the bare scene of Bates that differs from any other public beach in our area. I've been witness to more scenes of overt public penetration and similar affiliations on more populous public beaches than I have at Bates. Any encounters witnessed at Bates are particularly more discreet and must be actively sought out to be verified.
Is it merely the unveiling of the human form that leads the pious to assumptions of increased sexual prowess among the "naturalist" crowd?
Much as the bare human body has been vilified by our modern times, so too has sexuality, that basest of human functions, been so enshrouded by puritanical prudery as to make man wholly in the image of sin.
On a quite recent trip to Vancouver, I was surprised to discover a headline on a local rag debating the future of their own clothing-free beaches. And, they seem to address the issue with much more frankness concerning the true controversy.
http://www.straight.com/article-155646/w...
Long live west-coast freedom.
Aug 27, 2008 8:32 pm US/Pacific
Judge: Leave Nudists Be At San Onofre Beach
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (AP) ― Nude sunbathers can continue to let it all hang out along a secluded stretch of San Onofre State Beach, unless someone objects.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Sheila Fell ruled Wednesday that state parks officials can cite sunbathers and swimmers in the buff only if a private citizen complains.
It's the same policy that has been in place since 1979, but complaints of lewd behavior prompted a crackdown by state parks officials earlier this year. They announced they would outlaw nudity as of Sept. 2.
State parks district superintendent Ken Kramer told the Los Angeles Times that even though they "don't agree" with the court's decision, they plan to follow the judge's directive.
What the article fails to mention is that the lewd behavior was taking place on neighboring Camp Pendleton military beach where rangers do not have any power or duty to patrol and for which San Onofre State Beach nudists are not responsible.
What a lovely but of insight! No innuendo, no tired old cliches, just a well thought out piece of writing. As a husband, father, and grandfather, who has spent his entire adult life trying to instill a positive body image in all of his loved ones, I thank you.