We need stories to humanize us, to help share our perspectives, because if it's one thing I know as a lifelong lover of words, there is no greater force for change than story. And this is mine, my memoir, in which I grow out of years of repression and low self-esteem into adulthood, confident and... Continue Reading →
The Problem of the Penis
Warning: This article contains the word penis. It actually comes up, a lot. (Sorry). You've been warned. I think it's time we talked about the elephant in the room, and by elephant, I mean penis. Nudists like to wax poetic about the feeling of freedom you get from discarding your clothing, as do I, while ignoring... Continue Reading →
Overcoming Taboos: The Inevitable Progression Towards Public Nudity
Someday in the near future, no later than 2040, you will go to the beach and see more than a few people not wearing a bathing suit, or anything else for that matter. People will be able to get their mail in the buff, sunbathe their bare butts in their own backyard or skinny dip in their... Continue Reading →
Nudity, Censorship, and Discrimination
Imagine you are a gay man or woman happily married to someone of the same sex. To celebrate your love, you post a vacation photo with your significant other, kissing on the beach. None of your friends or family members object to the image, because they have known you and your spouse for many years,... Continue Reading →
Lost in the Woods and Naked!
Image courtesy of Searching4Eden Do you ever feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day? You know, where he wakes up every morning to the same song, "I've got you babe . . ." because his entire life is a repeat of the same day? Last Thursday, I was in that Groundhog Day rut, and wanted to do... Continue Reading →
What is ‘Naked?’
What does it mean to be naked? Western civilization seems to understand the concept, and most people will agree that, regardless of personal belief, public nudity is not the status quo. But there is constant disagreement as to what constitutes nakedness, how to define a public place, and when or where and under what circumstances... Continue Reading →
What Naturism Means to Me
The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself—Mark Twain Yes, I am a nudist! Or naturist, as I prefer to call myself. I've been beating around the bush regarding this issue, hinted at it here and there, in articles and in my fiction, and to many of my astute readers this may come as... Continue Reading →
The Practical Benefits of a Nudist World: Environment, Hygiene, and Security
Can nudism save the world ...? Not really. No. Thanks for stopping by. OK, wait. There's more! But you probably guessed that, right? Nudism/Naturism won't save the world, but it can make the world a better place. Now, I am not going to go into the usual spiel about body acceptance and freedom. Too much... Continue Reading →
The Missing Surah: Nudity in Religion
My religious background is almost comic. I was baptized (at a very late age) into the Greek Orthodox faith. Usually, this happens a year after birth, but my parents procrastinated a very long time and I ended up looking like a naked hippie dangling from the priest's arms, with my long, blond(e), luxurious hair---some people... Continue Reading →
The Heroic Nude
The heroic nude dates back thousands of years, to my distant ancestors, the Ancient Greeks. Communal nudity was not uncommon to Greece, where farming, exercising, swimming, and sparring was practiced in nothing but bare skin. The prefix gymn means naked, denoting all of the activities originally practiced in the buff, including gymnastics and "going to the... Continue Reading →
