“Sometimes, all I need is the air that I breathe.”
— The Hollies
I marvel sometimes at both how simple and how complex nudism can be — even more so for naturism.
On one hand, nudism boils down to one thing: being naked. Take off your clothes and carry on your day or evening at home. It gets more complex when you venture out into the social nudism scene, with all the do’s and don’ts and rules of etiquette to keep in mind. But I imagine many people don’t take their nudism — if they even call it that — beyond their own properties. They garden in the buff, they lounge in the buff. They do most things around the home in the buff. And they probably don’t give their nudity any thought at all after a while.
On the other hand, people who identify as naturists may incorporate being naked — the nudism part — into an ethical lifestyle “favoring harmony with nature and respect for the environment,” as Wikipedia puts it, and much more: they might be vegetarians, they might refuse to wear clothing (when they must) or footwear derived from animals, etc. Or not. Nudists, too, tend to love nature and may or may not adopt ethical lifestyles. There is no single ideology for nudism or naturism, but there is one thing that unites us all: the belief that we should be able to enjoy life at times in our natural state, free of textiles.
We each have our own comfort level with nudism and/or naturism. I know individuals who are more often naked than not. They see textiles as the enemy and only wear them when they absolutely have to. They are naked 24/7 in their homes, unless a prudish guest shows up. For other individuals I know, nudism is more of a fair-weather activity: think naked strolls on sandy beaches on warm days. And many, of course, also seek out landed and unlanded naturism clubs in which to socialize with like-minded people, as well as naturism campgrounds and resorts.
I’ve done the unlanded club scene, till the COVID pandemic hit — but when I feel it is safe again, I will rejoin the Ottawa club that so kindly introduced me to naturism. Through that club, I found myself being recruited as a nude model for artists’ workshops, which were hard work but were total body-affirmation experiences for me. (I guess I liked being the centre of attention, too. lol) But I particularly love being naked outdoors in the summertime, here by a lake in the mountains of Quebec. Yes, when I am sitting by the water, “all I need is the air that I breathe.”
Every reader here, some 1,000 or so, is interested in nudism and/or naturism. To varying degrees. Hopefully, your interest extends beyond the myriad blogs and newsletters on the subject.
So, do tell. How do you celebrate your body’s natural state? How are you merging nudism/naturism into your life? And, as the secondary headline at the top asks: Are you getting enough real-time body freedom?
— Jillian
"I particularly love being naked outdoors in the summertime"
Move to California and it can be year 'round.
The older I get, the better "naked in nature" becomes. Ironically, naked indoors has become LESS interesting. Am I turning into a nudist hobbyist?
To me, body freedom is not just being naked. Freedom is the ability to choose to either be naked or to wear some warm clothing if and when and where I choose. I don't get some people's obsession with being naked 24/7 even when it's totally uncomfortable, like some act of martyrdom to prove your loyalty to the cause! Yes, it's great to be naked when it's comfortable to do so, or when I'm just too lazy to put any unnecessary clothing on, but it's certainly not a major compulsion. I sleep naked, and spend well over half of my waking hours naked, and that feels fine to me.