Trying nudism before you die

43things.com is a cool website with a "1,000 things to do before you die" theme. People contribute what they want to do, what they have done, get ideas from other people and share experiences.

Some people want to try nudism and others have already. I'm just browsing through the 43things website and so far it is fun.

I tried to contribute to one person's Thing: "my strange desire to visit a nudist colony"

Other people want to get nude on a nude beach, visit a nudist colony (nudist resort/campground) and others talk about positive experiences. Yet others want to go nude more, having tried it a liked it, and another has lived in a nudist resort.

Nudist Myth Busting: Clothing is Required

Humans need clothing, don't they? Let's dispel the myth of clothing. A brief sampling of works by other authors makes it clear that living nude is more common than you may think.

In the recent and recommended book "The Complete Guide to Nudism and Naturism" by Liz and James Egger, the husband and wife nudist authors of 30 years provide some interesting facts and evidence why clothing is not a physical requirement for survival.

They point out that the natives in Tierra del Fuego in South America's southernmost region have lived nude in a climate with 43F (6C) degree average weather. Charles Darwin is among the people to document this.

The Egger's go on to say "The difference is that [the natives] had never felt the need for clothing, and so their bodies had adapted to the cold."

NUFF, the Naturist UK Fact File, is compiling a list of many existing and extinct nude cultures around the world. The list is surprising. Did you know that the peoples of the indigenous tribes of the Caribbean, the Caribs, were usually nude at the time of discovery by Christopher Colombus?

In a 1927 book entitled "Studies in the Psychology of Sex: Vol. 1" by Havelock Ellis, the author examines many cultures whose people do not normally cover themselves with fabric. The book is dated and relative, but points out many cultures where nudity has been the norm:

"The Mandurucu women of Brazil... are completely naked, but they are careful to avoid any postures which might be considered indecorous..."

"The semi-nude natives of the island of Nias in the Indian Ocean are "modest by nature," paying no attention to their own nudity or that of others,..."

And then there are cultures where clothing is restrictive:

"In [1927] England, the regulations of the Swimming Clubs affiliated to the Amateur Swimming Association, require that the male swimmer's costume shall extend not less than eight inches from the bifurcation downward, and that the female swimmer's costume shall extend to within not more than three inches from the knee."

Living naked is a way of life in many cultures. Myth busted.

Clothing, nudists and the self

How does colored fabric change who we are? Researchers says clothing has an impact on how you perceive yourself.

In a University of Michigan study entitled "Clothing in the Self-System of Adolescents" (1997 - view), researchers explored the cultural impact of clothing in relation to the self during those developmentally important adoloescent years.

The researchers explain how clothing and the self are linked:

"If adolescents regard clothing as a tool for validation of the self or inclusion in social interaction through which the self can be established, they may value clothing more than other objects as part of the self. They may perceive clothing as central to the self and psychologically become linked to clothing. The centrality and psychological linkage of the person to clothing is what is meant by the psychological closeness or proximity of clothing to self."

What does this mean to nudists? Well, except for the lucky few who live on nudist resorts, most nudists I know wear clothing for work, for shopping, and even around the house. During these times, clothing may impact our self perception.

When we finally are in a nude, we have no fabric to define us. We have the freedom of our own skin.