Mahoning Valley Naturist

Kermit the Frog is a nudist!

2011-11-16T12:59:00.000-05:00

Turns out, Kermit the Frog is a nudist! Who knew?

West Penn Naturist Schedule

2011-09-11T11:18:00.002-04:00

West Penn Naturist, Pittsburghs only family oriented nudist club, will open the 2011/2012 on Sept 17. You can find the season schedule on our website under the Winter Events tab. www.westpennnaturist.com

We are looking forward to seeing you all this year.

Nude Season Is Open

2011-06-11T09:59:00.002-04:00

Summertime is here and the nudist season has begun! White Thorn Lodge in Western Pennsylvania opened Memorial Day weekend and was filled with people who couldn’t wait to shed their clothes and feel the warm sun on their bodies!

Wintertime can be cruel in this part of the country and it was fun to watch how happy everyone looked as they relaxed by the pool and caught up with old friends. There is something about social nudity that truly changes a persons entire attitude. It makes one come alive and helps put into perspective what’s truly important.

Shed your clothes and come alive this summer! Even if its a quick skinny dip in the backyard pool or an afternoon of nude sunbathing, take the time to feel comfortable in your own skin. Trust me, you’ll love it! To quote Marilyn Monroe from the video below: “Come on in! The water is so refreshing.”

Bill Cunningham enjoys social nudity!

2011-04-23T10:35:00.002-04:00

Special thanks to the blog Diary of a Nudist for this heads up!

On Friday April 22, nationally syndicated talk show host Bill Cunningham interviewed Joann Roessler on his daily local program heard over 700 WLW. She is the owner of Cedar Trails Nudist Retreat in Cincinnati. Willie dedicated the hour to talking about nude recreation and did so in a very respectable manner. He even admits early on in the interview to attending nudist resorts and activities himself.

You can hear the interview in it's entirety on the WLW website. Way to go Bill!

Naked Yoga

2011-04-21T18:43:00.005-04:00

We all want to look our best when naked and yoga can be a great way to stay in shape! NakedNews reporter Eila Adams shows us some Yoga positions in their weekly segment Flex Appeal.

You can see more of Eila at www.nakednews.com

Nudist Etiquette

2011-03-12T11:19:00.005-05:00

The folks at Howcast.com have prepared a pretty good video on nude beach etiquette. Actually, most of this would apply to any nudist event. If you're new to nudism and have questions about how to act on your first visit, this video answers most of the commonly asked question. Enjoy!

White Thorn Lodge 2011

2011-02-19T11:33:00.003-05:00

White Thorn Lodge has posted their calendar of events for the 2011 season (You can find it here). This well known nudist getaway is nestled in the rolling hills of Western Pennsylvania and is the premiere, family oriented nudist resort in the tri state area. Conveniently located within an hour or so of Pittsburgh, Erie, Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and Wheeling.

White Thorn Lodge is a popular destination for Nudists from Memorial Day thru Labor Day. Not just locals enjoy our amenities. Nudists from across the U.S.A. and Canada have stopped to enjoy the peace and friendship that White Thorn Lodge has to offer.

White Thorn Lodge is a member owned resort cooperative club founded in 1961. Members contribute time and effort to keep it in top shape. This helps them keep the operating costs down so that they can pass the savings on to you. WTL invites you to browse their website at www.whitethornlodge.org Be sure to check out the “photos” page to see WTL’s spacious manicured grounds, picturesque camping facilities, pool and hot tub, tennis courts and of course the hard and sand volleyball courts. Click on “Events” to view the many events that are scheduled beginning Memorial Day weekend.

For the past 40 years White Thorn Lodge has become internationally famous for it Super Bowl of Nude Volleyball held the weekend after Labor Day. Every year White Thorn lodge welcomes over one thousand spectators and players of all levels. In 2010 seventy teams from the U.S.A. and Canada traveled to WTL to compete in classes form novice to the top class AA.

Since 1962, White Thorn has been affiliated with the AANR (American Association for Nude Recreation) and its regional association AANR-East (American Association for Nude Recreation - Eastern Region, Inc.) as a full-member club.

You're a Nudist?!

2011-01-30T18:13:00.003-05:00

Recently, a coworker and I were discussing the overwhelming need to get away and go on a nice long vacation. As we discussed the many places we would like to visit she quickly asked “Do you know where the Smiths went on vacation?! A Nudist Resort! Can you believe it?!”

Without thinking and almost like a knee-jerk reaction I said “Yes I can believe it, I’ve gone many times myself.” This did not register with her as she continued on. “I was so shocked that….wait?! YOU’VE gone?!”

Normally I don’t talk about being a nudist at my workplace for obvious reasons however, I have worked with this person (let’s call her Betty) for almost 20 years and I could tell she was genuinely curious and desperately wanted more information. The “Smiths” are mutual friends of ours and she just couldn’t picture them going nude. It seemed so out of character to her for them to try nudism that she just had to know more about it. What I said next surprised even me!

I blurted out “Yes Betty, I’ve been a nudist for several years!”. Oops, did I just say that out loud? Well it was too late. There it was, out in the open for all to see. No turning back now! I saw myself as a nudist and couldn’t stop myself from saying so. She just stared at me for what felt like an hour and said “I think that’s fantastic!”

I spent the next 45 minutes answering her questions and discussing what it’s like to go nude and be free. She really admired us for being able to do so even though she didn’t think it was for her. Maybe its not for her right now, but I’m betting that somewhere down the line she will give it a try. Her curiosity was too intense to just leave it alone.

Perhaps you’re a lot like Betty and you’ve come to this site in search of more information. How do I become a nudist is an excellent question and wikiHow has written a great article on how to get started. I gave much of the same advice to my friend. Mostly, be comfortable with it at home first before going to a club or resort for your first visit.

As for me, I found it very liberating to openly talk about a lifestyle I’ve come to embrace. A lifestyle that makes me feel good about myself and has changed my perspective on the world around me. Not to mention those I come in contact with on a regular basis.

Who knows? Perhaps I’ll even bump into the Smiths sometime at a nudist event. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to find more people I know enjoy nude recreation. I hope you’re one of them!

Did I mention I'm a nudist?

2011-01-30T18:09:00.003-05:00

I found this cartoon on a few nudist blogs (naturistnews.blogspot.com, edunaras.tumblr.com) and wanted to repost it here. It captures a lot of our attitudes about nudity. Feel free to post your comments below.

Betty White is nude!

2011-01-30T17:59:00.004-05:00

This is a cute story that has been floating around the internet. Actress Betty White has created her very own calendar – complete with shirtless, buff men serving her as she lounges by a pool. The calendar's publisher bills White as "America's newest pin-up girl," according to CNN.com.

However, that's not quite true. In the 1940's and 50's, Betty was a model and wasn't afraid to pose nude. That girl-next-door smile makes these shots more sweet than sexy and you can see more of them here.

We say good for you Betty! It's just another reason why we love you so much. Enjoy some classic Betty White in this clip below from the Match Game.

Let's go Sunning in the Garden of Eden

2011-01-26T19:26:00.008-05:00

In 1954, Hollywood 'B' movie director Max Nosseck came up with a nudist exploitation film called "Garden of Eden". Filmsite.org describes the film as follows:

"By claiming to be an 'educational' naturism documentary, this 90-minute film skirted the anti-nudity film restrictions of its time. It was the first naturist film shot in color and the first nudist camp film since the 1930s. It features the requisite volley-ball games, swimming, and water-skiing in the nude. It faced legal battles and was banned as obscene (or "indecent") after its controversial release - until 1957 when the NY Court of Appeals ruled in its favor that the film (depicting nudism in existing nudist camps) was neither "indecent" or "obscene" and therefore not subject to censorship."

The film features a song called "Let's Go Sunning" that seems to be making a comeback of sorts. It's being featured in a video game called "Fallout 3" that takes place in the year 2277, 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse (Yeah, I don't get it either).

It's a catchy tune and I hope you enjoy it.

The Naked Truth Wins

2011-01-26T18:52:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Carly Udy of the "Bay of Plenty Times" who recently won an award from the New Zealand Naturist Foundation for the best article written by a non-naturist.

Judges said: "it takes a brave journalist to venture into such an unfamiliar environment, but that's just what Carly Udy did".

You can read the article here.

What do a nudist and Dr. Phil have in common?

2011-01-08T11:52:00.002-05:00

I found this story in the Beverly Hills Courier. It seems Dr. Phil and CBS are being sued by two women who were "traumatized by the presence of a naked man during an episode of a 'Dr. Phil' spin-off" called "The Dr. Phil House".

Shirley Rae Dieu, 56, of Irvine, and Crystal Matchett, 26, of Westland, Mich., agreed to take part in a 2007 episode which was wired with cameras and microphones to give viewers a supposedly unvarnished look at what went on inside. The women and four other people were part of a show on the difficulties they all had in interacting with others, and at one point, a nudist was sent to the house to test their reactions.

"As a naked man ran into the house, I was in shock and total disbelief of what was happening, feeling violated and disgusted," Matchett stated. "I heard ... Dieu scream, 'How dare you' while covering her eyes and running into the bedroom."

"This incident was part and parcel of the scenarios being used at the house to focus each of the participants on their ability to tolerate unique individuals and situations, and to resist their own judgmental character," attorney Kelli L. Sager stated in her court papers.

The justices said the case can move forward. You can read the entire story here.

Nudism in the winter

2011-01-08T11:42:00.002-05:00

How do you practice nudism in the wintertime? Do you wear an article of clothing? Turn up the heat in your home? Stay clothed until Spring? Perhaps you live someplace where it never gets cold enough to worry about (luck you).

Take the poll in the upper right hand corner of this blog or feel free to leave a comment below. Stay warm and stay nude!

How to look like a nude model

2010-12-15T19:33:00.003-05:00

Dawn Petten is currently appearing in a stage production of Studies in Motion in which the 36 year old actor plays a nude model. She says it’s like skinny-dipping in stage light.

How does she stay in shape for the role? Click here for her workout routine.

...and now for something completley different, here is a naked man playing a Ukulele!

2010-12-15T19:02:00.003-05:00

Very funny comedy from Australia's Got Talent

The Nudist and the Airport

2010-11-13T13:56:00.007-05:00

As you may have seen in the news lately, there is a growing backlash over the controversial full-body scanners that are being placed in the airports around the Untied States. CNET.com is reporting that “A growing number of airline passengers, labor unions, and advocacy groups, say the new procedures--a choice of full-body scans or what the TSA delicately calls "enhanced pat-downs"--go too far.”

The article goes on to say that “Unions representing U.S. Airways pilots, American Airlines pilots, and some flight attendants are advising their members to skip the full-body scans, even if it means that their genitals are touched.” Really?! You would rather be sexually assaulted then to be seen naked??

CNET goes on to report that “Air travelers are speaking out online, with a woman saying in a YouTube video her breasts were "twisted," and ExpressJet pilot Michael Roberts emerging as an instant hero after he rejected both the body scanning and "enhanced pat-downs" options and was unceremoniously ejected from the security line from Memphis International Airport.”

As I try to look at this issue from a nudist perspective, two things strike me as odd:

1. As a country that has no problem with exposure to violence yet recoils in horror at the sight of a bare breast (Ms. Jackson if you’re Nasty!), are we making a big deal out of nothing? Does it really matter who sees us naked? Why is this such a hang up for us? I certainly don’t want to go through an “enhanced pat-down” every time I go to the airport. Actually, I got no problem riding the plan in my birthday suit. But I’m a nudist and once you’ve embraced the lifestyle, your perspective on these issues tends to be a little skewed.

2. There is very little discussion on the long-term effects that this type of radiation may play on our bodies. Again, from the CNET article “Body scanners penetrate clothing to provide a highly detailed image that TSA says is viewed by a remote technician. Technologies vary, with millimeter wave systems capturing fuzzier images with non-ionizing radio waves and backscatter X-ray machines able to show precise anatomical detail.”

UPDATE 11/15/10: Biochemist says 'naked' X-ray scanner may be unsafe

Below is an image of an adult man that was taken using a Rapiscan Secure 1000 backscatter X-ray scanner. What testing has been done to assure us this is safe?

The ACLU has dubbed these devices "naked strip search machines" and a growing number of web sites have been launched to try and bring this to an end. Including Nudeoscope.com, DontScan.us, and StopDigitalStripSearches.org, all are hoping to translate dissatisfaction into political action.

UPDATE 11/15/10

I understand that we need to protect our right to privacy and that sometimes good intentions can become over reaching. Those who have left comments about this story seem most concerned about "handing over liberties without hesitation and tolerating these invasions." Excellent points that I don't disagree with!

However, isn’t the way our culture views nudity also part of the problem? When this story first broke, the press seemed more concerned with the fact that others would see us naked rather then the safety of the machines, the invasiveness of the "enhanced pat-downs", or the fact that images of screened passengers were being saved for unknown reasons. Perhaps the MAIN issue here is that our right to be clothed is just as important as our right to be naked. All rights need to be fought for and preserved.

As for me, just let me fly naked! Life is so much better nude.

Nudists in 3D

2010-10-29T18:23:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure what to make of this one, but apparently the worlds first Nudist 3D movie has been made. The company Nudist3D.com has released "3D Nudist Adventure," the world´s first 3D nudist movie, in Full-HD 3D format. Video is stereoscopic 3D, with full HD 1920x1080 streams for each eye. The movies are available in 5-minute downloadable 3D WMV-HD clips, as well as on Blu-Ray in side-by-side 3D format.

Keith Johnson, Marketing Director explained that true nudism does not mean sex or erotica. "Our films depict the naturist lifestyle, which in no way involves erotic or sexual activity. These families and individuals have practiced naturism for many years, to enjoy the freedom and oneness with nature that the naturist lifestyle represents. Our movies perfectly capture this lifestyle, and are never explicit or erotic in nature."

You can see a clip of the film here. Feel free to comment below.

This just in...nudity does not cause psychological harm.

2010-10-09T17:55:00.003-04:00

It seems that in Canada, mere nudity is unconstitutional (section 174 criminalizes mere nudity, section 173 deals with indecent acts). Because of this law, Mr. Brian Coldin has been charged with several counts of nudity in the Bracebridge area. Mr. Coldin admitted to regularly walking in the parkland adjoining his property while wearing only sandals. His lawyer, Clayton Ruby, is planning a constitutional challenge to section 174.

Karen Grant, President of the Federation of Canadian Naturists, declared the organizations' support for decriminalizing mere nudity. "It is ridiculous that the simple exposure of our natural body could result in a criminal charge" said Ms. Grant. "Casual nudity should not be in the same league as theft, robbery, assault and murder."

On the 3rd day of the Coldin trial, Dr. Ronal Langevin testified that adults or children who are exposed to nudity do not suffer any psychological harm and added that nudity is generally well accepted in society. Dr. Langevin was also very specific that nudism/naturism is not exhibitionism.

You can read more about this story at CNW.

Alan Alda will play a nudist!

2010-10-09T17:50:00.003-04:00

ABC is reporting that Alan Alda is heading back to the big screen. He is set to co-star in "Wanderlust," which follows a married couple played by Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd trying to escape modern society by moving out of New York. Alda will play the head of a naturist village.

Vote Naked

2010-09-26T15:10:00.004-04:00

From the Toronto Sun:

"Voters in Illinois will be able to make their mark in next month's general election without even leaving their homes.

In fact, they could do it naked.

That's the message of a new campaign that is encouraging voters to take advantage of a new system that allows them to vote by mail, using an absentee ballot, for the state's general election on Nov. 2."

"Officials hope this change will mean more young voters will make their mark because they can do it on their own time rather than waiting in lines at voting booths."

Either way, it's an interesting ad-campaign. Watch the video below and tell us what you think. Enjoy!

11 Places to Get Naked

2010-09-22T19:25:00.003-04:00

Recently, The Huffington Post listed the top 11 Nudist Resorts in the world to visit. What makes this list notable is that it comes from a respected news organization and is yet another example of the positive press nudism is capable of receiving. Check out the list here and feel free to comment if you have visited any of the resorts on the list.

West Penn Naturist

2010-09-12T11:22:00.004-04:00

The schedule for the 2010/2011 season of West Penn Naturist has been posted. The season kicks off on 9/18 with a meet and greet. Check out their website for more details and I hope to see you there!

September 18 Meet and Greet
October 2 Birthday Party
October 16 Small boat float (bring a boat you built)
November 6 Chili Cook off
November 20 Thanksgiving
December 4 Betty’s Smoothies/Key West theme
December 18 Christmas Party,
(Bring $10.00 grab bag gift. Boys bring boy, Girls bring girl)

Jan. 8-2011 International food - (invited guest from WTL & NN)
Jan. 22 Soup cook off
Feb. 12 Chocolate Party
Feb. 26 Betty's Bingo games
March 12 Jeff's Mini Mysteries
March 26 Pizza
April 9 Duckies
April 30 Hat Contest/Crafts
May 14 Appreciation party

Baby, you can drive my car naked.

2010-09-12T11:06:00.002-04:00

Emily Yoffe writes the Human Guinea Pig column for Slate magazine. She is a reporter who tries unusual jobs and hobbies then reports on them. Her latest article (9/8/10) is about her first vacation at a nudist resort.

It’s clear from reading the article that Mrs. Yoffe is not a nudist nor does she intend to become one, however, she did find one particular activity most enjoyable. She writes “Club members drive naked around the premises and scoot around in golf carts. I had to move my own car, so I draped my towel, buckled up, and took off. Of all the things I did that day, driving naked was by far the most fun….I have to admit, though, a little part of me would have liked to drive away naked. I wouldn't even have minded getting pulled over, if only for the chance to see the look on the trooper's face when I said, "Hello, officer."

You can read the entire article here.

The Flaming Lips - 'Watching The Planets'

2010-08-22T18:11:00.004-04:00

I must say, I do like this video. How can you not like naked people running around a forest? Click here for more.

CBS Reports on the AANR Convention

2010-08-22T10:49:00.001-04:00

CBSNews.com has done a nice video piece on the 79th Annual AANR Convention at Sun Meadow Resort. Yet more positive press for nudism!

More Positive Press about Nudism

2010-08-22T10:23:00.003-04:00

It seems that nudism is becoming more mainstream these days and I think that part of the reason why is the positive press it has been receiving from the media. Recently (8/20) Jeremy Grimaldi, a reporter for THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR wrote a few articles about his first time experience going nude.

"Stripping off, baring it all, going naked, doffing your clothes, jumping into your birthday suit -- call it what you will, it is an awesome feeling.
On Thursday, I did it in public for the first time and I loved it." He goes on to write "Whether I try it again or not, I reckon, is immaterial. The point is, I did something that scared the living daylights out of me and it made me feel good. Which leads me to believe naturists may know something the rest of us don't."

You can read the entire article here. I would also encourage you to watch the video he did with another first timer that is attached to the story. Kudos Jeremy and congratulations on taking the plunge!

Nudism presented fairly

2010-08-08T09:45:00.002-04:00

I'm always pleased when I see the press treat nudism fairly with stories that present the experience for what it truly is and can be. This is a fine example of just such a story from CNN.

Nudists getting younger and reaching out.

2010-07-17T13:22:00.002-04:00

The mainstream media seems to be doing more positive stories about nudism. Here is one from KDAF about nudists getting younger. Enjoy!

Nude Recreation Week, July 5th-11th.

2010-06-27T12:02:00.005-04:00

Nude Recreation Week will be celebrated July 5th-11th and there are several way you can participate. Such as visit a nudist resort, a clothing optional beach, host a nude house party, or join the worlds largest skinny dip!

Once again, AANR is organizing the event. Last year, over 13,000 happy naked people took a dip and was recognized by the Guinness World Records™ Company. According to the AANR web site:

“AANR plans to coordinate skinny-dipping events at participating clubs and nude beaches in appropriate settings throughout North America on Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Nudist Time, to coordinate with Nude Recreation Week. This event will focus the attention of the world on the joys of wholesome, happy skinny-dipping as an American tradition…”

Click here for more information on where you can take your dip and to watch a couple of videos that encourage you to do so.

Did you ride naked???

2010-06-15T11:14:00.002-04:00

Amateur footage from the World naked Bike Ride is making its way onto sites like YouTube. Here are two fine examples from London and Toronto. Enjoy!

Plan your nude vacation.

2010-05-27T20:13:00.003-04:00

TripAdvisor has put together a list of the top five nude events worldwide. They are as follows:

1.World Naked Bike Ride, worldwide, June and July: Riders, advocating cycling over driving, often paint messages on their bodies.

2.World Record Skinny Dip, across North America, July: This event, hosted by the American Association for Nude Recreation, made “largest number of people skinny dipping at once” a Guinness Book category. The number? More than 12,000.

3.Nude Beach Olympics, Australia, January: The games celebrate Maslin Beach’s place as first official nude beach down under.

4.Running of the Nudes, Spain, July: PETA hosts this event in Pamplona to protest the cruelty of bullfighting—runners, though mostly naked, don bull horns.

5.Burning Man, Nevada, August and September: 50,000 people come together in the Black Rock Desert to create art, and free-spirited participants often strip down.

Call your travel agent today!

Is being naked good for the brain?

2010-05-01T12:12:00.002-04:00

Here is a nice article from the web site hplusmagazine.com entitled "Get Naked: It’s Good for Your Brain". While the author admits that "Specific studies have not yet proven that full-scale nudity directly benefits brain performance..." He does go on to say "Clothing is crushing us! Trapped in tomb-like textiles, we exile our flesh from experiencing the environment."

Read the entire article here.

Hey World, I'm A Nudist!!!

2010-04-13T19:59:00.015-04:00

I don’t normally use this blog for opinions (I’d rather share interesting tidbits about nudism that I pick up along the way) but in this case I’ll make an exception as I believe I’ve turned a corner with my nudism. For years I would walk around my home nude and wonder what it would be like to go to a resort or a nude swim event. Then 3 years ago I took the plunge and have not looked back, enjoying every moment of it.

Up until recently, I mostly saw myself as someone who likes to be naked as a hobby or a fun past time, never really associating it with who I am. Often, I would hide my nudism from others for fear of perceived retribution, not realizing that by doing so, I was also hiding it from myself. I knew in my mind that it wasn’t exhibitionism or anything sexual and I certainly wasn‘t embarrassed being naked, but deep down I had not fully embraced it. That was until this last Sunday.

The night before I slept nude (as I always do) and when I awoke, I grabbed my iPhone and tweeted a simple sentence. “I love being naked! That's right, I said it. I'm proud to be a nudist!”

To my surprise, my tweet elicited several positive responses. “WOOT Be nude, be proud. Proud nudists here” said one couple. “Proud nudists FTW!” said another. As the day went on, it slowly started to dawn on me how liberating it was to tell the world that I’m a nudist! I suddenly didn’t care who knew. I wanted the world to see me naked!

To be nude and unashamed is a great gift to give yourself. It frees you up to accept so much about yourself and those around you. If you’re reading this then I have to assume that you are also interested in nude recreation so let me give you this piece of advice. Be proud of yourself for being a nudist! There is really nothing to be ashamed of.

Do You Know How to Skinny Dip?

2010-04-11T19:26:00.002-04:00

The good folks at howcast.com made a wonderful video on how to convince someone to go skinny dipping with you (see below). But did they need to follow it up with a video on “how to” skinny dip (personally I didn’t think it was that complicated)? Nevertheless, here it is.

How to Go Skinny-Dipping
Uploaded by Howcast. - College experience videos.

Let's go Skinny Dipping!

2010-03-04T17:08:00.002-05:00

As the weather gets warmer, I keep thinking about one of my favorite nude past times. Skinny Dipping! I love to skinny dip! To feel the water over my body and to be free in the open air. There really is no other sensation like it.

But what if you have never gone skinny dipping before? Or, what if you are trying to convince a friend to join you? What do you do?

Mahalo.com recently posted a "How to Skinny Dip" list.

1.Ensure the owner of the swimming pool won't object to you and your friends going for a skinny dip. If the owner (or his representative) doesn't mind, you're probably not going to get into trouble.

2.Choose your moment. When at a party, skinny dipping usually doesn't happen until later at the party, after everyone is settled. If some other activity is going on (speech, eating, etc), it's probably not a good time for a skinny dip.

3.Try to get some friends to join in the fun. Skinny dipping on your own isn't any fun, and may even be embarrassing, if no-one joins in.

4.Don't fumble when taking your clothes off. Skinny dipping is supposed to be an act of the moment, so be enthusiastic as you take of your top (girls), and step out of your bottoms (Boys and girls).

5.Jump right in, and have fun!

Also, check out the video below for more tips on how to talk your friends into joining you and by all means observe rule number 5, "Jump right in, and have fun!"

The new nude Bug Light commerical

2010-02-07T13:06:00.003-05:00

This has been making the rounds on a lot of other nudist sites but I thought it was good enough to repost. Just in case you haven't seen it.

Nakation, anyone?

2010-01-28T18:08:00.004-05:00

Christopher Elliott, Travel columnist for msnbc.com has written an article about the "5 reasons to bare it all on your next vacation". You can read it here.

From the article: "It’ll open your mind...Take it from someone whose neighbors were nudists: Going clothes-free can be an enlightening experience. I only mention this because many of us are looking for a different perspective when we’re on vacation, and removing our clothes can certainly offer that."

How to Become A Nudist

2010-01-24T10:59:00.003-05:00

The folks at answerbag.com have written a nice article on "How to Become a Nudist". If you've always been curious about the lifestyle and wanted to get started, this is pretty good advice.

How to Become a Nudist
by eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor

Instructions
Start at Home

Step 1:
Rid yourself of cultural myths about nudity. You may have grown up thinking that nudity is something dirty or that it always means sexuality. In fact, nudity is our natural state as humans and is no more sexual or dirty than being clothed.

Step 2:
Sleep in the nude. If you are not used to being nude, start by simply sleeping with no clothing on. This will get you acclimated to being nude, and you may even find it a more comfortable way to sleep.

Step 3:
Wait to dress after showering. After your shower, towel dry, put the towel away and go on about your preparations. Since you were nude in the shower, extending the nudity won't feel as strange as would simply taking off your clothes.

Step 4:
Go nude whenever your house is warm. Try cleaning your house, watching television or cooking dinner nude.

Step 5:
Spend some time nude outdoors if you have a well-screened patio or yard. Moving your nudity outside will probably feel strange at first, even if you were comfortable inside. Try doing a single activity outdoors: tend to your garden, enjoy a cup of coffee or sunbathe.

How to throw a nudist house party.

2010-01-24T10:44:00.002-05:00

The blog "Nudist Day" has written a wonderful article on how to throw a nudist house party. All aspects are covered including The Setting, Who to Invite, & What to Serve. This is a must read if you're considering holding such an event for the first time. read the article here.

Nude Jogging at the White House

2010-01-24T10:35:00.002-05:00

This item appeared in the Washington Post on 01/07/10.

By Megan Greenwell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 7, 2010

A man created a scene -- and a Secret Service scare -- near the White House during rush hour Wednesday evening when he stripped to the buff and took off running, leaving his bag of clothes unattended on the Ellipse.

The man shed his clothes near 15th and E streets, at the northwest corner of the Ellipse, about 5 p.m. Wednesday, then began running up and down E Street, apparently not dissuaded by the 25-degree windchill factor as the sun set, Secret Service spokesman Malcolm Wiley said.

"He wasn't yelling or protesting. Just going for a jog," Wiley said.

Secret Service and D.C. police officers chased the man after he refused to stop.

"He was apprehended, naked though he was," Wiley said.

But the man's jog created another problem: The bag into which he packed his clothes before setting off on his run had been left unattended, meaning it had to be classified as a suspicious package. The Secret Service cordoned off the area and investigated the bag, and, after determining it contained only the man's cast-off garments, cleared the scene.

The man is in Secret Service custody but has not been charged, Wiley said.

Visit the Washington Post here.

Naked Yoga School

2010-01-24T10:25:00.001-05:00

Naked Yoga has increased in popularity recently. So much so that there is now an online instructional video series dedicated to the practice. Check out NakedYogaSchool.com and watch the clip below for more information.

Is domestic nudity illegal?

2009-12-27T13:30:00.003-05:00

Both nudists and non-nudists alike often walk around their homes in natures all. If you're reading this, then it may be safe to assume you're naked now. But if someone sees you naked in your home, could you be in trouble?

This is exactly what has happened to one Springfield, Virginia man. From "theage.com.au":

"A MAN who was arrested for being naked - in his home - has been found guilty of indecent exposure, but the judge did not fine him or sentence him to jail. Erick Williamson, 29, continues to believe that he has done nothing wrong and that he did not purposely expose himself to two women and a seven-year-old boy who had walked past his house on the morning of October 19."

What really concerns me was Judge O'Flaherty's attitude when he likened Williamson to bank robber John Dillinger, who also ''thought he was doing nothing wrong when he walked into banks and shot them up''.

Read the entire article here and be sure to pull your blinds.

I might be a closet nudist.

2009-12-13T10:48:00.002-05:00

Ryan McLendon of citybeat.com has written a nice article about the number of nudist resorts in Ohio.

"I might be a closet nudist.

The realization began this summer while I was in Montreal covering a story. I was producing a radio story on an all-nude yoga studio in the heart of the old city — much safer than a video, I thought. Before the class began, I was confronted with a logistical dilemma when the prophetic-looking yogi asked that I be naked too. I wanted to make sure his class remained comfortable with my presence, and he didn’t think that was possible.

So I reluctantly disrobed. And it was spectacular."

"Southern Ohio also has a similarly little-known secret: It’s crawling with confirmed and potential nudists. Nudism is all the rage in the pastoral, bucolic settings in and around Cincinnati and other major cities. Nudist resorts — bastions of naturalism and freed inhibitions — dot the lush Ohio wilderness around the state.

You can virtually find nudists everywhere: Ohio currently has seven nudists resorts registered with the American Association for Nude Recreation (AAMR). Most are open seasonally, and some operate year-round."

Read the article here.

Running Naked in Boulder

2009-11-04T15:07:00.002-05:00

Here is an interesting little tidbit from the "Wall Street Journal".

By STEPHANIE SIMON

BOULDER, Colo. -- This city has always taken pride in its liberal-to-the-point-of-loony reputation. But this Halloween, one of its wackiest traditions is under siege: the Naked Pumpkin Run.

The event is exactly what its name implies. Scores of men and women pour into downtown streets for a late-night jog, wearing not a stitch between the jack-o'-lanterns on their heads and the sneakers on their feet.

For nearly a decade, naked pumpkin runners did their thing unmolested, stampeding through the frigid dark past crowds of admirers who hooted, hollered and tossed candy. But last year the run attracted more than 150 participants, and Police Chief Mark Beckner fears things are getting out of hand. "It's a free-for-all," he says.

So he intends to stop it.

He will station more than 40 officers on the traditional four-block route tonight, with two SWAT teams patrolling nearby. All have orders to arrest gourd-topped streakers as sex offenders.

You can read the entire article here.

Nude Volleyball

2009-10-08T10:28:00.002-04:00

Here is a well produced video from ESPN on the nude volleyball tournament that is held each year at White Thorn Lodge. Enjoy!

The Naked Office

2009-10-03T11:07:00.002-04:00

I'm really not sure how this clip came to be. It appears to be from a reality show on Virgin1, the flagship television channel operated by the British broadcaster Virgin Media Television.

The point of the exercise seems to be to get everyone who works together in an office to trust each other by working naked. I like the comment from the female co-worker who said "there came a point when I thought, I don't want to put my clothes (back) on". Enjoy!

The naked office
Uploaded by vivrenu-tv. - Discover more webcam videos and video blogs.

John Lithgow and nudity

2009-09-27T09:42:00.003-04:00

Actor John Lithgow was recently interviewed for the Los Angeles Times about his new role on the Showtime series "Dexter". It seems the actor is no stranger to being nude.

So when you knew that you'd be nude in this role -- that was just old hat?

"Oh yes. My first job on Broadway was "The Changing Room" in 1973 and it all took place in the locker room of a rugby team. And I had a long scene stark naked on stage. I won a Tony Award for that so I look for every opportunity to take my clothes off ever since. People don't always necessarily want me to, of course."

You can read the article here.

Is Alison Brie of "Mad Men" a nudist?

2009-09-27T09:35:00.001-04:00

From the World Entertainment News Network:

Actress Alison Brie's college classmates know the star's every womanly curve - because she stripped down and ran around her campus naked during a "nudist" phase.

The Mad Men star loved peeling off her clothes, swinging from trees and impersonating animals in the nude to make her former roommate laugh.

And though the Californian admits she wasn't shy about walking around in the buff in between classes, Brie insists now that she's a TV star her wildest days are over,
She says, "In college I was ready to unleash the fury. I was a bit of a nudist in college. It was so fun. It was more of a humorous thing - clothing is (sic) optional everywhere but the cafeteria... It really depended on my roommate's mood, (and if) I felt like she was having a bad day... Picture me naked swinging from the tree (naked). It's funny. I do really good naked animal impressions."

Nudist Lingo

2009-09-13T10:44:00.002-04:00

Laura Leyrer is a columnist for the Detroit Nudist Adventures Examiner and always writes insightful articles about nudism. I encourage you to check out her work. Here is one that I think is great for the beginning nudist on the basic nudist vocabulary. GREAT WORK LAURA!!!

September 1, 7:36 PM Detroit Nudist Adventures Examiner Laura Leyrer

"Nudism seems to be a topic that generates a wide range of emotions and reactions - curiosity, anger, glee, outrage. I hope, through my articles, to shed a little light on this somewhat poorly covered (excuse the pun) subject and to answer questions that others may have about what goes on at nudist venues and events.

In order to do a good job of that, it's important that we all speak the same language. What follows is a list of a few of the definitions that will provide a starting place:

1.Clothing-optional – While this may seem pretty self-explanatory, clothing optional resorts often require visitors to swim or hot-tub naked. People who remain dressed during their entire visit to a clothing-optional facility may be viewed as a voyeur and, appropriately, asked to leave. Check the club’s policies before assuming that the choice is yours throughout the place.
2.Clothing-free – Most nudists practice “dressing for comfort” – putting on or taking off clothing according to weather conditions, for example. However, clothing-free resorts, cruises, etc. expect members and visitors to remain nude as much as possible.
3.Naturist – Another term for nudist; however, “naturist” also implies a person with a greater appreciation for nature in general. Many naturist sites are campgrounds and beaches, focused less on the high-end amenities than other nudist resorts.
4.Nude: Traditionally, a term used in art to express an heroic, yet innocent, unclothed person. Most people use it as a synonym for naked as there is little distinction in today’s language.
5.Naked: This term is more likely to be used in a bawdier manner than nude in today’s casual speech: “She was buck naked on the beach,” for example.
6.(Note: In articles by this author, the three terms above will be used interchangeably when referring to an unclothed person.)
7.Nakation: A vacation during which the participants are partially or totally nude during all or part of it.
8.Skinny-dipping: Nude swimming in lakes or in pools.
9.Non-landed: This term refers to clubs or organizations that do not own property on which they gather. Members of non-landed (otherwise known as “travel”) clubs often meet for special events, such as a ski trip, volleyball tournament, or beach outing, or may gather at members’ homes to enjoy each other’s company.
10.Landed: These clubs own land on which they may or may not have club houses, swimming pools, or other amenities which members and guests enjoy.
11.Lifestyle: This often is a sort of “code” for swingers’ clubs in which sexual promiscuity or overt, public sexual behavior is condoned. While people often refer to a nudist’s lifestyle when discussing the general attitude of naturists or nudists, talking about a “lifestyle resort” typically refers to one patronized by swingers.
Nudists’ vocabulary, like the language in all areas of culture, morphs over time, and members of specific groups use some terms differently than members of other groups. However, the terms above should shed a little light on general definitions and help you understand the articles by this author a little better.

If you're interested in travel topics that address the interests of nudists as well as more conservative natures, check out my Detroit Day Trips articles, too!"

Nudist Property Market Survives U.S. Housing Disaster, FT Says

2009-09-09T20:52:00.001-04:00

Here is a little something I found at Bloomberg.com

By Chris Bourke

Aug. 29 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. naturist property market has survived the global recession because the majority of house- buyers in unclothed communities are older and don’t need mortgages, the Financial Times reported.

Naturism has grown to a $450 million industry from $400 million five years ago, primarily because of real estate values, the newspaper said, citing a spokeswoman for the American Association for Nude Recreation.

House prices in naturist communities haven’t dropped as much as those in the general market, the FT said, citing Marc Seligman, who manages a naturist real estate Web site.

To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Bourke in London at cbourke4@bloomberg.net

Wrongful death lawsuit filed after man died during nudist party

2009-09-08T10:04:00.000-04:00

From post-gazette.com

Friday, August 28, 2009
By Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The widow of a man who drowned during a nudist party at a Penn Hills (PA) pool in 2007 has settled a wrongful death suit brought against the pool owner for $246,000.

The family of Ronald E. Daugherty sued Olympic Swim and Health Club earlier this year in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, saying the facility violated state law by not providing a lifeguard for a party held by the West Penn Naturist nudist club.

Mr. Daugherty, a 72-year-old retiree, drowned on April 14, 2007.

Read the article here.

West Penn Naturist schedule announced

2009-08-22T10:18:00.001-04:00

The West Penn Naturist have announced their schedule for the 2009/2010 season. Their first event will be on September 19th with meetings held every other week through May 15th. Click the link for more information. We hope to see you there!

Click Here for schedule.

Naked time travel?

2009-08-15T10:12:00.002-04:00

The Time Traveler's Wife is a new movie starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. It's a sci-fi love story in which a man drops buck-naked into the past and the future. I'm not sure why he must time travel nude, but frankly anything I get to do nude is fine by me! Below is the trailer.

Too Much To Bare in California.

2009-08-15T09:54:00.003-04:00

Susannah Lopez of the Santa Barbara Independent wrote an article recently about the Nude Beach Alliance and their fight to bring back a Clothing-Optional Section at Bates Beach.

From the article: "In spite of the complaints registered against the clothing-optional beach that contributed to the increase in enforcement of restrictions on nudity, advocacy groups insist that the positive effects of a nude section of Bates Beach will outweigh the complaints. Supporters have taken a closer look at the financial influences of clothing-optional beaches, especially focusing on tourist dollars. According to Allen Baylis, a director for the Naturist Action Committee, nude beaches can stimulate the economies of the areas that surround them, as evidenced by other communities that have opted to create clothing-optional stretches."

Also: "It is true that people have the right to feel offended or uncomfortable, but how much weight should their opposition hold? Should percentages of those in favor versus those opposed be taken into consideration? These questions are subject to extensive debate, and have certainly sparked the interest of nudists. “You know, people argue that ‘Beaches are for all people to enjoy’,” said Baylis. “Last time I checked, we (nudists) were part of all people.”

Read the article here.

Do you eat breakfast naked?

2009-08-15T09:39:00.002-04:00

According to "The Sun" a survey of adults found that a quarter of us eat breakfast naked. Which makes me wonder, what else do you like to do naked around the house? Feel free to post your comments below, or take the survey to the right.

Dinner and a Show........Naked

2009-08-15T09:29:00.002-04:00

Anne Hart of the Sacramento Nutrition Examiner has written a nice article called "Naked came the diner: clothing optional eateries and bare stand-up comedy shows are booming". She spotlights some of the recent trends in nudism such as naked dinning, nude yoga, and nude stand-up comedians.

Strip naked and read the article here.

Day tripping 101: Essentials for a successful nakation

2009-08-15T09:12:00.003-04:00

Our favorite naked journalist, Laura Leyrer of the Detroit Day Trips Examiner, has written another good article about nudism. This time, everything you need to know for a successful nakation! From the article:

"You don't need to be concerned about where you've put your purse or what to pack or how many bags you'll need. Just put some cash in your hat, grab your towels and your drink bottle and GO!"

Read the article here.

Are you nude-curious?

2009-08-02T14:46:00.002-04:00

Here is a good article from Timesonline about the new age of nudism.

Excerpt:

"So would you call yourself a nudist? No? All right then, I’ll rephrase the question. Have you ever been skinny-dipping, sunbathed naked, hung out in a nude spa in Scandiland or stripped off at a festival “for fun”? If the answer is yes to any of the above, then, chances are, you’re part of a growing type of nudist: the nude-curious."

and

"As opposed to the traditional hardline naturist philosophy that it’s our human right to be naked, for the nude-curious brigade, it’s all about taking your clothes off in your own time and on your own terms."

Read the article here.

Coming out of my shell: Laura Leyrer goes nude.

2009-07-09T09:43:00.003-04:00

I really enjoyed this article by Laura Leyrer of the Detroit Day Trips Examiner. Ever since her first visit to Turtle Lake Nudist Resort she has been posting more articles on nudist news. Stop by her web site to read more.

While I realize that the revelations in this article may come as a mild surprise to most of my family and friends, I can't say that any of them will be shocked. I've always been open to trying new things and, if those things prove to be fun or rewarding, trying them several times! In this particular case, I'm referring to the experience of being a nudist. (At this point, I imagine an assortment of reactions - "Oh!", "Hmm..", and even "Eww" among them.) However, it's necessary, before you read on, to get a couple of things straight:

First of all, just because someone is nude does not mean they welcome promiscuous or sexually extreme behavior. Don't misunderstand me; there are places at which that sort of thing is encouraged, but there is a world of difference between those so-called "lifestyle" resorts and the nudist or clothing-optional resorts to which I refer. Many nudist resorts, including Turtle Lake Resort in Union City, Michigan, are family friendly and their members range in age from babies to nonagenarians.

Secondly, almost counter intuitively, nudist resorts aren't about external appearance. People who visit a nudist resort are not the airbrushed beauties from the covers of magazines; they are average. They are your neighbors, your co-workers, and your friends

Why is this article showing up on the page of someone who writes about day tripping? Because there are several nudist resorts, in both Michigan and Canada, within a day's drive of Detroit that are fun and have a great deal to offer to those who want to experience something truly different than a "textile" (clothing mandatory) resort. I'm also writing about this subject to clear up some common misconceptions about clothing-optional vacations.

My thoughts on the subject of nudism ran the gamut from fun to perverse to obscene to frightening during the months before I finally decided to make the leap (and reservations) a couple of years ago. I finally worked up the nerve to see what it was all about, then nearly chickened out less than five miles from Turtle Lake. What was I doing? For Pete's sake, I was nearly fifty, at least ten pounds (fifteen?) overweight, and considerably out of shape. Wouldn't people there be grossed out by someone like me? After all, Americans value the toned, the bronzed, the young and beautiful. Yet, there I was, pale and nervous and unable to stop obsessing about my cellulite

I took a deep breath and went into the resort office. The woman at the desk was clothed, but several people who walked in and out while I checked in were not. No one behaved bizarrely; no one was any different than people I'd seen every day of my life. I listened carefully as the office manager explained the rules of the camp and "nudists' etiquette" - carry a towel with you wherever you go and always use it to cover surfaces before you sit down, keep your campsite or lodge room clean, be respectful of other people's belongings and space and, most importantly, act appropriately. Any sexual innuendo,behavior, or language that makes others uncomfortable is grounds for expulsion from the camp.(Trust me when I tell you that you will run into more overtly sexual behavior and conversation on a public beach than you will ever encounter at a nudist resort.)

What I did experience at this nudist resort was the most incredible sense of acceptance and freedom than I'd found anywhere else. At a nudist resort, people don't care if you're wealthy or beautiful or powerful. Ironically, nudists care more about the person within your skin than the skin itself. Maybe it's because you see so much of it that, in a very short period of time, it just doesn't matter anymore. In my experience, the people at nudist resorts have been universally kind and thoughtful, considerate and welcoming.

The people at Turtle Lake were happy to provide directions and advice. Within the first twenty minutes of my stay, I was invited to a community dinner and a water volleyball game. Both men and women seemed delighted to meet me and were easy to laugh and enjoy relaxed conversation.

Read the rest of the article here.

Needed: New Nudists

2009-07-09T09:34:00.002-04:00

From FWWEEKLY.com

Brown hills, like the crimped rim of a pie, made a privacy fence around the resort as it baked in the 105-degree heat. But at the end of a dusty gravel road, a swimming pool and icy drinks promised cool refreshment for Wildwood's club members.

"Volleyball!" yelled a 9-year-old girl as she cannonballed into the pool. And as though she were an umpire announcing the end of a time-out, people left their beers and other drinks, got up from the surrounding tables, and followed her into the water.

Water sports are staple summer entertainment at the 11-year-old resort in Wise County, along with horseshoes and darts. But water volleyball - even nude water volleyball, the only kind they play at Wildwood Naturist Park - just isn't drawing many young people anymore, and that's a problem.

Naturist camps, it seems, like newspapers and music stores in the clothed world, are having trouble attracting the younger generation these days.

What to do? Have a mass skinny-dip-in. That's coming up on July 11 at 2 p.m., when Wildwood and other similar clubs around the country try to set a world record for the largest number of people bathing in their birthday suits at one time.

The mass dip-in is the inspiration of the American Association for Nude Recreation, which contacted the Guinness World Records keepers to see what kind of new record a bunch of unclothed people might be able to set.

Beatrice Taylor, manager and part-owner of Wildwood, sees the problem firsthand. When she, her husband, and four others bought the land and founded the club in 1997, the average age of those who joined was 40. Now, she said, it's 45.

She's tried to reach area young people: She called North Texas college newspapers and radio stations to ask about buying ads. Wildwood didn't want to advertise orgies or any of the other snicker-inducing activities that people who wear clothes often assume start happening when lots of people get naked together. Just natural living - and maybe a membership discount for young people who could show, say, a school ID card.

But no one returned her calls. "I don't know why the schools won't call me back," she said. "I'm willing to pay."

The world-record skinny-dipping attempt isn't an offer by Wildwood to open its gates to those who just want to ogle others for the day. Visitors are allowed, but they must sign and obey the same rules as members. Nudity is required, drugs are prohibited, and "overt sexual activity" is not tolerated. "We want participators, not spectators," Taylor said.

Perhaps it's not surprising that camps like Wildwood are having a little trouble with the twentysomething crowd. The nudist movement, after all, grew up in the 1950s and '60s. And the delights of living with skin exposed to the sun may seem foreign to a generation that's become pasty-faced from too many hours of video gaming and 'net surfing.

Taylor and other Wildwood members said that if people, young or old, can just be convinced to try nude living, there's an excellent chance they'll be hooked. It's what happened to most of them - doctors, lawyers, bankers, plumbers, teachers, people from all walks of life.

Read the rest of the article here.

How Green Is a Nudist Vacation?

2009-06-26T20:05:00.002-04:00

Pretty good article from the New York Times.

With summer upon us, how many green vacationers’ fancies will turn to thoughts of nudism?

Going without clothes on beaches and other vacation spots is commonly called naturism — a description that implies helping the planet, as some practitioners claim to be doing.

Spending more time with nothing on stems waste and pollution in all sorts of ways, according to an article by Kathy Blanchard on The Naturist Society’s Web site.

“Living more hours naked each day results in a dramatic drop in my laundry, which in turn reduces my water and energy use (along with my related bills),” Ms. Blanchard wrote. “It also reduces the amount of soap I release, in my case, into the Puget Sound.”

She also advocates naturist holidays — staying close to home wherever possible, to cut down on fuel usage — but sometimes traveling to places where it is possible to leave the car behind and backpack or paddle naked into the wild.

“For those few days, we use virtually no fuel, our diet is minimal with low ecological impact, and we return healthier,” she wrote, adding that the “trips are coolly green clothes-free vacations.”

Where to go? France is already a top destination for “textilists” (a term some naturists use to describe clothes-wearers) but also seems to be one of the most appealing spots for vacationing in the buff. According to the tourist authority in the Aquitaine region on the French Atlantic coast, “ ‘green’ naturism is growing fast in popularity.”

Of the 1.5 million people who practice naturism in France, nearly a third come to Aquitaine, while “foreign naturists” account for more than half of vacationers in the centers and campsites across the region. (Presumably their fossil fuel use in transportation could cancel any climate benefits of going clothes-free.)

In the Swiss Alps, nude hiking in winter seems to be a growing phenomenon — although some locals are trying to outlaw the practice, as my colleague John Tagliabue wrote this year.

The prospect of winter raises another issue: for people going without clothes, global warming may have a fringe benefit. Michael Hewitt says in an article in the article in The Independent that a few nudists seem happy that the demise of winter may be in the offing. However, others may side with groups like EcoNudes, which believes that living in the buff has “a positive effect on global warming, climate change and society.”

2009-06-14T10:54:00.002-04:00

From FoxNews.com

June 13, 2009
Universal Coverage

A big debate’s raging in Congress these days about coverage. Administration officials and lawmakers are chattering everywhere about the marquee issue of the year.

“We’re definitely looking at covering all Americans,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) says that he’s hoping for a plan “that covers everybody.“

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) says he hopes the legislation “will result in all Americans getting covered.”

While most health care interest groups and lawmakers are grappling with “universal coverage,” at least one organization flooded Capitol Hill this week to make sure they had the right to be “uncovered.”

“Nudist and I vote,” declared the lapel pin of one lobbyist.

“Can there be anything more natural than going in the buff?” asked another.

“It’s about body freedom and acceptance. You feel the sun and the wind and the water on your skin when you’re nude” added a female lobbyist.

The American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) bills itself as “the credible voice of reason for nude recreation since 1931.” And a few of its 50,000 members donned ties, business suits and sports coats to roam the Capitol and meet with Members of Congress and give their staff the skinny about their cause.

And you thought people only lost their shirts because the economy was bad.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I dialed AANR’s headquarters in Kissimmee, FL. Especially when an pre-recorded phone message asked “if you know your party’s extension…”

But I finally caught up with the group briefly in the dining room at the Capitol Hill Club just behind the Cannon House Office Building. They lunched as House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) walked by to meet with Ohio GOP senatorial hopeful Rob Portman. Rep. John Campbell (R-CA) strolled past the nudists’ table en route to the salad bar. Rep. Steve Austria (R-OH) dined one table over.

“Eventually when you come in and start talking to Congressional aides, skinny dipping comes up,” says AANR Executive Director Erich Schuttauf (light, Indian grey suit with a striped tie). “They’ll say ‘yeah, I used to do that in college.’ By then, you have somebody’s ear. And a five-minute meeting turns into a 25-minute meeting.”

Steve Hubbard (tweed jacket, maroon print tie) flew in from Bellingham, WA for the lobbying sessions. Sporting a few extra pounds, Hubbard notes that he and Schuttauf “no longer skinny dip. We ‘chunky’ dip.”

Rene’ Niquette (salmon-colored silk business suit) of St. Petersburg, FL, said that she was “more comfortable with my body as a woman” when she’s naked. “People seem to accept me more,” she added.

Ask anyone who works the front desk in a Congressional office, and they’ll tell you dozens of organizations and lobbying groups drop off reams of material on a daily basis. Most of it finds its way to the circular file. But at least one Democratic aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity says that the nudists literature and handouts “is the most popular propaganda we get all year.”

She noted that it gets passed around the office and then to friends working in other offices just down the hall.

“We just think it’s pretty interesting,” the aide said.

Somehow “casual Friday” on Capitol Hill wouldn’t be the same.

One of the pamphlets is a list of clubs and facilities around the country where you can go au naturale. Some of the venues’ state the naked truth about the type of recreation you’ll find there, like the Nudist Clubhouse in San Diego or the Deer Park Nudist Resort in Devore, CA. Other clubs offer a play on words. There’s the Black Hills Bares in Custer, SD and Healthy Hides in Houston. Still, the names of others are discreet. Try Whispering Pines in Ocean Isle Beach, NC or Bell Acres Resort in Maysville, GA.

The nudists also handed out temporary tattoos advocating people take a “nakation” and emery boards so your nails are buff.

All of the pamphlets and literature are rated G. One House member who wished not to be identified scanned through one brochure, featuring pictures of nudists, all taken from the neck up. Most looked like professional models.

“Why don’t they look like that in real life?” he asked.

I asked another western House member if knew whether the group swung by his office.

“I don’t know,” he responded. “But if they did, I’m certain they ‘swung by.’”

Hubbard says he rode a crowded elevator in a Congressional office building and watched as an aide tried to read his “Nudist and I Vote” pin. “(The aide) was trying so hard not to burst out laughing.”

The group argues that it’s important to lobby because some of their activities are legally-sanctioned on local state or federal public lands.

“We’ve been some places where there has been 40-years of established nude-use. And then you get a new ranger and that’s it,” says Hubbard.

Hubbard adds that the cause “isn’t really a R versus D kind of issue.”

On the day I met with the group, they planned to canvass the offices of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX). They also intended to present an award to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT). He authored a memorandum of law in the AANR’s favor when he was a state’s attorney in Vermont nearly 40 years ago. However, the group had to postpone the visit to Leahy’s office. Just as they planned to arrive, the senator shocked Senate Republicans by abruptly taking to the Senate floor and announcing that confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor would start July 13.

It’s unknown if Leahy rushed to the Senate chamber to make the announcement to avoid the nudists descending on his office.

“We’re not high on his list right now,” said AANR’s Susan Weaver (black and white floral skirt and sweater) of Annandale, VA.

AANR’s is quick to point out that nudity and politics is as old as the republic.

Benjamin Franklin was known for taking daily “air baths.” President John Quincy Adams frequently skinny dipped in the Potomac. I guess that gives an entirely new meaning to the phrase “slippery politician.”

In fact a reporter once confronted Adams in the river and held his clothes hostage until the president agreed to do an interview.

Too bad House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) doesn’t go for a daily swim in the Potomac like Adams. Maybe some reporters could hold her clothes hostage to convince the Speaker to finally answer some more questions about her accusations that the CIA lied about interrogation methods.

In all, the group said that nude recreation is what one member described as a “great equalizer.”

“You can’t tell who’s a senator or a trash collector” said Schuttauf.

As I left the Capitol Hill Club, I ran into Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and told him a little bit about my meeting. Jordan, a family values conservative, wanted no part of the AANR.

“Whatever they’re for, I’m against,” Jordan snorted.

But responses like Jordan’s can’t stop the American Association for Nude Recreation lobbying efforts. Their appeals to Congressional offices are protected by the First Amendment. It prohibits bans on religion, the press, speech, and assembly. And of course, the First Amendment guarantees people the right “to petition the government for a ‘redress’ of grievances.”

-Chad Pergram covers Congress for FOX News. He’s won an Edward R. Murrow Award and the Joan Barone Award for his reporting on Capitol Hill. The Speaker’s Lobby is a long, ornate hallway behind the House chamber where lawmakers, aides and reporters often congregate during votes.

Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds Get Naked

2009-06-06T11:01:00.003-04:00

From People.com

Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock let it all hang out in their new movie, The Proposal – literally.

The pair, who play co-workers pretending to be an engaged couple, found themselves filming completely in the buff during a rollicking nude sequence, which started out "awkward," but ended up just being business as usual, according to Reynolds.

"Filming a scene that involves being entirely naked and takes a couple days can be a little awkward," the actor, 32, tells PEOPLE. "Thankfully you're there for so long and you're doing it for so long that you dispense with the awkwardness pretty quickly and start to have mundane, normal conversations – the difference being you're not wearing pants."

The movie's director, Anne Fletcher, was set on making the scene as funny – and realistic – as possible.

"The naked scene in the movie was a lot of fun," she tells PEOPLE. "We had a great time doing it. It was the only scene that I ended up rehearsing because I really wanted to shoot them completely naked."

Reynolds and Bullock's moves were expertly choreographed, but the rehearsals tended to get silly, says Fletcher. "We had so much fun laughing at just the possibilities of what we could get away with."

As for Bullock, she credits Reynolds with making her look good. "You know why I looked hot?" she tells Glamour magazine. "Because everyone was looking at Ryan. Our stuff was hanging in each other's faces, and we didn't care."

Asked about being a sex symbol – he also flashes his very buff bod in the Wolverine – Reynolds tells PEOPLE that all attention makes him feel shy.

"I don't really think of myself in any particular way, shape or form that involves being known as sexy," he says. "If I did, I would probably be just like a certified ass----. But for the most part, it's flattering and incredibly sweet, I think."

The Proposal opens June 19.

Skinny Dipping Scene from Tarzan

2009-05-31T10:42:00.002-04:00

In 1934, Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan starred in "Tarzan and His Mate". A film that featured a then controversial nude scene. From imdb.com:

"The infamous nude swimming scene was originally filmed in three different versions: with Jane wearing her traditional costume, with Jane topless and with Jane fully nude. US states were empowered at that time to enact individual censorship laws, and three different versions of the scene were filmed in order to allow individual states to select the version of the scene which best conformed to its laws. All three versions were eventually removed from the film due to protests from conservative religious groups, particularly the powerful Catholic Legion of Decency. The nude version of the scene was discovered in the vaults of Turner Entertainment during the late 1990s following its purchase of the MGM film library, and was restored to most subsequent versions of the film on the direct orders of Turner Entertainment chairman Ted Turner. In the restored version of the scene, Tarzan is depicted wearing his traditional loincloth while Jane appears fully nude, her costume having been torn off when Tarzan playfully tosses her from a tree to the water below. The scene as it exists today is approximately four minutes in duration."

Watch the scene below.

Tarzan: 1934 Nude Swim Scene - Jane Skinny Dipping - Click here for this week’s top video clips

Skinny-dip record attempt planned

2009-05-13T08:50:00.001-04:00

From Citizen-Times.com

CLEVELAND, GA. – A nudist park in north Georgia is participating in a national skinny-dip record attempt in July.

Serendipity Park, in Cleveland, is one site hosting the American Association for Nude Recreation event, "The AARN Largest Skinny-dip Across North America." Guinness World Records has agreed to create a new category for the largest number of people simultaneously skinny-dipping.

Skinny-dipping is swimming in the nude.

According to Guinness guidelines, participants must be completely nude during the skinny-dip in order to be counted.

Swimmers may wear their suits when entering the water, but they must remove them and hold their suits overhead at the signal from the official that the event has begun. After the event, they can put their suits back on before leaving the water.

The record-setting event is scheduled for 3 p.m. July 11.

Naked hikers told: cover up!

2009-05-11T10:06:00.002-04:00

The following is from DW-World.de

People from the tiny Swiss canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden are in a state of high indignation over an influx of hikers. Why? Well Appenzell is indeed a beautiful and popular region for mountain hiking – but, locals say, the newcomers are just not the right kind of people…and they’re certainly not wearing the right kind of clothes…. in fact, they’re not wearing any clothes at all.

Click here to listen to the story produced by DW-World.

Nude water-gun tag getting high school seniors in trouble

2009-05-03T16:37:00.003-04:00

From The Columbus Dispatch

Nude water-gun tag getting high school seniors in trouble
Dublin Coffman senior arrested; authorities not amused

Thursday, April 30, 2009 3:21 AM
By Simone Sebastian

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Educators have threatened suspension. Police have warned of criminal charges.

And yet high-school seniors continue to run naked through their neighbors' yards spraying one another with water guns.

Senior Tag -- the annual underground game of tag with a twist -- has returned this spring and already claimed a victim.

Dublin police arrested a 17-year-old Dublin Coffman student Tuesday afternoon when he was spotted running naked between houses on Monterey Drive.

In Senior Tag, teenagers stalk and chase one another around town, aiming to hit opponents with water from squirt guns. The last man standing wins. The game typically lasts for weeks.

"As long as they are not breaking the law, we don't have a problem with it," Dublin Lt. Heinz von Eckartsberg said.

But in many of the Senior Tag games, students who are naked can't be tagged out.

The Coffman student was charged with disorderly conduct. But, with no prior arrests, he'll likely serve only community-service time through the city's diversion program, said von Eckartsberg.

Other students who were playing the game in the area weren't taken in, von Eckartsberg said, because "they weren't naked."

The nature of the game makes it easy for fun to cross into illegal activity: trespassing, public nudity and reckless driving.

Dublin police have received eight complaints from residents this week related to Senior Tag. Five were related to students shooting water guns out of moving cars. Three were to report naked teenagers.

But, other than the Coffman student, none of the reported incidents resulted in arrests because the students were gone by the time police arrived, von Eckartsberg said.

Some local businesses have tried to clamp down on the game.

A gym in Pickerington has posted a "No Senior Tag" sign on its front door after high-school employees were ambushed by tag players as they left work, said Metro Fitness manager Amy Pallay.

Schools have made an effort, too. Dublin high schools sent an e-mail to parents yesterday, warning them that students could face legal consequences.

Even talking about the game can get a student in trouble at Pickerington North High School, said senior John Zustra, who played the game this year.

So students have taken the game to the Web.

A search for Senior Tag on Facebook yielded about 30 groups yesterday -- most from central Ohio schools -- where students are organizing and getting updates on games. Upper Arlington High School's Senior Tag group has 218 members. Worthington Christian's has 48. Whitehall-Yearling's has 15.

Videos promoting Senior Tag games in Gahanna are on YouTube.

"As long as the school isn't involved in any way -- kids aren't talking about it at school, no documents are being passed out at school -- then you are fine," Zustra said. "They know it's going to happen. They just can't have anything to do with it."

ssebastian@dispatch.com

Nude Models on Strike

2009-05-03T16:34:00.001-04:00

From CNN.COM

Italy's art models are asking for better pay and better working conditions. CNN's Alessio Vinci reports.

The Nude Attitude

2009-04-30T09:52:00.003-04:00

Here is a great interview with Laure Redmond, author of the book Feel Good Naked that she did for Oprah.com. It’s for anyone with body issues. The entire interview is quite lengthy, an excerpt is below. You can read it in its entirety here.

Laure Redmond tells Deborah Way why life is so much better for women who feel good naked—and how you can join their ranks. (No weight loss necessary, we promise.)
For years Laure Redmond hated her body: too fat, too freckled, too lumpy, too stumpy. And that hatred was like a set of shackles holding her back from life. Now a self-esteem coach who specializes in mind/body issues, Redmond has made a career of helping women and teenage girls get over what she calls their body demons. Her goal for them is summed up in the title of her 2001 book: Feel Good Naked. It's not about naked for naked's sake, she says—it's about the amazing confidence that comes with being at ease in your own skin.

O: Let's be clear here: You're not advocating some kind of nudist revolution, correct?

Laure: (Laughs) No, streaking is not going to make a comeback as a result of my message. I just want women to feel good about their bodies so they can feel good about themselves—because when a woman feels good naked, it shows. She has an allure that comes through in the way she moves or talks or laughs. Her confidence isn't rooted in her clothing size or facial features but in her attitude—fun, delightful, free.

O: That sounds fabulous.

Laure: Yes, but it's not easy. For lots of women, even the word "naked" brings huge discomfort. I was volunteering at my child's school once when another mother, who had heard I was an author, asked me the title of my book. When I told her, she set down the envelopes she'd been stuffing, grabbed her purse, and left the building without saying another word.

O: Did that surprise you?

Laure: Unfortunately, no. I'm no longer shocked by negative reactions to the idea of nakedness. I call it naked fear. We button up. We shut ourselves down. We have an overwhelming paranoia about fat. We can't be free with our forms.

O: Getting over our horror of our bodies must make things better in the bedroom.

Laure: Oh, yes. What's sexy in the bedroom is when you love your stuff, when you want to share it with your partner. But that's really just a bonus—it's much broader than that. Being comfortable naked is the ultimate expression of self-confidence. If you're okay with being nude, you can take yourself anywhere in the world.

O: In other words, you have the sense of feeling good naked even when you're not literally unclothed. You're comfortable in the raw, in the sense of your pure, raw self.

Laure: Yes. It's about knowing and accepting yourself at your core. We don't get to choose Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt as our parents, so we have to come to terms with the shape we take and the skin we're in. And when we do, it's very powerful.

O: But if you've spent years hating your body and despising yourself because of what you perceive as its inadequacies, is it really possible to suddenly decide, Hey, I love flabby old me?

Laure: Change is always possible. And if you've suffered from body hatred your whole life, the decision simply to change is the first step. The feel-good-naked attitude comes from a sense of the wholeness of life. It involves a holistic change in the way you relate to yourself and the world.

Lisa Rinna's New Playboy Nudes Make a Statement, Says Husband

2009-04-19T11:33:00.004-04:00

From Seattlepi.com

Arriving on newsstands this Friday, the May 2009 issue of Playboy features former Melrose Place resident and Dancing star Lisa Rinna on its cover as well as inside, in a nude pictorial described as groundbreaking by her husband.

"The editors told Lisa that they haven't had photographs in the magazine like this since they had Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts shooting for them," Harry Hamlin tells TVGuide.com. "So we're very pleased with the way the pictures turned out."

Hamlin says that Rinna — who previously doffed her duds for Playboy's September 1998 issue, while six months pregnant with daughter Delilah — got the idea for an encore after participating in Room 23, a book of provocative photography by Deborah Anderson. In turn, Anderson shot Rinna's new eight-page Playboy pictorial, which pays homage to the 1967 film The Graduate.

"It's an interesting kind of statement that Lisa has made with Playboy, twice now," says Hamlin. "The first time, she was able to convince Hugh Hefner that we ought to celebrate the human body, not only in terms of recreational sex but in terms of procreational sex — and he went for it. Now, she once again has revisited the idea of a celebration of the human body, but at a somewhat more advanced age than you usually see in Playboy. She has really broken some ground."

Does Rinna's peep show get a thumbs-up from her husband? "She had my endorsement," he says, adding, "Lisa does interesting, far-out things, and she always goes for it with gusto."

NUDIST HOTEL A naked place to stay

2009-04-04T13:51:00.003-04:00

The Following article is from the BBC.

A passionate German naturist has revealed his plan to open Germany's first hotel where clothes are banned.

Frieder Haferkorn, the entrepreneur behind the venture, says he is turning a conventional hotel in the Black Forest into a haven for naturists.
According to the house rules, clothes are not optional, but strictly forbidden at all times.

In keeping with naturists' belief that nudity is non-sexual, acts of a sexual nature are banned in common areas.

Strict rules

The exact opening date has not yet been set, but Mr Haferkorn has already published the house rules for the hotel he soon hopes to run.
Some, like the request to keep noise in the corridors to a minimum, would not raise an eyebrow anywhere.

Others are more unusual. Rule number one limits access to the hotel to followers of the nudist movement. And rule number three demands that guests be naked at all times.

Hotel Rosengarten has until now been a destination for walkers taking advantage of its idyllic location in Germany's Black Forest.

Mr Haferkorn plans to turn it into "a place of relaxation for people who live naturism and who want to spend their leisure time playing sports and games, and mingling with like-minded people in complete nudity."

He says the new Rosengarten will boast 32 rooms, a restaurant, a sauna and a tanning salon, for those days when the German weather does not play ball.

The director of tourism in nearby Freudenstadt, Michael Krause, calls it an "unusual concept".

He told Die Welt newspaper he would have preferred a "normal" hotel, but stressed there was nothing sinister about the nudist approach.

He said he was hoping for an increase in visitor numbers to the area, even if more conventional walkers - like him - would now avoid the hotel.

Mr Haferkorn hopes his hotel will attract both walkers who like to go bare and nudists who like to walk.

And while the strict nudity rule only applies within the grounds of the hotel, guests keen to bare it all on their walks may not have to wait too long for permission: two villages in the Harz mountain region are reportedly looking into designating some of their walking paths as nudist routes.

Even without official permission, nudists have for over a century roamed naked through Germany's forests.

Nudist walkers freely advertise the dates of naked walks on the internet. If spotted, they are sometimes fined by police, but in general, they say, clothed people's reaction is one of surprise, not anger.

The nudist movement, or free body culture as it is called in Germany, goes back to the 1890s, when sociologist Heinrich Pudor wrote about stripping off and getting back to nature.

The German nudist association DFK currently has around 50,000 paid-up members, who receive an international membership card granting them access to nudist-only events. Many more Germans are believed to enjoy bathing, walking, playing and camping naked.

Mr Haferkorn is hoping to attract as many of them as possible to his new hotel, although he may have to think hard about where his guests should pin their DFK badge if his hardline anti-clothing stance is to work.

Red Dawn in a Nudist Colony

2009-03-28T11:06:00.000-04:00

You have to see this to believe it.

"Naked Dawn" Trailer (w/ Rob Schneider, Mena Suvari and Vinnie Jones) Re-Uploaded and Safer-For-Work from Rob Schneider

On 'nakation,' forget worries and clothes

2009-03-24T15:30:00.002-04:00

From CNN.com

(CNN) -- There's something about being naked that makes a person forget a layoff, pay cut or a shrunken retirement account.

At least that's how the promoters of nude travel see it.

The economic recession is "doing us a lot of favors, maybe because there's the idea that if you've lost the shirt off your back, you should go nude," said Erich Schuttauf, executive director of the American Association for Nude Recreation.

He added: "You go to a [nudist resort] and when you take off all your clothes, all the cues that tie you to the workaday world -- the ties, the suits and everything -- when that's gone, your body says it's time to relax. You get in that mode faster."

While some nude-resort owners say they're cutting back because of the recession, others said they're on par with last year's budgets or are expanding their services. Overall, being naked brings in big bucks. According to Schuttauf, the industry is valued at more than $400 million annually.

Boom or bust, here are Schuttauf's top five places to forget your worries -- and your swimsuit.

"Typically, sunblock is all that you need," he said.

Cypress Cove, Kissimmee, Florida

Near Disney World and Orlando, Florida, the Cypress Cove Resort offers a range of recreational activities, including biking, a lakeside beach and a small golf course.

The resort's location and nice weather make it attractive, said Ted Hadley, manager of the 300-acre resort, which features a hotel, camp sites and permanent residences.

Hadley said the resort is faring well, compared with years past. For many, nude vacations are like an addiction or a necessity, he said.

"It's something that [nudists] really enjoy and something they're not going to give up unless they absolutely have to," he said. The resort is "a place where they come to relax and unwind and relieve themselves of stress."

Turtle Lake Resort, Union City, Michigan

In a business where sunshine and warmth are pretty darn important, Michigan's Turtle Lake Resort has to get a little creative to keep clothes-free customers coming.

One of its prime features is an 11,000-square-foot clubhouse -- with a BYOB policy, a dance floor and plenty of heat pumped in.

The resort also offers a lagoon, tennis courts and volleyball. Attendance for last year was up 9 percent, compared with projections, said Mark Hammond, general manager and co-owner of the resort.

And despite the frigid Michigan weather, the resort is a year-round draw, Hammond said. During winter months, it offers rooms for $42 to $90 per night.

"We're nudists, we're not stupid," he said. "When it gets cold, we put our clothes on."

Sun Meadow, Worley, Idaho

Near Spokane, Washington, and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, the Sun Meadow resort is another cold-climate nudist retreat with ample side attractions.

Schuttauf said its finest attributes are its indoor pool, meeting space and music.

Cabins, RV sites and a limited number of hotel rooms are available.

Laguna del Sol, Wilton, California

With 1,600 members, Laguna del Sol, near Sacramento, California, is among the largest nudist resorts in the country, Schuttauf said.

The resort features theme vacations, including "Nude Stock."

The resort offers four pools, three spas and a fitness center. And if you're not ready to dive into a naked vacation just yet, the resort offers free tours between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Avalon, Paw Paw, West Virginia

Avalon resort, at the northern tip of West Virginia, takes ordinary activities to a nude level.

The resort offers a library for naked reading, a naked fishing pond, naked wine tastings and naked hikes (through the snow, no less, and making snow angels is encouraged).

Avalon also hosts a "Nude Year's Eve" gala, according to its Web site. Men are asked to wear a cummerbund and bow tie only

Can people unlearn their naked shame?

2009-03-12T10:15:00.003-04:00

Paul King...BBC News

Once we were all happy to walk around naked, now we're not. But can an experiment in nudity help us understand why we are so embarrassed by being seen in the buff and help shed our inhibitions?

It's a classic anxiety nightmare - you're standing in front of a room full of work colleagues, your boss is there, maybe even that new colleague you've been trying to impress. And you're stark naked. Ouch.

Why are we so ashamed of being seen naked? Is there something deep in human nature that finds naked skin abhorrent? Some prudishness inherited from our Victorian ancestors?

Or watch it later on the BBC iPlayer (here)

And how can you explain the rebels who shun convention to spend their weekends hanging out with similar-minded nudists, insisting nothing could be more normal?

Eight ordinary people - none of them nudists - were recently brought together for an experiment filmed by the BBC's Horizon programme, to test some of the scientific theories that explain why naked bodies make us so uncomfortable.

Click here for the rest of the story.

Where have all the flowers gone? A nude Woodstock reunion? That's the naked truth!

2009-03-12T10:12:00.001-04:00

From examiner.com

Can you bear it?

Actually, it's more like can you "bare" it?

The American Association for Nude Recreation is commemorating the anniversary of that late '60s hippie daze by inviting those original Woodstock performers to their Annual Convention, August 10-16 at Oaklake Trails Naturist Resort in Depew, Oklahoma. The Convention also marks the association’s 78th anniversary as the credible voice of nude recreation.

The AANR is asking for the "public’s help" in locating Woodstock icons Richie Havens, Country Joe and the Fish, John Sebastian, Ravi Shankar, Melanie, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Quill, Santana, Canned Heat, Mountain, Sly & the Family Stone, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, Ten Years After, The Band, Blood Sweat & Tears, Johnny Winter, Crosby Stills Nash & Young and Sha-Na-Na.

(They came up with the billiing, not us.)

It's a great gimmick, but it might be a better idea to simply screen the film Woodstock. It's cheaper, less harsh to the eyes (and ears) and there won't be any worries about mud-bathing and sunburn.
As for stripping away your inhibtions and going butt-naked? A 2006 national travel poll found that 15% of adult Americans would consider a resort that offers a nude recreation experience or a clothing-optional beach experience either extremely or a very desirable part of a vacation.

In the January 17, 2003 edition of The Wall St. Journal, a front page story in the Marketplace section noted that nude recreation in North America has grown to a $400 million industry. The article explained that clothes-free offerings run the gamut from upscale venues with plush townhouses and room service to rustic rural retreats, to cruises on some of the world’s most popular cruise lines.

That's it for now. We got to dress for dinner.

Nudity means 'you can't hide,' attendees at Loxahatchee Groves festival find

2009-03-12T10:10:00.000-04:00

By MITRA MALEK

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Monday, February 16, 2009

LOXAHATCHEE GROVES — This isn't a place to be nervous, even though everyone is nude.

Your body can sag, be covered in flab, have a track of scars across it. It can be fit for a magazine cover. It's only a body after all, always changing, and no one at Sunsport Gardens' Mid-Winter Naturist Festival seems to take it as anything more.

Standing among strangers stark naked, it turns out, is the elixir of calm.

"You can't hide behind the clothing anymore," said naturist Bridget Vanaman. "When you get outside a naturist place you have to be more cautious."

This is the festival's 21st year. There are only three or four other major annual nudist festivals in North America, so it goes without saying that the one in Loxahatchee Groves is popular. Four hundred naturists - another way to say nudist - were expected to attend and participate in some 260 activities, beginning last Thursday and ending Tuesday.

Vanaman, her husband and two children moved to Sunsport Gardens from chilly New Jersey two weeks ago. During the festival she taught kids - also naked - how to make stuffed paper whales and beaded necklaces.

Other than the obvious, the festival is like any other, with a new-age twist: people swim, they practice yoga, learn how to read auras and participate in healing circles. There's just a bit more diligence with sunscreen and a towel on everyone's arm - it's rude in nudist circles to sit without one beneath you.

Nude tourism is reported to be a $400 million business, said Nicky Hoffman Lee, managing director for The Naturist Society, an international nudist association based in Wisconsin.

"We're not some fringe cuckoo group," said Morley Schloss, who owns Sunsport Gardens and is on the board of directors for the Naturist Action Committee, a lobbying group that monitors lawmaking across North America to protect nudists. Part of the festival's proceeds go to the committee.

Tom Blackhawk Caffrey, of Miramar, has come to the festival for five years. A fit man with a shaved head and tattoos, he monitored nudists as a park ranger decades ago, but quickly converted to a naturist himself.

He couldn't justify shooing away people who simply wanted to sun themselves without a bathing suit and were kind enough to offer him food despite his intent to get rid of them, Caffrey said.

Surrey naturist group tags utility poles

2009-03-12T10:07:00.001-04:00

A Peninsula naturist group is taking responsibility for tagging 71 utility poles along North Bluff Road/16 Avenue with yellow caution tape.

Don Pitcairn, with Surrey’s United Naturists, said the effort is part of a public safety campaign aimed at raising awareness of the hazard the poles present to motorists, cyclists and others who use the busy thoroughfare.

The poles were marked with one to three ribbons, based on the perceived danger level.

“Some of the poles aren’t so bad, but some of them are absolutely retarded,” Pitcairn said.

“There are four that are in the radius of intersections.”

SUN is the group that organizes the annual nude polar bear swim at an area located at the base of 101 Steps, dubbed Crescent Rock Beach.

Last year, Pitcairn also claimed responsibility for altering Welcome to Surrey signs last year in response to news reports the city had killed 40 beavers in 2007.

He said he hopes the latest campaign will push Telus and BC Hydro to clear the way.

No more nudity for Kate Winslet?

2009-02-22T12:52:00.004-05:00

Kate Winslet, who is nominated for an Oscar for best actress in ”The Reader,” has been happy to take her clothes off for the sake of her art.

But those days may be over.

“I think I won’t do it again: a) I can’t keep getting away with it, and b) I don’t want to become ‘that actress who always gets her kit off,’” Winslet told Time magazine, in a profile that ran on its website on Thursday.

The comment comes the same day the Los Angeles Times ran an article looking at Winslet and fellow Oscar nominee Marisa Tomei, who plays a stripper in “The Wrestler” and who has also not been shy about shedding her clothes.

The LA Times wrote that, “Winslet would appear to have no equal among A-list actresses in her fearlessness about displaying her body.”

“Stretching from her career-making role in “Titanic” to “Iris” to 2006’s steamy “Little Children” — for each of which she received an Oscar nomination — Winslet has bared at least some skin in service to the film’s story,” the article said.

It appears to work for Winslet, 33, who has won six Oscar nominations in her career. On the set, Winslet appears to know exactly how to handle an awkward sex scene. She told Reuters that for “The Reader,” where she appeared nude with 18-year-old actor David Kross, she always knew where their bathrobes were and was quick to grab them after each film take.

With her acting ability, Winslet’s career will do just fine without nudity. But what will her fans think?

Hundreds of nudists gather in Loxahatchee, FL

2009-02-22T12:43:00.002-05:00

By Kara Kostanich email

LOXAHATCHEE, FL (WFLX) - It's the 21st year the Mid-Winter Festival is underway at Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resorts in Loxahatchee. Hundreds of naturists from around the county have descended on the resort.

"I don't want to be forced to buy a new swim suit every year. I hate having to spend lots of money to buy fashionable clothes," said Claudia Kellersch who is visiting from San Diego.

The festival offers more than 260 workshops from arts and crafts to relationships, and it's all done in the nude.

"I'm feeling the air now all over my body; I can feel the sun all over," said Morley Schloss who owns Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort and developed the festival many years ago.

The festival is open to the public. You do not have to be a nudist to attend.

Nudists unite: World Nude Day

2009-02-07T10:43:00.002-05:00

February 6, 2:02 PM
by Ozzie Jacobs, LA Personal Training Examiner

Today is World Nude Day (02/06/09), a day when the “birthday suit” is the only suit (too bad it’s raining in LA). Nudity for some can be scary, liberating, bold, embarrassing, and highly gratifying depending on who you are and the environment where you find yourself in “the buff”.

However, most would pass on the opportunity to prance around in the nude in a public place. Why so, we were all born with our clothes off and underneath it all we are all the same (sure some are a little more firm) but what’s the big deal?

No, I’m not a Nudist but I think the free spirited nature of the Nudist is quite admirable. To walk around in the nude is a testament toward your ability to be comfortable in your own skin and to love your body inside and out. Loving your body inside and out requires that you take care of it:

1. Eat Well – give your body only the best balance of protein, carbs and fats

2. Get Active – commit to a fitness routine that shapes, tones and defines

3. Get Sweaty – keep the heart healthy by incorporating cardio into your fitness regime

4. Appreciate Your Individuality – nude bodies come in all shapes and sizes but the nude body you should strive for is the one that is healthy. Healthy is always attractive.

Happy World Nude Day!

Take the time to enjoy a few moments in your birthday suit even if you take that moment in your shower.

More at www.worldnudeday.com

Nudist Commercial

2009-02-02T13:21:00.001-05:00

Here is an interesting commercial that ran in the UK.

Pool owner, family in dispute over drowning

2009-01-24T10:23:00.000-05:00

Man dies during private nudist party
Friday, January 23, 2009
By Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The owner of a Penn Hills pool where a man drowned during a nudist party two years ago said yesterday that she had a 23-year agreement with the nudists under which they would supply their own lifeguards.

The family of Ronald E. Daugherty sued Olympic Swim and Health Club this week in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, saying the facility violated state law by not providing a lifeguard for a party held by the West Penn Naturist nudist club.

Mr. Daugherty, a 72-year-old retiree from Greensburg, drowned on April 14, 2007.

His death went unnoticed in the media, although the medical examiner's office and Penn Hills police investigated.

The cause of death was ruled accidental.

Mr. Daugherty's widow, Barbara Daugherty of Greensburg, said pool owner Mary Sullivan should have provided a lifeguard under the state Public Bathing Law.

But Ms. Sullivan said the West Penn club, which holds four-hour parties at the pool every other Saturday night, signed a waiver in 1984 indicating that it would take full responsibility for all activity during its events.

Ms. Sullivan said she rents the pool to the group for $200 and gives the group total control, locking down the facility and letting members paper the windows for privacy.

"I turned it completely over to them," she said. "I was assured they had a lifeguard."

But Mrs. Daugherty's lawyer said assurances and waivers don't matter in the eyes of the Pennsylvania Code.

"It's not relevant," said Michael Rosenzweig, who filed the suit on behalf of Mrs. Daugherty and her three children. "The law says you need to provide a lifeguard."

Ms. Sullivan's insurance company would pay any damages should Mrs. Daugherty win the case.

Mr. Rosenzweig said the two parties have been negotiating a settlement for the last two years, although Ms. Sullivan said she told her insurance carrier to "fight tooth and nail.

Mr. Rosenzweig said Mr. Daugherty was swimming with many other people when the incident occurred.

"No one noticed him go under," he said. "They found him [on the bottom] and he could not be revived." Ms. Sullivan said Mr. Daugherty drowned in 5 feet of water after entering the pool from the sauna.

Mrs. Daugherty is demanding payment for loss of her husband's earning capacity and damages for his pain and suffering, among other claims.

The complaint also states that Ms. Sullivan had a "long-standing practice of permitting members of the public to swim unguarded."

But not anymore.

Since she first received notice two years ago that a suit was in the works, Ms. Sullivan said she has supplied a lifeguard for West Penn Naturist parties and charges the colony an extra $50 for the service.

Torsten Ove can be reached at tove@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1510.
First published on January 23, 2009 at 12:00 am

Nudist Resort Renting Rooms for Inauguration

2009-01-13T17:44:00.001-05:00

From NBCWASHINGTON.COM

How far would you go to get a hotel room in the Washington, D.C. area during the inauguration?

Most hotels have been booked solid for months but one resort in Maryland that boasts reasonable rates and an indoor pool has availability. The catch? You may have to strip for it.

The Pine Trees Associated Nudist Resort near New Carrollton still has rooms available -- but guests must be willing to take it all off, the Washington Examiner reported.

Guests don't have to be nudists, but the will likely have to bare all at some point, resort manager Pat Sokoloski told the Examiner.

"Yes we are renting rooms," he told the paper, "but at some point you have to get naked."

Guests are required to be in the nude for a half-hour as part of member initiation.

It's Fun To dance Naked!

2009-01-11T09:53:00.002-05:00

Here's a fun video for that shows how much fun it is to dance naked!

The BPA - Toe Jam Featuring David Byrne & Dizzee Rascal
Uploaded by TheBrightonPortAuthority

What Do You Say To A Naked Lady?

2008-12-27T14:43:00.001-05:00

This 1970 film by Allen Funt seems a little dated today but it clearly shows our attitudes about nudity. From IMDB.com “Candid Camera's Allen Funt secretly tapes people's reactions to unexpected encounters with nudity in unusual situations, such as when a naked young woman casually exits an elevator in an office building, or when the nude male art model breaks the wall between artist and model and has off-the-cuff conversations with the clothed women artists. Funt also secretly tapes the test audience watching the preview film and their responses to it, from outright indignation to warm hearted-praise.”

40 years later, I don’t think anything has changed. Watch the entire film below.

Naturists' plea over nudist beach

2008-12-20T09:15:00.002-05:00

The following is from the BBC

Naturists are calling on a Suffolk council to keep open one of Britain's first nudist beaches.

A report to Waveney District Council said the 200-yd (183m) section of beach in Corton, near Lowestoft, should be "de-designated".

It said erosion had left "very little beach" for residents, meaning the nudist area should be for general use.

But British Naturism said it would contest the recommendation and said legal action was "always an option".

The report is due to be considered by the authority on Thursday.

Amicable solution

British Naturism spokesman Malcolm Boura, 55, from near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, said the beach had been nudist since 1979.

He said: "Once we've been able to discuss the matter with the council, I'm sure we can come up with an amicable solution.

"We would welcome any proposal to move the beach slightly further south but we do not want to lose a designated area.

"This is used by several hundred naturists on a good summer's day.

"It's too early to be talking about about any legal action but, as is the position with anything like this, it's always an option."

Waveney District Council spokesman Phil Harris said: "There's been considerable coastal erosion on the beach at Tibbenham's Score, which is to the north of the nudist beach.

"That represents an 80% reduction in available beach in that area."

Mr Harris said the council's cabinet would decide on Thursday whether to put the proposed closure out to public consultation.

God Bless Bettie Page

2008-12-13T09:44:00.002-05:00

From the New York Times:

By MANOHLA DARGIS
Published: December 12, 2008

The art critic John Berger once wrote: “To be naked is to be oneself. To be nude is to be seen naked by others and yet not recognized for oneself.” I’m pretty certain he never met Bettie Page, naked, nude or otherwise.

In the 1950s Ms. Page, who died on Thursday, was Queen of the Pinups, appearing in thousands of photographs and numerous short films in states of jubilant undress. Whether entirely bare or decked out in garters, stockings and heels, a ball gag tucked in her mouth, she always appeared to be having a swell time. With her encouraging smile, she didn’t just look as if she enjoyed being photographed; she looked as if she enjoyed your looking at her too. That smile and the ease of her poses — the way she seemed comfortable even when trussed up in rope so intricately knotted that it would have made an Eagle Scout gasp or take up new habits — were invitations to a party that I suspect most of her admirers were too fainthearted to attend.

She was for a long period a great mystery and a cult obsession. I first encountered her in the 1980s in an East Village store that sold movie and music zines with a few curiosities tossed in. Many of the zines were blurrily mimeographed, held together with staples and bile, which may be why I gravitated to the colorful glossy covers of a new little magazine, about the size of Reader’s Digest, called The Betty Pages. (The correct spelling of her name didn’t emerge until later.) Published and edited by a comic-book illustrator named Greg Theakston, the magazine was my introduction to all things Bettie and something of a time machine, harking back to a long ago when men’s magazines were called Titter and Flirt.

The Betty Pages was filled with essays, interviews, reproductions of pinup photographs, and movie and still advertisements that detailed the nature of the work for which its star attraction became famous. One typical advertisement trumpeted:

“Our latest High Heel movie featuring beautiful model Betty Page WAS MADE SPECIALLY TO PLEASE YOU. We know you will want to see more of this popular model. Betty wears black bra, panties and black stockings. Several close-ups of her walking in high heels.”

Yowza! The advertisement was for a short titled “Teaser Girl in High Heels,” distributed by a New Yorker named Irving Klaw, who, with his sister, Paula, sold movie star photographs and very special specialty items through their downtown store and mail-order service. In the late 1940s the Klaws began shooting and selling their own bondage and fetish material, catering to the tastes of a loyal clientele: “Corset and Stocking,” “Girls in Extreme High Heels,” “Battling Girls.” There was no nudity, just a lot of rope and kink. In 1952 Ms. Page started working for the Klaws and quickly became their most popular model. “She could do looks of real horror or happy shots with ease,” Ms. Klaw said of the seminude cutie. “She was a natural.”

It was, more than anything, that sense of naturalness that made Ms. Page a star in this shadowy 1950s world and later a favorite of the likes of Dave Stevens, who featured a Page character in his comic “The Rocketeer” (the basis for a drab 1991 movie with a luscious Jennifer Connelly). Born in Tennessee in 1923, Ms. Page moved to New York in the late 1940s after going nowhere in Hollywood. She posed for a variety of publications, as well as for camera clubs, where groups of men took their own private snaps. Some of the loveliest images of her were actually taken by a woman, the photographer Bunny Yeager, who shot her in a leopard-skin swimsuit and nothing at all, and sometimes in the company of two cheetahs.

Ms. Yeager’s photographs are more in the style of classic cheesecake than the images Ms. Page produced with the Klaws, which were made hastily, often at the rate of hundreds of photos a day. Ms. Yeager took a shot of Ms. Page wearing a wink and a Santa hat (that landed in Playboy), along with some embarrassing images of the model with a black man in face paint with a (ahem) spear. But she also took a series of vibrant beachfront shots of Ms. Page, including a candid image of her on a boat in nothing but a small smile, her profile to the camera. She’s entirely naked and so seemingly at ease in her own bare skin that the shot seems less like a professional opportunity and more like a private message.

To look at these photographs is to enter another world. I don’t think for a minute it was a more innocent world, but it was one in which sexualized images of women, even trussed up in rope, seemed somehow, well, charming. I’m sure there are plenty of women and some men who would disagree, saying that one generation’s erotica is another’s pornographic exploitation. But the sheer volume of images that wash over us now have blunted our sensibilities, I think, and made us less alive to the beauty, the poetry and the mysteries of the naked body. We are surrounded by visuals that are far more explicit than any Bettie Page pinup, images of oiled and sculptured flesh that promise the universe and deliver so little.

Jennifer Aniston Not Nervous to Get Naked

2008-12-13T09:40:00.002-05:00

Jennifer Aniston says she wasn't scared to strip down to nothing but a necktie for the cover of GQ.

"Oddly enough, I don't know why, but no!" Jen told E! News' Michael Yo at the premiere of Marley & Me when asked if she was nervous for the naked photo shoot. "It took 39 years but....yeah!"

Jen also dished about how great it was working with costar Owen Wilson and shooting the movie in sunny Miami. "It was the best," she said. "We had so much fun!"

Also joining Jen at the premiere: boyfriend John Mayer. And although she walked the carpet with Owen, she and John got together inside and left the screening together.

Marisa Tomei's naked ambitions

2008-12-13T09:35:00.002-05:00

Dec 12, 2008, 03:24 PM | by Marc Bernardin

I'm not entirely sure when it happened, but it seems like Marisa Tomei is all about the rock-out-with-your-frock-, er, off. First she popped up in her altogether as a trophy wife in last year's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, and now she's playing a stripper in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler. And you know what? Good for her. Why do I say that? Because she's doing what had been derided as a thespianic cliche for years, nudity, because the character required it. In both of these films, Tomei is playing women who have erected barriers around themselves, and for each of them the nude body represents either the fortification of that barrier or its destruction.

More than 15 years after winning an Oscar for My Cousin Vinny, Tomei is doing the best work of her career by being brave enough to use every tool in an actor's shed. And those of us who had a teensy crush on her when she was Lisa Bonet's roomie on A Different World...well, we're thankful.

Anyone with me in praising Tomei for throwing caution to the wind and showing off where the sun don't shine? Or do you think it's just been gratutious?

Dame Helen Mirrens a fan of nudist beaches

2008-12-13T09:27:00.002-05:00

London, Dec 12 (ANI): Veteran actress Dame Helen Mirren, who recently grabbed eye balls with her bikini photographs, has admitted that she prefers wearing nothing at all.

The 63-year-old has confessed that shes an enthusiastic fan of nudist beaches.

Ive been on nudist beaches and think theyre great, really great. They desexualise nudity completely, the Daily Express quoted her, as saying.

Despite being regarded as one of the most alluring stars on the British screen, the Oscar-winning actress doesnt find herself beautiful.

I am just not beautiful. Keira Knightley is beautiful and Kate Moss, she told Glamour magazine. (ANI)

Top Nude Scenes of 2008.

2008-12-07T13:02:00.002-05:00

The Web site Mr. Skin this week announced its top celebrity nude scenes of 2008.

No. 1 on the movie list was Mischa Barton in “Closing the Ring.” The rest of top five are Sophie Monk (“Sex and Death 101”), Heather Graham (“Adrift in Manhattan”), Asia Argento (“The Last Mistress”) and Neve Campbell (“I Really Hate My Job”).

The top TV nude scene was Lizzy Caplan in “True Blood,” followed by Mary Louise Parker (“Weeds”) and Anna Paquin (“True Blood”).

You’re on your own to find, and see, the rest of the list.

Dare to get bare! The prime spots around the world to take it all off!

2008-12-07T12:51:00.003-05:00

Great article from Danielle Pergament of Concierge.com.

Remember that guy in college who told you to get naked because everyone was doing it? Well, he may have been ahead of his time. Whether it's for art, health, relaxation, or spiritual awakening, a whole world of travel is opening up to the idea of an NC-17 holiday. But remove your mind from the gutter—this isn't about sex. This nudity is about art! About freedom of expression! About refocusing your third eye! And when that all fails, it's also about checking out the hotties in the thermal baths in Iceland. In other words, those in the know are also those in the buff. Read on to find the best places to take it all off, from Nevada's desert of hot bodies to Japan's nude theme park.

1. Spaworld, Japan

Naked truth: Volcanically active Japan has thousands of natural hot springs traditionally enjoyed au naturel. One Osaka onsen has taken that concept to the extreme, creating an over-the-top, around-the-naked-world-in-eight-floors theme park. The complex is divided into themes by country—Finland, Greece, Spain, France, Ancient Rome, and so on. You'll soak amid a replica of the Trevi Fountain, in a hammam-meets-Disney stone bath, and over an Atlantis-themed tank full of tropical fish. Naturally, all baths and body soaks are done in the nude, but—bummer alert—men and women are confined to separate floors. On the bright side, you're given pj's to wear when you walk around the common areas—pink for girls, blue for boys.

Bodies of evidence: Despite its name, SpaWorld is favored by locals—and it's popular. Expect to be hanging with lots and lots of naked Japanese people.

Best reason to bring a towel: The ones they supply are meant for locals. Hearty Americans may find the in-house towels only cover one cheek.

Don't forget your: Japanese-English dictionary. This will be especially useful for translating the following: "Pardon me. I'm straight, but may I join your all-male naked pool party?"

2. Turkish Baths, Budapest

Naked truth: Some of the most famous historical sites in Budapest are most appropriately visited in the buff. After all, this is the land of the bathhouse. From classic, historical buildings like the Rudas Baths (built in the 1500s) to the Art Nouveau Gellert Baths to racier options like Király Baths, which host rave-style party nights, current options run the gamut. Most consist of a thermal pool, sauna, and steam bath so you can't really go wrong. Just one word of caution: Some bathhouses are unisex and others are mixed, so be sure you know which way your bathhouse swings before stepping in for a dip.

Bodies of evidence: We're not going to lie to you: The Rudas Baths won't be pretty. Think burly men toughened by an Iron Curtain past who sound like Borat—all naked as the day is long. Király, on the other hand, gets the young-and-pretty types.

Best reason to bring a towel: To cover your eyes. We're not kidding about the Borats.

Don't forget your: Dry clothes. If you're there anytime but summer, you'll be in for a chilly shock once you leave. Be sure to bundle up.

3. Loveparade, Germany

Naked truth: "First and foremost the Loveparade stands for peaceful togetherness," reads its Web site. "The most important values for us include love, mutual respect, tolerance, and community." In other words, naked, mutual naked, naked, and naked. The annual dance-music megaparty has been held in Germany every summer since 1989 and okay, not everyone is naked—some people wear body paint. But exhibitionist types are out in full force, dancing their way through the parade to all-night after-parties in clubs and warehouses. The location changes from year to year, heading to Bochum, in the Ruhr Valley, for 2009.

Bodies of evidence: The Loveparade makes Mardi Gras look like the Republican National Convention. There's an awful lot of body paint, piercings, and tattoos on a wide array of bodies—plump, skinny, gay, straight, and everything in between.

Best reason to bring a towel: You'll need somewhere to nap between the parades and all-night raves.

Don't forget your: Brotherly love. You'll be cheek by jowl (not to mention other body parts) with your fellow lovers, and you didn't come here to stand in the corner by yourself.

4. Burning Man, Nevada

Naked truth: Some would argue that it was the Silicon Valley crowd that put Burning Man on the map—because it was a way to see their colleagues naked. (And yes, we realize that "colleagues" and "naked" never belong in the same sentence.) However, the idea took off, and the annual weeklong art festival in northern Nevada's Black Rock Desert has become a must for those who like to party in the nude. The point, though maddeningly vague, is self-expression and self-reliance with a heavy emphasis on artwork and revelry (that's your clue right there). After days of fiery displays, the event culminates in setting aflame a giant structure shaped like a man, proving the age-old adage that some bodies are just too hot to handle.

Bodies of evidence: You name it. Last year almost 50,000 people came to Burning Man—each in various stages of dress, undress, and conflagration.

Best reason to bring a towel: You're in the desert and it's hot. Take off your clothes and throw the towel over your head for mobile shade.

Don't forget your: ATM card. Once all that self-reliance has melted away, you might notice you're not that far from Vegas.

5. Bay to Breakers, San Francisco

Naked truth: A 12K race through downtown San Francisco toward the ocean, Bay to Breakers has been held every May since 1912. This being Haight-Ashbury country, Bay to Breakers is part race, part gay pride event, part naked-from-the-Nikes-up parade. Though there are a handful of serious athletes in attendance, the Boston Marathon it is not.

Bodies of evidence: Technically, clothing is required and alcohol is forbidden, and there are many law-abiding Californians who are there to beat their personal record. But then again, many other participants take this opportunity to strip down and throw inflatable sex toys around their necks.

Best reason to bring a towel: The run will take you through the swankier section of town. If you lose your nerve, you can always pull over, wrap yourself in the towel, and pretend you got locked out of your spa appointment at the W.

Don't forget your:Your race number. Seriously. We don't care if you are wearing a fuchsia afro and nothing else, rules are rules.

6. Blue Lagoon, Iceland

Naked truth: This is nakedness, jet set style. The Blue Lagoon is your typical luxe destination spa—massages, healthy food, steam rooms, saunas, high-design guest rooms, its own product line—but with an only-in-Iceland twist. It was built on the country's famous hot springs, which, judging by the other participants, are best enjoyed sans clothing.

Bodies of evidence: Among others, svelte Swedes named Sven. It's a collection of attractive Nordic people with blond hair and no tan lines.

Best reason to bring a towel: There's actually a practical application, for once—you need to dry off after your dip in the geothermal pools. The temperature of the pools varies, but expect a chilly awakening when you get out.

Don't forget your: Hydrogen peroxide. Go ahead and be blond for the week. You may be naked but you don't want to stand out.

7. Hadaka Matsuri, Japan

Naked truth: Japan dedicates an entire annual festival to the glory of nakedness. Oddly, this event takes place in wintertime. No matter, the annual Hadaka Matsuri, or "naked man" festivals, draw massive crowds throughout the country. Though the specifics vary by event and venue, the general idea is for lots of Japanese men and boys in nothing but loincloths to run to a shrine where they receive a water purification cleansing. Tip: The full monty is frowned upon—a thousand men in glorified thongs is one thing, but this is an age-old rite of passage.

Bodies of evidence: Imagine running with the bulls. Now instead of bulls, there are a thousand Japanese men dressed as sumo wrestlers. And instead of fear of being gored, there's the fear of not tying that T-shape cloth properly.

Best reason to bring a towel: To wipe your feet. Slipping on all that poured water is a real concern, and you don't have a whole lot of cushioning for your fall.

Don't forget your: Gore-Tex. Once all the fun is over, you'll remember this is still Japan in January, and hypothermia—and shrinkage—will be a cruel reality.

8. No Pants Day, New York City

Naked truth: Imagine it's the first Friday in May, and you're in New York. You're taking the 2 train to Times Square, minding your own business when you look up and—ka-pow!—half the subway car has dropped trou. Actually they boarded the train that way—fully dressed from the underwear up and ankles down. But there's no need to flag down a cop. The harmless truth is that No Pants Day was started by an improv troupe to provide some comic relief to bored commuters (check out their Web site for hilarious videos). It has since spread to other cities—from Boise, Idaho, to Adelaide, Australia—and other bored commuters.

Bodies of evidence: What New Yorker hasn't passed a long train ride checking out foxy fellow commuters? No Pants can be a (day)dream come true, when that buttoned-up businesswoman or that hot hipster across from you promptly disrobes. But there are all walks of (pantsless) life here, so generally it's more of a laugh than an aphrodisiac.

Best reason to bring a towel: Remember, this takes place on the New York City Transit system. The towel is for anything you plan on touching with any part of your body. In fact, it's not a bad idea to bring one with you on a fully clothed subway ride.

Don't forget your: Metrocard. Nothing will take the fun out of the day like having to jump the turnstile with no pants on. The cop in the station won't think it's so amusing either.

9. World Naked Bike Ride

Naked truth: Ostensibly, the World Naked Bike Ride was started in 2004 as a demonstration against pollution and oil dependency. Over the years, it's taken on different forms in different countries at different times but the general theme is the same: Participants are encouraged to strip down and go out for a bike ride. But the bicycle part is somewhat misleading—skateboards and in-line skates are welcome as well. Dates are listed online, but if they don't fit into your schedule, you can start your own.

Bodies of evidence: It's hard to tell what you're looking at with all that colorful body paint, but that man dressed like a cop is not a YMCA imposter. He's actually a cop, and depending where this bike ride is taking place, he's either directing traffic or about to issue a citation.

Best reason to bring a towel: For padding—ouch—on the narrow—ouch—and bumpy—ouch—bike seat.

Don't forget your: Mirrored sunglasses—they're as close to inconspicuous as you can get on a naked bike ride.

10. Spencer Tunick

Naked truth: Want to be immortalized and scratch that exhibitionist itch at the same time? Sign up to be in one of Spencer Tunick's famous photos. The artist made a name for himself for his compositions of thousands of artfully arranged naked people, like the photo at right, taken in the Rubens Hall of the Museum Kunst Palast in Düsseldorf, Germany. Tunick, who is originally from New York and has been documenting naked people since 1986, has famously disobeyed civil order with pictures of 18,000 nudies in Mexico City, not to mention New York, Vienna, Rome, London, Montreal, and dozens of other places where people tend to wear clothes. Tunick works solely with volunteers—you can sign up on his Web site to be notified next time he shoots in your neck of the woods. Just think—you too can be someone's screen saver.

Bodies of evidence: You name it—young, old, black, white, male, female, fat, thin—art brings all types.

Best reason to bring a towel: Only if you have second thoughts. But, then again, if you have second thoughts, your brow's not high enough to be here. Also, might want to have a pen handy so he can sign a print for you—his work commands a pretty penny at auction.

Don't forget your: Maturity. This isn't about seeing other people's private parts, it's about Art. Now grow up. (And bring a camera—hell, if Tunick is taking pictures of it all, why shouldn't you?)

11. Blacks Beach, San Diego

Naked truth: For every shoreline, there is a nude beach hiding somewhere on it. Of course, Brazil, France, and Greece get all the attention, but for our money, Blacks Beach in La Jolla, San Diego, is just as gorgeous, just as nude, and much closer to home. Blacks embodies everything that made Southern California a pop song in the first place—volleyball, barbecues, lab puppies frolicking in the surf, and a slew of bathing suit–less sunbathers who come with the let-it-all-hang-ten attitude that we love about California in the first place.

Bodies of evidence: This is the part of the world where "Baywatch" was filmed, but no, we can't pretend that it's all Pamela Andersons and David Hasselhoffs (thank goodness). You know the people you normally see at the beach in Southern California? Now picture them with no clothes.

Best reason to bring a towel: You're on the beach, duh.

Don't forget your: Sunscreen. You'll be exposing bits and pieces that have never seen the sun.

Judy Blue Eyes

2008-12-07T12:44:00.003-05:00

In a recent interview in the Denver Post, singer Judy Collins was asked about the cover of her 1979 album "Hard Times for Lovers," for which she posed nude and did she ever harbor any regrets about that?

Her answer: "Far from it. It's fun to be controversial. And I did it again in 1997, for my anthology album, "Forever." Some people said I would have sold more records if we'd had a different cover, but I don't have time to worry about what people think. I have too much to do: I have books to write and concerts to perform and television specials to produce and movies to see and new cats."

Scarlett Johansson takes nude swim in new flick.

2008-11-29T11:01:00.002-05:00

After setting the screen on fire with a steamy kiss with Penelope Cruz, actress Scarlett Johansson has taken a nude swim in her new film.

The Hollywood stunner would be seen swimming naked in front of co-star Bradley Cooper in the upcoming film ‘He's Just Not That Into You’.

The cast of the film also includes Jennifer Aniston and Ben Affleck, who play a couple in the throes of relationship problems where she's desperate to get married while he isn't so keen, reports the ‘Daily Telegraph’.

Not sure what the beig deal is? Most of us nudists do this every other week *smile*.

Nude beaches seen as cover for cash gaps

2008-11-29T10:48:00.002-05:00

Interesting article fron the Palm Beach Post.

By Frank Cerabino

Palm Beach Post staff writer

Friday, November 28, 2008

Times are tough, maybe even tough enough to start paying more attention to one of the state's leading nudists.

"It's time for the state of Florida to grow up," said Richard Mason, the president of the Florida Naturist Association.

Mason, who lives in Miami-Dade County, was in Boca Raton this week to urge Palm Beach County's legislative delegation to take a less-is-more approach to plugging holes in the state budget.

Mason's idea is simple: More nude beaches equals more state revenue.

"If you can build golf courses for golfers, why can't you designate beaches for naturists?" Mason asked.

He uses Haulover Beach Park in Miami-Dade as Exhibit A.

For the past 18 years, that beach has been designated as a sanctioned clothing-optional beach — the only one in the state.

"It's drawing more visitors than the Florida Marlins and the Miami Dolphins combined," Mason said.

And the county is reaping the benefits of the $5 parking fee, which brings in about $1.4 million a year, he said.

"Every year the parking money keeps going up and up," he said. "Nothing stops it from growing."

Mason estimated that 60 percent of Haulover's visitors travel from other parts of the state, elsewhere in America or abroad to sunbathe in the raw.

"It's a destination beach all because it's a naturist beach," he said.

Mason's pitch for more nude beaches is especially well timed because Gov. Charlie Crist is looking to make significant cuts in state spending, including from the Division of Recreation and Parks. That division has been asked to come up with a 10 percent cut in its operating costs.

To do that, the division has come up with a plan to close 19 parks across the state until the economy rebounds. None of the parks is in Palm Beach, Martin or St. Lucie counties.

But instead of closing the parks, Mason has argued, the state can more than compensate for its revenue shortfalls by keeping all the parks open and changing the designation of a few beachfront parks into clothing-optional spots.

"Naturists like to be around the ocean," he said. "You put one of those beaches in Palm Beach County and it will draw a lot of people."

The John D. MacArthur Beach State Park in northern Palm Beach County had been an unofficial clothing-optional beach until the state took it over in the 1980s and began arresting nude sunbathers there.

A state appellate court decision ruled that being nude alone does not constitute indecent exposure, and that there must be some lewd and lascivious behavior with it.

"So you can have a naturist beach as long as it is in a designated area," Mason said.

Public officials, however, have been reluctant to make accommodations for nudists.

In 1989, Palm Beach County's Tourist Development Council turned down a request by the Eastern Sunbathing Association to officially make a portion of MacArthur Beach State Park clothing-optional.

Like Mason's request this week, the sunbathing group made an economic argument to the tourism board, saying that a nude beach would bring in dollars to the county.

But that was during more comfortable economic times, days when it was easier to dismiss nudists dangling dollars.

In today's budget climate, its harder to scoff at Mason's pitch without mulling over the pros and cons.

"It's been a successful formula at Haulover for 18 years," he said. "Why not give it a try?"

Or to put it another way, what's worse?

A bare-bones budget or some bare-bones bathers.

Nudist destinations still in the pink as a travel segment

2008-11-23T09:43:00.003-05:00

Chicago Tribune 11/23/08

By Chris Santilli | Special to the Tribune

Perhaps encouraged by the discreet nature of Internet travel inquiries and the abundance of anonymous message boards, nudist destinations continue to be a sunny spot in an otherwise cloudy travel industry.

People who once just enjoyed nude sunbathing in their private back yards have found that they aren't alone in wanting to go clothes-free while doing everything from bocce ball and tennis to volleyball, hiking and swimming worldwide.

One in 10 Americans ranks staying at a resort that offers nude recreation as extremely/very desirable, according to a 2008 survey by Ypartnership/Yankelovich National Leisure Travel MONITOR.

In the early 1990s, U.S. and Canadian nude recreation grossed more than $120 million a year, including cruises, resorts and merchandise, according to a Forbes magazine article, which also reported a 20 percent yearly increase in participation.

By 2003, that monetary figure had grown to $400 million.

Now the figure is closer to $450 million, said Carolyn Hawkins, spokeswoman for the American Association of Nude Recreation, or AANR.

And nudists no longer simply gather in colonies (now considered an offensive term to nudists). They enjoy luxury cruises and resorts with spas.

"It used to be that only if you go 500 yards that way in a little cove, you could be naked," said Andrea Hutchinson, president and owner of Go Classy Tours Inc., a Tampa-area travel agency with a side specialty in nude vacations.

Within the last decade, dozens of new resorts in Florida (Caliente near Tampa), California (Sea Mountain in Palm Springs), Mexico (Hidden Beach in Cancun) and the Caribbean (Hedonism III in Jamaica) have opened to cater to nude clients with varying interests.

The demand for nude cruises keeps increasing, said Nancy Tiedmann, owner of Bare Necessities Travel and Tours, in Austin, Texas. One recent Monday she sold 14 nude cruise packages, a number she would typically sell in a week. Whole ships of 2,000 nude guests sail from Caribbean ports.

More resorts are opening to cater to both nudists and lifestylers (those committed life partners who jointly believe monogamy isn't natural), who used to be called swingers. "Nudists take great offense," Hutchinson said, when people confuse nudists with lifestylers. "They are hurting the growth of the [nudist] industry," she added.

Contrary to popular belief, nudism, or naturism, in itself has nothing to do with sex (take note of your Discovery Channel documentaries on hunter-gatherer societies), but librarians sometimes still file nude recreation subjects under sex. Yet most nudist venues cater solely to family-oriented activities.

Nudist resorts also have long been at odds over whether to permit single men and women to attend. Rules vary for singles depending on the resort. Oftentimes single women are given more admittance rights than single men, some of whom leer or are overtly sexual.

Europeans, especially the French and Germans, accept nudist recreation more easily than Americans, even though most aren't nudists themselves. Nudity in advertising and nude beaches abound there.

One-quarter of the town of Cap d'Agde on the Mediterranean in southern France is clothing optional.

Vacationers and residents—singles, couples, families—can spend their entire day nude, whether banking, shopping or eating at a restaurant.

In this era of tightening budgets, maybe nudist vacations make more sense; birthday suits never go out of fashion.

All Nude Dinner Party

2008-11-16T11:16:00.002-05:00

This article came from thedailybeast.com. Arianne Cohen's work has appeared in The New York Times, you can stalk her via ariannecohen.com.

My night at an all-nude New York dinner party.

"If anyone young is reading this, go, right this minute, put on a bikini and don't take it off until you're 34." This is Nora Ephron, reminding us that now—right now—is the peak naked moment of our lives, the highest point on a steep slope of sagging. I remembered this rule when my email dinged with a dinner invitation. The invite contained details about the host (a friend of a friend), the cuisine (Indian) and the attire (none). A nude dinner party.

I was petrified. I am an enthusiast of other naked activities—skinny dipping, showers, sex. But unlike dinner, those all start with ‘s.’ This seems important. Also, they all involve doing something. A lengthy swimming career taught me that many people are attractive naked not because of their bodies’ particulars, but because of the way those bodies move. It’s why the prettiest people are not always the most sought after. Movement is important. When stationary, my lower body looks like a bean bag chair.

But I wondered. Nudity is something I can deal with. Perhaps I am a closet nudist. Perhaps nudism is my new untapped outlet, ready to occupy the empty space in my life between knitting and Netflix.

I rang the bell, and a geeky, middle-aged man in bifocals stuck his head around the door. Richard. He pointed to a stack of towels next to the door. The only rule of nudist events is that you sit on a towel. These were hand towels; I was expecting beach.

I was on Richard’s email list because I’d heard that a computer programmer arranges all-expense-paid trips to Florida and the Caribbean for nudist rookies. Richard, the programmer, is a sort of ringleader for New York City nudists, making frequent trips to naturist resorts in Tampa, Palm Springs, St. Maarten's and Maine, bringing along groups of four-to-30 people.

Behind him, another naked man with long brown hair sat with a laptop at the kitchen table. Richard informed me that the female guests were running late. I wondered if stripping with two strange men in a strange apartment was unwise. I scanned. They seemed passive, and I decided they probably wouldn't attack me. On the wall, a digital picture frame flashed group shots of smiling naked people. They didn’t look like they’d been attacked recently. I went into the bathroom, stripped, and took out the beach towel I'd brought from home.

I emerged and gingerly sat down on the towel on the couch, legs tightly crossed. Naked dinner is sort of like public speaking: it takes a couple minutes to win over the crowd, except you’re the crowd. Richard told me about his gig as an extra on Fur, reenacting famous Diane Arbus portraits, while I struggled to find a flattering or comfortable upright couch position. Richard didn’t hold back: one leg out to the side, balls in full view. It wasn’t lewd. When you look at Richard, you understand why he's naked: He looks like he should be naked. Dressed, he would be a 2.5; naked, he's a 7.0. He's rotund-yet-firm, tan everywhere and fully comfortable in his nudity. He says he spends most of his home-time in the buff.

The rest of the guests blew in, three late-twenties women, a masseuse and two teachers, who stripped in front of the door and plopped down on the couches and floor. And a 30-ish Asian guy, who announced his recent victory on Pants Off Dance Off, a program on the Fuse Network that TV Guide called “the dumbest show on television.” Contestants have three minutes to strip while dancing in a three-foot-square box. We watched the episode clip. He is indeed very talented at stripping in a three-foot-square box. I relaxed. When other naked people are calm, you're calm.

My earlier theory that moving is a pivotal part of nudity is all wrong. Moving while naked is a pain in the ass. It’s hard to get off a low couch while adhering to society’s Keep Your Legs Closed Always rule. But I made it to the dining room table, and dinner proceeded much like any other--chitchat about work, discussion of how cool it is to win $200 for three minutes of stripping in a box. There was no sexual vibe. Through three courses of Indian food, I found that my need to check out men’s packages had passed in its entirety, and that skin is just another set of clothes. People carry themselves differently when naked; it’s more authentic. You can read who people are at a glance. I imagined the heavily makeup’ed fashionistas of my Upper East Side neighborhood melting down under these conditions, their coiffed facades broken, their personalities unable to function in the harsh light of reality. There’s something very real about naked dinner.

New York City is one of the worst places on earth to be a nudist. The exposure laws are strict, and there’s one nude beach for eight million residents. Richard says he leads trips because he has the money, and because otherwise people would never learn how comfortable naturism is. There’s no sex involved on his part.

His dinner guests seemed free, getting a dopamine high off the rarity of what we were doing. I was not high. My hand hurt because I could not stop gripping my towel. I sat on it, or held it in my hand, or carried it around the apartment, clutching it like child’s security blanket. As long as I held it, everything would be okay. Couldn’t. Let. Go.

Also. Couldn’t. Eat. There are two types of people: those who look better dressed (Gwyneth Paltrow), and those who look better naked (Pamela Anderson), and one of the former was sitting directly across from me, a thin bank teller who was quite foxy clothed. But naked, she was thin and somehow unappetizing, and for reasons I can’t articulate, looking at her breasts six inches from the bread, I lost my appetite. I felt guilty about this.

After dessert, people lounged on the couches for a while, then pulled on their clothes in the entryway. I’ll save you suspense: I did not become a card-carrying nudist. I politely declined Richard’s invitation for a trip a sunny resort somewhere down south, and happily escaped to the bathroom, because getting dressed is a private activity.

Never was I so excited to see my bra.

Nude Beach Thrives In New Jersey

2008-11-13T16:45:00.001-05:00

From NPR.ORG

Gunnison Beach, a clothing-optional beach in Sandy Hook, N.J., brings out about 5,000 visitors on sunny summer weekends.

Sunbathers here are protective of their little piece of paradise — and their privacy.

There have been nude bathers at Gunnison for years, even before it became a clothing-optional beach. It officially opened as a clothing-optional beach not long after it was decommissioned as a military base in 1972.

When it was a military base, the soldiers — all men — would skinny dip, according to Dale Distasio, president of Friends of Gunnison. The group is composed of the beach's fans, who also try to protect naturist recreation.

When it opened as a clothing-optional beach in the mid-1970s, a big crowd might be 20 people.

Things have changed since then, says Bob Gaestel, a retired automotive technician, who is known fondly as the Mayor of Gunnison Beach because he has been coming here since the beginning.

"It's grown and grown and grown," says Gaestel, who now only comes on weekdays when it's less crowded. The parking lot on a weekend afternoon is maxed out.

Recently, Manhattanites have been able to take the SeaStreak Ferry (no pun intended) to the beach. It's a fast, traffic-free ride, but at $43 round trip, it's expensive. Most people drive.

It seems like every race and age is on the beach — though most people seem older than 50. You see a few smokers. There are also people reading, sunbathing, even playing volleyball.

On a recent weekend day, about half the people on the beach are nude, one quarter are topless, and the rest are wearing bathing suits, shorts and beach wraps. But the thing that's most striking is how easy it is to strike up a conversation.

"When you are not wearing clothes, you have nothing to show everybody how much you make and what you do for a living," Distasio says. "The Nike sneakers are off. The $300 earrings got left at home, and it's a terrific equalizer.

While beachgoers here might be willing to strike up a conversation, they don't want to be interviewed by the media — and they certainly don't want to give their names.

"People think that if you take your clothes off, there's got to be sex involved. Publicity brings a lot of gawkers, people who want to come down here, and make my lifestyle their source of entertainment for the day," Distasio says.

And every once in a while, a lifeguard or a park ranger has to throw someone off the beach for acting inappropriately.

Mayor Bob advises: Get a room. You can't do it here.

Taking pictures without permission, for example is a no-no.

If gawkers understood that the average nudist could be a member of AARP, they might stay home, Gaestel says.

"I think that you let a lot go once you hit a certain age. You don't care what people think about you," Gaestel says.

The one group you don't see here are teens. Distasio says that's just human nature. They are developing, she says, and besides, they don't want to see their moms and dads naked.

"Then, somewhere in their late 20s and late 30s, they come back and their kids stay until they are 12," she says, laughing.

Most Naked Riders

2008-11-08T11:12:00.000-05:00

The record for the most naked people on a theme park thrill ride is 32, set by members of the public on Nemesis at Alton Towers, Staffordshire, UK on 27 August 2004 for Guinness World Records: 50 Years, 50 Records.

Most naked riders on a theme park ride
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