To Be Naked!

I think that most people have the wrong idea about nudists. It is assumed that nudists are always swingers, perverts, or just plain crazy for not wanting to wear clothes. Hubby and I happen to be swingers and nudists so that does happen, but it is NOT the norm.

Most of the nudists that I met are actually very religious, believing nudity to be what god prefers. After all, he had Adam and Eve naked in the Garden of Eden, and it was only after eating the Apple of Knowledge that the couple realized that they were naked and decided to cover up. Many nudists are also after the perfect tan!

In any case, while I am sure there are nudist perverts - like there are non-nudist perverts - I don't recall meeting one. This was probably due to the background checks performed at the resort I worked at to make sure prospective members weren't sex offenders. Plus, the rules of the resort that are designed to keep perverts out. :-) Here's the resort website.

So... Why did I decide to become a nudist? Well, I am not sure it was was a decision; much like one does not decide to become a lesbian. I have always had the urge to be naked... along with the entirely conflicting urge to not let anyone SEE me naked, lol! I talked about that here.

I remember sitting at home one day looking for a job, and at the same time, I had come across a blog written by a nudist girl. I was fascinated by her blog! For example, while she was in college, she would go to a somewhat private trail, and jog naked - and I thought "Wow! So brave!"

I came across an ad in the paper for a part-time position at a local resort that just so happened to be nudist. Talk about providence! I called up and had them mail me the application, and brochure for their campground. I checked out their website, and got SO EXCITED! When they gave me the interview, and then decided to hire both Hubby and I as part-time caretakers... I am not sure I have ever been happier to get a job!

I was told when I was hired that since we were employees who would deal with outsiders - such as the delivery drivers for Fed-Ex - we were not required to be naked. So, at first I was shy and kept my clothes on. Very quickly though, I realized that I was being silly. I was just a body, and I wasn't so different from everyone else. There were some really skinny in-shape women, but there were also some women who were my size or almost. There was also a couple of women who were as old or older than my grandma, and they had NO problem being naked outdoors in front of everyone.

I soon took off my clothes... but... well... all of those women did have one thing in common, they shaved their legs, waxed them, or otherwise removed their leg hair, and I am not good at shaving on a daily basis. I'd forget, or I'd just not want to. I was embarrassed to think that these naked leg-hair free women would see me with hairy legs, and judge me. (I knew the men probably wouldn't look lower than my tits, and I wasn't trying to get their attention anyway, so I didn't care what they thought, lol!) I solved the problem by wearing a towel or sarong at all times.

I had SO much fun that summer! I was able to swim naked in the pool, I had fun chatting and interacting with everyone there. I even got to massage people! This was the best job ever, and I never wanted it to end.

Then... the full time caretakers decided to quit, and we were elevated to their position - with no part timers to help us... We were expected to work 7 days a week - though I do think some of the board members took over for us a couple of times so that we could have a break. And it wasn't just the 9-5 business hours that we had to work, it was until the pool closed, because Hubby would have to check the pool every hour, and then cover it when it closed at 10.

It got to us, and we got stressed out. We tended to keep to ourselves when we were off duty. We didn't even swim in the pool or attend the various cook outs. We were warned at the end of the season that they may not hire us back, but I thought we did a good job despite the sudden and unexpected challenge thrust in our laps.

The next spring, I contacted them to ask when we would start, and was informed that we were not going to be hired back - not even as part timers again. This broke my heart. I really couldn't understand it, and I cried for like 2 days. Now that I have had time to think about it, I realize that the problem really was us. We just did not have the training to do the job with a high standard of excellence. I think we could have grown into the job, and done very well, but they found a couple who had more experience, and I can't blame them. I do wonder why they wouldn't even take us back part time though, since we WERE great at doing the job part time...

Anyway, I came to realize something very important that summer: I realized that there is nothing wrong with being naked. There's nothing wrong with people seeing me naked, and if they don't like what they see, then it is THEIR problem and not mine! How can parents expect to teach their children that the human body is natural, and to be realistic with their body image if nudity is considered taboo.

There are lots of women who object to yet ANOTHER billboard with a naked woman on it. "I don't want my kids seeing that!" I agree with one point, if the billboard is depicting the woman in a sexual position, yes that does not need to be seen by kids. BUT if it is simply showing a naked woman or man, and chances are they are actually showing anything anyway, I see no problem.

Then there is the argument that naked women on billboards and on TV give our children - especially girls - a bad body image and self-esteem. I can agree with that as well, but I think the solution to the body image - and self esteem - problem is to allow nudity in public! Seriously! If a child were raised in a nudist resort, and saw naked bodies of all shapes and sizes everyday, I really think that they would grow up knowing that their body was normal.

At the resort, I only ever saw one girl want to keep covered up, and she was 12, so that's only natural. The nudist parents say that pretty much all children go through a phase in their early teens in which they want to cover up. Their bodies are changing, and it's much too confusing to live with - even with clothes on! The rest of the teenaged girls (and preteens) had no problem hanging out naked, and they had no problems with self esteem either.

I am trying to raise my boys to think of nudity as normal. They see us naked, and when we have guests that come over and get naked, they see them too. Then I have to confuse them by telling them that they can't let the people outside see them naked, and when they ask me "Why?" the best I can come up with is, "Because most people think it's wrong to be naked."

This explanation contradicts other beliefs that I want to teach them, such as "Don't worry about what others think." So if I could change things, I would have more areas dedicated to clothing optional recreation. A great place for playing naked would be one of the splashpads around town. If just one of them was dedicated to the nudist crowd, I bet people would suddenly realize that it's not such a bad thing to be naked after all. :-)

Have a happy day!